NDDC seeks approval of Reps for spent budgets of 2021, 2022

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has asked the House of Representatives to approve the 2021 and 2022 budgets—after spending the funds for the financial cycles.

Samuel Ogbuku, the Managing Director of the Commission, who appeared before the House Committee on NDDC on Thursday, said the 2021, 2022 and 2023 budgets have been brought together in what he termed “Rewind to Rebirth”.

While defending the budget, Mr. Ogbuku explained that a total budget of N485.7 billion was proposed for NDDC in 2021, N928.2 billion in 2022 and N876 billion in 2023.

He stated that “even if the 2023 budget is presented to this Honorable Committee late, we are confident that we will strive to direct the weak resources to impactful projects/programmes”, he said.

Turbulence in NDDC

For a couple of years, the NDDC had no leadership until January.

The Senate had in November 2019, confirmed the 15 candidates He was sent by Mr. Buhari as a member of the NDDC board. The president sent it names of candidates Or a politician from the State, led by Pius Odubu, to the Senate in October.

The President, however, refused to inaugurate the nominees, even though the Senate cleared them. In the confirmation process, the president ordered a court audit operations of the organization from 2001 to 2019.

Also, before the Senate cleared the nominees, former Niger Delta minister Godswill Akpabio appointed an interim management committee for the NDDC.

In November 2022, Lauretta Onochie was appointed as the chairperson of the NDDC board and a board was formed.

I inherited the dysfunctional NDDC – Ogbuku

Mr. Ogbuku said he has been working to correct the “dysfunctional situation” he inherited from his predecessor.

“Recovering the shelter, we know that the task was very big. We have encountered many dysfunctional situations in the commission and as a board and management we try to correct some of them, especially the reorganization of the internal administration. We have done most of them.

“We think it will make more sense as a team to start looking back to blame the past. We thought it was our responsibility to receive the situation of the commission from where we knew it, improving the successes of our predecessors and also correcting their mistakes”, he said.

The chairman of the committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (APC, Ondo), while reacting to the comment made by the MD, said the committee will cooperate with the committee but the budget will not be approved without due scrutiny.

“But rest assured that as we stand ready to show love and cooperation to ensure your success, I as chairman and member of the commission will not hesitate to activate all parts of the law that are needed to stop abuse and misuse of resources,” he said.

“We waited three or four years to have this table, it’s time to put your house in order and stop all this ‘paper ‘tigerismo'” and the fights on the pages of newspapers.

“Please make the wait worth it. The country is hungry for development. People are not interested in ego-battles, blame games or buk pases, the people of the region need hope – renewed hope – and this is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

“Please make your achievements in the NDDC the enhancement of your profiles, not diminishing your social and corporate stature,” he said.

The committee then went behind closed doors to discuss the details of the budget.