Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Godswill Akpabio, at the weekend, inaugurated a committee to resolve the internal wrangling in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which he said had distracted the interventionist agency from its mandate.
The committee is expected to examine the remote and immediate causes that led to the placing of some of the NDDC Staff on compulsory leave and the redeployment of others.
Inaugurating the committee, the Minister, restated the commitment of the Ministry to revamp NDDC, adding “for the Niger Delta region to progress and develop, the NDDC must be rightly positioned both administratively and otherwise to deliver on its mandate”.
According to him: “The Ministry is making relentless efforts to revamp the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for optimal performance by ensuring that all issues slowing down productivity and peace in the Commission are resolved”
“The commission will be rejigged in order to deliver on its mandate, this is for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta region”.
He observed that “over the years, the NDDC has witnessed varying degrees of challenges especially in the management of the Human Resource that had led to low morale and dwindling performance of the Staff of the Commission”.
The Minister noted further “these issues have affected the activities and productivity of Staff in the Commission, there is continuous bickering and complaint amongst the Management and staff of the Commission”.
The membership of the Committee was drawn from the Ministry and the Commission with the Director, Community Development and Education, in the Ministry, Mrs. Lauren Briade as the Chairman while Mr. Musa Dakas, Director Human Resources Management, was appointed Secretary.
Akpabio declared henceforth: “the operations of the Commission would be guided by the provisions of the Public Service Rules, Financial Regulations, the Act setting up NDDC and other Extant Guidelines and Regulations guiding staff and related matters”.
The Committee was mandated to complete the assignment and submit the report to the Ministry within the next three weeks.