NDDC Top Job: Group Campaigns for Eket

Question: Is geographical rotation a good criterion for selecting NDDC Commissioners?  Has this practice worked well in the past? 

Akanimo Reports

26 February 2011

NDDC Top Job: Group Campaigns for Eket

Community Watch Nigeria (CWN), a community-based group in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil and gas region, is campaigning for the Eket axis of the oil basin to produce either the Managing Director or Executive Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Spokesman of the group, Samingo Etukakpan, told AkanimoReports in an interview at Eket yesterday that the time has come for the area to produce a key figure in the development agency that has been largely impeded by high level corruption.

According to them, the composition of the NDDC board as stipulated by the Act establishing the commission states that key positions should rotate round an acceptable module of equity among member states comprising, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.

“The chairmanship position of the commission rotates round member states in alphabetical order, though its appointment is as directed by the Presidency while the Managing Director and other directors are appointed based on quantum of oil production of member states”.t.

Continuing, they said the Precisely on Tuesday, September 13, 2011, dissolved the board of the interventionist agency under the leadership of retired Air vice Marshal Larry Koinya.

“Eket Local Government Area as one of the oil producing areas in Akwa Ibom State since the inception of the commission, and from the days of OMPADEC has never produced any Commissioner or Executive Director of Projects even when consistent calls have been made by the people of the area for the abnormality to be redressed”, the group said.

They pointed out that other oil producing local government areas like Onna, Ibeno, Esit Eket, Ikot Abasi and Mkpat Enin have produced Commissioners/Directors in the board, adding, “now that the commission has been dissolved, Eket Local Government Area should be given priority in the appointment of Executive Director Project in the board of the NDDC”.