The Managing Director of the commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, made the pledge in a statement signed by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Ibitoye Abosede, on Wednesday.

Ogbuku spoke when receiving a delegation from the Rivers State University, led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Nlerum Okogbule, at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

He said, “We want to partner universities in academic research. Let us be part of the solutions the world is seeking. We want to partner with academic institutions to produce life-saving vaccines. We should be looking at finding lasting solutions for medical and social problems.”

“As development partners in the Niger Delta region, we will support and fund research projects that add value to our society and solves the challenges facing the people of the Niger Delta region. The NDDC seeks partnerships in research to address challenges facing society. The research will provide solutions for society.”

The VC commended the commission for building the capacity of universities in the Niger Delta region while also urging it to assist the university in building an advanced law centre for research in a specialised area of law.

The committee chairman, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, on Thursday, urged the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon, to address the cases of employment racketeering in the NDDC, which were allegedly perpetrated during the regime of his immediate past predecessor.

He explained that there were a series of petitions before his panel by aggrieved job seekers from the oil-rich Niger Delta region of the country, alleging that the agency’s management did not allow them to carry out any documentation despite issuing them original letters of employment.

Akinyelure explained that one of the petitions, signed by a former deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, specifically alleged that the employment in the NDDC was sold for various amounts depending on the financial strength of the applicant’s family.

The petition further accused officials of the NDDC of demanding bribes up to the tune of N2 million from job seekers to have their employment documented or have their slots sold to the highest bidders.

The Senate Committee had in October extended an invitation to the minister to come forward and provide explanations to the weighty allegations which included alleged plot to replace the erstwhile Sole Administrator, Effiong Akwa, a refusal to constitute the NDDC Board and attempts to withhold the budgets of the commission from 2021 to 2023 away from the scrutiny of the National Assembly.

Akinyelure said the Senate Committee met with the Minister behind closed doors and was pleased with his submissions on all the allegations leveled against him clearing Umana of any wrongdoing in the alleged job racketeering.

The panel also exonerated the minister of all allegations contained in a separate petition that accused him of plotting to siphon N480 billion NDDC funds lodged with the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The senator said, “The former management of the NDDC carried out a lot of atrocities in that commission and our committee has advised Umana Umana and the new managing director to go deep and review all the issues.

Cases of Nigerians that had been shortchanged and disenfranchised from working in the agency of government should be given employment immediately.

“There are original employment letters before our committee. Many letters were issued to qualified Nigerians after they had passed both written and oral interviews but they were not allowed to resume.

“We have their petitions before us and the man from the NDDC that testified before the committee that the letters were genuine, was later sacked by the management.

“There were massive cases of employment racketeering in the NDDC. Those who have genuine letters were not documented because they were asked to go and pay money that they could not afford.”

He added, “Those who were perpetrating the illegality would now sell the employment to those who didn’t participate in any interview at all. They are already working there now.

There are about seven cases from Ondo State whose issues were brought before our committee by a former governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, in a petition he wrote over a year ago.

“We invited the immediate past Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs to explain what was happening in the agency but he didn’t come.”

Akinyelure said the current Minister had described as untrue the allegation that he approved the disengagement of some workers. He explained that the Minister had already denied the allegation of the sacking of 100 NDDC workers by him upon resumption of office when he appeared before his panel.

The senator, however, said the Minister should redress the anomaly as soon as the board of the NDDC was inaugurated after confirmation of its members by the Senate.

This was disclosed by a statement from the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs signed by the Director (Press), Patricia Deworitshe, on Thursday.

Deworitshe also said Buhari has approved the constitution of a new Management Team and Governing Board of the NDDC in line with Section 5(2) of the NDDC Act, 2000.

“Akwa was appointed interim administrator of the Commission for the duration of the Forensic Audit into the operations of the
NDDC, which has now been concluded,” the statement said.

Deworitshe stated that Buhari also approved the constitution of a new Management Team and Governing Board of the NDDC in line with section 5(2) of the NDDC Act, 2000.

“The names of the nominees for the new management team and Governing Board are to be transmitted to the National Assembly for approval,” She added.

The NDDC Director, Corporate Affairs, Dr Ibitoye Abosede, in a statement on Sunday, said the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, will commission the 66-flat residential quarters and administrative block for security personnel in Rivers State on behalf of the president.

The project which had previously been inspected by the NDDC Interim Administrator, Mr Efiong Akwa, consists of an administrative block, an armoury, gatehouse, underground cell and 66 units of accommodation made up of the commander’s residence, second-in-command’s residence, and 64 one-bedroom flats.

The NDDC spokesman quoted Akwa as saying, “When people say that NDDC is not working, you can see that it is not true. The problem is that people don’t get to acknowledge the numerous projects that the commission executed or is executing.”

The NDDC boss noted that the project was very important in view of the security and economic challenges in the Niger Delta region, stating that it would add value to the living conditions of security officers in the region.

Akwa further said the project was part of a broad-based partnership with the Nigeria Police Force to add value to their efforts at improving regional security.

Prominent names on the list compiled in 2018 are former Governors, Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), James Ibori (Delta}, Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta) and Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.

While some of these politicians have denied benefitting from NDDC contracts, the commission however enjoined those whose names appeared in the list not to panic as it has been uncovered that some people used their names to get the jobs.

Charles Odili, NDDC’s director of corporate affairs also revealed that the list does not include a case of 250 contracts which were signed for and collected in one day by one person for members of the National Assembly.

Odili said “The Interim Management Committee of the commission stands by the list which came from files already in the possession of the forensic auditors. It is not an Akpabio list but the NDDC’s list; the list is part of the volume of 8,000 documents already handed over to the forensic auditors. Prominent indigenes of the Niger Delta whose names were on the list should not panic as the commission knew that people used the names of prominent persons in the region to secure contracts, and the ongoing forensic audit would unearth those behind the contracts. The intention of the list was to expose committee chairmen in the national assembly who used

The lawmaker representing Edo South Senatorial District who made the list of lawmakers accused of benefitting from an alleged contract racketeering stated that the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio’s claim is untrue and a ploy to misinform the public and his constituency in particular.

He said “For Akpabio to say I have been a beneficiary is unfortunate and is a wicked lie and I just believe whatever mischief he wanted to perpetuate, I think Nigerians, through my own explanation, should be able to read between the lines.  Akpabio’s records are not even correct. The contracts (NDDC) I have attracted to my constituency are in excess of eleven, adding that “he (Akpabio) does not know what is going on. Out of the six contracts that Akpabio mentioned, four are street lights projects which are ongoing with the contractors (gotten through competitive bidding) not paid a dime as mobilization”

Pondei collapsed where he was seated as members of the House Committee on NDDC grilled him.

The committee had grilled him for about 45 minutes before he passed out.

Pondei has been rushed out of the Conference Room 231, venue of the investigative hearing on illegal spending and mismanagement of funds in the commission.

The Interim Management Committee of the NDDC had last week requested that Tunji-Ojo should not preside over the probe as he had also been accused of “crime” against the commission.

Recalls that acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Prof Kemebrandikumo Pondei, and other top officials of the commission walked out of the venue on investigative hearing being held by the House of Representatives on Thursday, 17 July.

It was reported that Pondei walked out of the hearing in Abuja, after accusing the Chairman of the committee Rep. Olubumi Tunji-Ojo (APC-Ondo) of corruption.

The President disclosed this at the inauguration of NDDC Advisory Committee, comprising the 9 Governors of the Niger Delta Region and the Ministers of Niger Delta Affairs and Environment.

President Buhari said ‘‘To date, the EFCC and other agencies of Government have recovered over N3.7billion in cash as well as various assets worth billions of Naira from some contractors and former Directors of the Commission. Furthermore, I am told that Government agencies have placed liens on over N6 billion of assets which are being investigated.’’