THAT NDDC MD REPLACEMENT – OUR POSITION

The President & Commander-in-Chief
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Aso Chambers
Three Arms Zone
Abuja.

Your Excellency Sir,

AN OPEN LETTER TO MR PRESIDENT:

SHORT CHANGING AKWA IBOM STATE YET AGAIN

Who we are:MbohoMkparawa Ibibio is a 29 year old non-profit socio-cultural organisation of over 20, 000 youths of Ibibio nation, undoubtedly the 4th largest ethnic group in Nigeria with strong presence  in most States of Nigeria and in 4 continents of the world.

On Monday, 21 December, 2015 the people of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria’s number one oil producing State received news of the leadership change in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), an intervention development commission established in year 2000 by the NIGER DELTA DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION (ESTABLISHMENT, ETC) ACT, 2000 during President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. This change saw the replacement of Sir (Barr) Bassey Dan-Abia, of Akwa Ibom State with Mrs Ibim Semenitari immediate past Commissioner for Information in the Rt. Hon.Rotimi Amaechi’s government of Rivers State.

While Mboho Mkparawa Ibibio has no qualms whatsoever with you exercising your prerogatives in effecting changes in strategic Ministries, Departments,Agencies, Commissions and Parastatals as you deem fit in your government we however have to bring it to the attention of His Excellency the provisions of Schedule 3 (1)-Tenure of Office in the NDDC Establishment Act 2000 which states inter-alia : Subject to the provisions of section 4 of this Act a member of the Board, other than an ex-officio member shall hold office for a term of 4 years at the first instance and may be re-appointed for a further term of 4 years and no more.

Also Schedule 12 under Part iv –Staff- states that the Managing Director and two Executive Directors who shall be indigenes of oil producing areas starting with the member State of the Commission with the highest production quantum of oil and shall rotate amongst member States in order of production …

The concerned States in the NDDC Act,in alphabetical order,  are Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers.

Before proceeding we inMbohoMkparawa Ibibio wish to once again commend and lend our total support to Mr President’s agenda of building a better Nigeria for the well being of all our citizens particularly the drive towards improvement and stabilization of the economy and ongoing crusade against terrorism and corruption which we agree with you must be killed before it kills our dear nation.

We also hasten to state here that we are not in advocacy here for the person of Sir (Barr)Bassey Dan-Abia as we may never know the reason/s behind his replacement before completing the 4 year term for Akwa Ibom State but we however insist that his replacement should have been an indigene of Akwa Ibom State to allow the State run its full and due tenure of 4 years in keeping with the extant law guiding the establishment and operation of the Niger Delta Development Commission which has not been amended.

As it is Akwa Ibom has only utilized 2 years out of her 4 years as Barr Dan-Abia was appointed and sworn in December, 2013. He was relieved of this appointment in December, 2015 and replaced by someone from Rivers State.

Anything short of above would leave Akwa Ibom State and her people with the short end of the stick in a clear violation of the establishing Act even in a democratic dispensation.

If Mrs Semenitari had to be brought in as a sole administrator in the exigency of Barr Dan-Abia having to go within short notice we can understand. However we do need assurances Sir that an Akwa Ibom indigene will be appointed in due course, and soon too, to complete the State’s outstanding tenure to assuage feelings of marginalization being expressed in Akwa Ibom, the largest producer of crude oil and the most friendly to oil producing activities and the joint venture companies.

Thanking you Sir.
Akparawa Monday Etokakpan, JP    Akparawa James Edet, NPOM

International President                Secretary General