Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei has been appointed as the new acting Managing Director for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
President Muhammadu Buhari appointed the professor of medicine to replace Joy Nunieh who was also acting in that capacity.
According to a statement by Presidential spokesperson, Femi Adesina, the president said Pondei will now head a five-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) for the NDDC which has been troubled by various corruption allegations and whose accounts is currently being audited.
President Buhari had last year ordered the audit of the NDDC’s accounts, saying there is not much to show for the billions of naira spent by the agency.
Recalled that the Niger Delta minister, Godswill Akpabio, whose ministry oversees the NDDC also lamented the corruption in the agency saying it was treated like an ATM by its previous management.
The statement by Adesina reads; “President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the enlargement of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from three to five.
“The five members of the committee are now: Professor Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, who is the Ag. Managing Director, replacing Barrister Joy Nunieh; Dr Cairo Ojougboh, Ag. Executive Director (Projects); Mr Ibanga Bassey Etang, Ag. Executive Director (Finance and Administration); Mrs Caroline Nagbo (Member); and Cecilia Bukola Akintomide, OON, a former Vice President with African Development Bank, (Member).
“Prof K.D Pondei, the new Ag. Managing Director, is a Professor of Medicine at the Niger Delta University, and former Provost, College of Health Sciences of the institution.
“President Buhari had earlier approved that the Interim Management Committee would be in place till the forensic audit of the NDDC was concluded”.
