The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will soon have a new Managing Director and Chairman. This became apparent when President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday sent to the Senate a letter nominating former Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Nsima Ekere, and former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, as the Managing Director and Chairman of the commission respectively.

Former Commissioner of Information and Communications, Rivers State, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari has been the Acting MD of the NDDC since December 21, 2015.

He succeeds Ibim Semenitari, who has been the acting managing director since December 2015.

Mr. Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who hails from Cross River State, takes over from Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, also from the state.

He was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party until September last year when he resigned from the party following his inability to secure its governorship ticket of the former.

He joined the ruling All Progressives Congress in November.

The Mr. Ewa-Henshaw-led Board was sacked by the federal government on July 16, 2015 though it went to court to challenge the action.

The board members argued that by virtue of sections 2, 3 and 5 of the NDDC Act, they were entitled to four years unbroken tenure from December 16, 2013 to December 15, 2017.

Mr. Ekere, who was deputy to former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, could not be reached for comments.

The nomination letter sent to Senate President Bukola Saraki today, may be read on the floor of the Senate on Thursday.

•Adapted from an Independent report. Photo shows outgoing NDDC MD Ibim Semenitari.

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