The Federal Government has inaugurated a three-man Interim Management Committee to oversee the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Interim Management Committee would be in place to create the enabling environment for the upcoming forensic audit.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, while performing the inauguration said President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the appointment of Dr. Gbene Joi Nunieh as the new Acting Managing Director, while Dr. Cairo Ojougboh is the Acting Executive Director, Projects and Chief Ibanga Bassey Etang is the Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration.

Senator Akpabio inaugurated the committee in Abuja yesterday, Tuesday, October 29, 2019.

According to Senator Akpabio, the Committee would be in place to create the necessary ambience for a hitch free forensic exercise, adding that the Inauguration of the Board Members would be put on hold until the forensic exercise is completed.

The Minister said that the forensic audit as ordered by President Buhari would cover 18 years of NDDCs operations between 2001- 2019. According to Akpabio, there would be ten (10) slots of auditing firms, and each State would be assigned one slot while the NDDC Headquarters slot would be the coordinating slot.

The Minister urged the Interim Committee to discharge their duties effectively and efficiently without fear or favour noting that the people of the Niger Delta region and indeed the whole country reposed confidence in them in overseeing the affairs of the Commission as an interventionist agency to work towards alleviating the plight of the people of the Niger Delta region.

According to Senator Akpabio, the Acting Managing Director, Dr. Mrs Enyia Akwagaga, had been directed to hand over to the new Interim Committee today, Wednesday, October 30, 2019 by 10am.

In her remarks, the Interim Managing Director, Dr. Nunieh, expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for the opportunity given to them to serve and assured that the team would not disappoint the President, people of the Niger Delta region and indeed the whole country in carrying out their mandate.

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