Senator Osita Izunaso on Tuesday declined his nomination as the representative of Imo State on the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He based his decision on the fact that he is not from the oil-producing part of his state.

The Senate rejected the nomination of three members on grounds that their nomination contravened the NDDC Act of 2007. The Act stipulates that only persons from oil producing communities could be appointed to such positions.

The rejected nominees are Olatokunbo Ajasin (Ondo), Donatus Eyinnah (Abia) and Igo Weli (Rivers).

During the debate, Sen. Eyinnaya Abaribe pointed out that Section 2(1) (b) of the NDDC Act stipulates that nominees for the board of the commission must be from communities where oil is produced.

The lawmakers rejected argument by Majority Whip, Sen. Sola Adeyeye, that a nominee should be cleared if he comes from an oil-producing state and not necessarily the part or community in the state.

Chairman of the Committee on NDDC, Peter Nwaoboshi, informed the senate that the nomination of Ajasin was particularly rejected because there protest against it by people from the state.

He said that people from Ilaje area of the state stormed the venue of the nominees screening in 11 fully loaded commuter buses to protesting Ajasin’s nomination.

The Senate however confirmed the nomination of Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba as the new Chairman of NDDC and Nsima Udo Ekere as Managing Director of the commission.

Other nominees who were approved are Adjogbe Samuel, Mene Derek, Frank George, Brambaifa Nelson and Sylvester Nsa.

The nomination of Ogaga Ifowodo, Uwuilekhue Saturday, Harry Dabibi, Bernard Banfa, Yahaya Mohammed and Mustapha Dankadai was also confirmed.

Two other nominees, Mahmoud Isa-Dutse and Abdul-Kazeem Bayero from the Federal Ministry of Finance and Federal Ministry of Environment respectively, were equally accepted by the lawmakers.

However, the membership of the two civil servants on the board, according to the senate, will cease whenever they are transferred from their present ministries.

•Photo shows Senator Osita Izunaso.

Update news