NDDC: Odeli, Etsano, Iwere, drag FG, NASS to court over Okumagba’s nomination

Secretary of Tisun Community Management Council in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, Mr. David Odeli, youth leader of the same community, Mr. Steven Etsano and Prince David Iwere, an indigene of Bobe Community, have dragged President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation, the National Assembly, NASS and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to the Federal High Court, Benin City, Edo State, over the nomination of Mr. Bernard Okumagba, as Managing Director, MD of the incoming board of NDDC, insisting that Okere Urhobo, where the NDDC MD-Designate hails from, is not among oil bearing communities/areas in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.

In the originating summons made available to Fresh Angle International Tuesday September 10, the plaintiffs seek for an order of injunction, restraining the National Assembly from screening or confirming Mr. Bernard Okumagba, a former Delta State Commissioner of Finance, as Managing Director of the NDDC.

They also want the court to direct Mr. Okumagba not to parade himself as MD of NDDC as well as an order of perpetual injunction, restraining President Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation and National Assembly from going ahead to nominate screen and confirm Mr. Okumagba as MD of the incoming board of NDDC.

While listing Omadino, Obodo, Ugbokodo and Wakanor as the only oil bearing communities/areas in Warri South Local Government Area, the plaintiffs in the suit no: F H C/05/95/2019, posited that the likes of Engr. Omene Joseph and Emmanuel Aguwariavwodo, who were nominated, screened and confirmed as MD of NDDC in the past, are from oil bearing communities of “Omosogar in Ethiope East Local Government Area” and “Okpara in Otu-Jeremi, Ughelli South Local Government Area” respectively, both of Delta State.

They opined that if Mr. Okumagba is screened and confirmed, it would spark up, “agitation/crisis amongst the oil bearing communities/areas in Delta State”, he “will not be able to impact on those communities /area that have been negatively affected by the activities of oil exploration companies as the Managing Director” and “may not be able to perform/carry out the functions”, of NDDC equitably.  

In defense of the nomination of Mr. Bernard Okumagba as NDDC MD- Designate by President Buhari, some social commentators had argued that, “the NDDC Act states clearly that the Office of MD is limited to the major oil producing states: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers. All four have had their turn in the governing boards since 2001 and now it has come full circle to Delta State, which had the first shot in 2001”. 

The commentators averred that Mr. Okumagba, had “a stellar career as an auditor, senior banker, bank chief inspector, and then as Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Finance in Delta State”.

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