Senate Gets New NDDC Board Nominees
...Yar’Adua's Loyalist Lado, Ogbeha named
ABUJA, October 24, (THEWILL) - President Goodluck Jonathan has forwarded to the Senate a list of nominees for the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), THEWILL can report.
The list includes Senator Garba Yakubu Lado from Katsina State who would represent the North West. Lado who contested the governorship ticket on the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) was a staunch supporter of late President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua.
Sources in the Presidency also confirmed that President Jonathan also named former Senator representing Kogi West in the upper chamber, Senator Tunde Ogbeha. He will be representing the North Central, a non-oil producing area.
Recall that Senator Lado was the voice of the acclaimed cabal, which opposed the confirmation of the then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as Acting President early in 2010.
He raised objections on the floor of the Senate until the barriers were finally broken on February 9, 2010, when the National Assembly proclaimed Jonathan Acting President.
THEWILL gathered that the list of the newly approved members of the NDDC Board would be unveiled in the Senate this week.
A source confirmed that the President had in a letter dated October 17, 2011, asked the Senate to screen the nominees into the board of the NDDC in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(1) of the NDDC Act.
It was also gathered that the Presidency has resolved all doubts concerning the nomination of the NDDC nominee from Abia State following the approval of Barrister Aloysius Nwagboso who is now expected to complete his tenure in December 2013.
Other nominees according to the source include Dr. Tariah Tebepah (Bayelsa) as Chairman, Dr. Christian Obo (Rivers) as Managing Director and Mr. LEJ Kobanye (Delta) as Executive Director, Finance and Administration.
Others include Mr. Edward Orubo, member representing Bayelsa, Dr. Ibitamuno M. Aminigo Member representing Rivers, Chief Solomon Ogba (Delta), Engineer Imaobong Johnson (Akwa-Ibom), Engineer Edikan Eshett Eshett (Executive Director of Projects, Akwa-Ibom), Barrister Peter Ezeobi (Imo), Dominic Aqua Edem (Cross Rivers), Barrister Aloysius Nwagboso (Abia), Mr. Omogbemi O. Oladele (Ondo), Mr. Osahon Imaru (Edo) and Rima Shawulu Kwewum (North East).
The President also nominated Mr. Joe Jakpa to represent the oil producing companies.