GROUP TASKS FG ON CORRUPTION IN NDDC

 
PORT HARCOURT- Campaign for Peace and Development has urged President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore calls for the dissolution of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, noting that such action would amount to a violation of the constitution.

The group in a statement in Port Harcourt, by Mr. Philip Agadema, also claimed that Secretary of Government of the Federation, SGF, Chief Pius Anyim Pius, erred in his executive summary on the report of the Steve Orosanye-led presidential committee on NDCC, when it laid much emphasis on the recommendations of the report with less attention on the findings and observations.

The statement said, 'were are surprised that in the summary from the SGF on the report, he listed the name of his former colleague in the Senate as the kind of person that should be appointed to head the interim management committee of the NDDC upon the dissolution of the board.'

The group said, 'section 5 of the 1999 constitution, which they said the President should invoke to dissolve the board does not in any sense relate to the NDDC,' stressing that if he goes ahead to dissolve the board based on this section, he would have gone contrary to the rule of law.

'When we had similar situations in the past, former Presidents relied on the only legal instrument or authority to act.   The President can only act on the NDDC Establishment Act 2000, which under section 5 sub sections 3, empowers the President to remove any member of the governing board for misconduct.

It was in exercise of this power that President Obasanjo removed Engr Godwin Omene and Engr Udo Nbossoh, Executive Director Project under Omene and replaced them from the state that produced them.

'Similarly  late President Musa Yar Adua exercised the powers under the same provision of the act and removed the Chairman of the second governing board, Amb Sam Edem  in 2008 and appointed the then Akwa Ibom State representative Chief Basil Abia as acting  Chairman to complete the tenure of the board,' the group added.