Yar'Adua Names New Board For NDDC
From Madu Onuorah, Abuja
PRESIDENT Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has nominated former chairman of the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI), Air Vice Marshal Larry Koinyan (rtd), from Bayelsa State, as the chairman of the reconstituted board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Also, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha, from Rivers State is the nominee for the office of the Managing Director of the NNDC.
Special Adviser to the President (Media and Publicity), Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi said yesterday that the nominations were "to re-engineer and reposition the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for greater efficiency and effective service delivery."
Other nominees include two Executive Directors, Esoetok Ikpong Etteh (Akwa-Ibom State), Projects and Pastor Power Aginighan (Delta State), Finance and Accounts.
Other members of the board on part-time basis are Mr. Aloysius Nwagboso (Abia State), Chief Dan Abia (Akwa Ibom), Mr. Anthony Orubo (Bayelsa), Mr. Ekpo Asuquo Okon (Cross River), Mr. Emmanuel O. Ogidi (Delta), Mr. Jude I. Ise-Idehen (Edo), Akeru Ikechukwu Joseph (Imo), Mr. Benson G. Enikuomehin (Ondo) and Mr. Emmanuel G. Georgewill (Rivers).
Three others were nominated as members of the board representing Non-Oil Mineral Producing States. They include former Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (North-West geo-political zone), Senator Tunde Ogbeha (rtd) (North-Central) and Alhaji Asheikh Jarma (North-East).
Dr. Daru Owei represents Oil Producing Companies in the Niger Delta in the board.
Ugwoha, 44, holds a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning and has about 12 years cumulative experience in Community Development with Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited and Total (Exploration and Production) Nigeria Limited.
Before he joined the oil Industry, Ugwoha had worked as a Technical Officer DFRRI and as Lecturer/Head of the Department of Building Technology, Federal College of Education (Technology) in Omoku, Rivers State. He is currently the Deputy General Manager, JVA (Onshore) Sustainable Development at Total (Exploration & Production) Nigeria Limited.
Members of the board are to be screened and confirmed by the Senate in consultation with the House of Representatives.
Adeniyi said: "President Yar'Adua expects the reconstituted Governing Board to provide a dynamic, purposeful and result-oriented leadership that will effectively reposition the NDDC to work in tandem with the recently established Federal Ministry of the Niger Delta to actualise his administration's agenda for the rapid socio-economic development of the region."
In a letter to the Senate President David Mark, the President asked for "the expeditious confirmation" of the nominees.
