Woman Appointed by Buhari to Head NDDC, Ibim Semenitari Takes Over

As reported by Leystradamus.Com.Ng, President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday sacked the management of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and removed the managing director, Mr. Bassey Dan-Abia, and the two executive directors for Finance and Projects, respectively.

A statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) confirmed Buhari has appointed the immediate past Commissioner for Information in Rivers State, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, as the new acting managing director, pending the appointment of a substantive board.

Semenitari will take over office today at NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt.

It would be recalled that the agency had been accused of contract-splitting, and spending of huge public funds on irrelevant and non-existing projects and substandard jobs.

The commission was also on the spot for not responding to an audit query issued to its management by the Auditor-General of the Federation over the commission’s inability to account for N183.7billion which passed through it between 2008 and 2012.

The choice of Dan-Abia was believed to have enjoyed the backing of ex-Governor, Godswill Akpabio, who was then the chairman of the governors’ forum of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Different corruption allegations have been levelled against the NDDC, a body created as a response to the demands of the people of Niger Delta.