A group, the League of Nigerian Professionals (LNP) has queried the recent memo issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs as fraudulent which allegedly re-instated dissolved board directors at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), against the publicly announced directives of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dissolve all governing boards across the country, whose directive never provided for the exemption of executive directors from dissolution.
The group wondered why the NDDC has been singled out and given preferential treatment, and whether the Chairman Mrs. Lauretta Onochie and other members of the governing board should return to their duties to provide the lacking checks and balances and accountability to the commission, stating that, “the alleged fraudulent memo from Dr. Shuaib Belgore the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs completely makes a mockery of the President’s directives.”
According to the LNP, the memo with reference number MNDA/PRS/502/S.I/T2/61, which was allegedly issued on 4th June 2023 by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Shuaib Belgore (OON) in reply to a clarification sought by the NDDC referenced NDDC/MD/MNDA/PS/2023/06/01 on 26th June 2023, stated that despite the dissolution order by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, “the status of two Executive Directors in the Commission remain valid as bonafide members of the management of the Commission.”
“And that the recent dissolution of the governing board of the commission by the Federal Government does not affect them from being management staff. In view of the above, I wish to re-empahise that the commission maintain the status quo pending further directives.”
The National Coordinator of the LNP, Barr. Felix Urhogide, said the discrepancies on the date the memo was issued by the PS, Niger Delta Affairs Ministry makes this case suspicious, “the legality of the memo and the content is against the dissolution order issued by the Federal Government and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
Urhogide said, “the Federal Government issued the dissolution directive on the 19th of June, 2023 that all boards were dissolved. Some agencies of government including the NDLEA, NPC, Police Service Commission, etc. were exempted. But the Niger Delta Affairs Ministry in the memo created their own exception portfolio as against the Federal Government directive. Is that legal and genuine?”
“Nigerians demand answers to these questions. How come the PS of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs have such powers to counter the directives of the Federal Government and President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu? Is it that the power for further exemption is domicile in the hands of the permanent secretaries and not the President? Also, will other MDAs return to their previous positions as usual without recourse to the FG and President’s directives?”
The LNP however called on the Federal Government and President Tinubu not to disappoint Nigerians because, “Nigerians were elated when the order to dissolve all governing boards and parastatals were issued. But they are shocked that the heads of such boards and agencies were left behind and as such arose the illegality and continued looting of resources of the country by the same old politicians.”
“We call on President Tinubu to immediately dissolve the Managing Directors and Chief Executive officers in these MDAs and Agencies in order to halt the secret looting and save the country from unimaginable losses.”
