Lawyer asks court to set aside 2019/2020 NDDC budget, queries induction of advisory committee without board

A Lagos-based lawyer and human rights activist, Inibehe Effiong, has sued President Buhari, Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami and the National Assembly over submission of the 2019 and 2020 budget estimates of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NNDC).

Instituting the case before the Federal High Court in Abuja, he described the President’s submission of the budget estimates to the National Assembly without the NDDC’s governing board as ‘illegal’.

The case, which was filed on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 with Suit No: FHC/ABJ/CS/349/2020 also has Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, NDDC’s Acting Managing Director and Head of the Interim Management Committee (IMC), Professor Kemebradikumo Daniel Pondei, as fourth, fifth and sixth defendants.

In his 40-paragraph affidavit with eight exhibits attached, Effiong stated that he was from the Niger Delta region, adding that President Buhari dissolved NDDC’s board headed by Victor Ndoma-Egba in January 2019 and appointed an IMC to manage its affairs.

He stated that Buhari in October 2019 wrote the Senate seeking the confirmation of a new 16-member governing board, which had Pius Odubu from Edo State as Chairman and which the Senate approved.

Effiong deposed that despite Senate’s approval of the governing board, Buhari unilaterally suspended the inauguration of the board and continued to retain the IMC now head by Professor Pondei.

According to the activist, Buhari on November 26, 2019 submitted the 2019 and 2020 NDDC’s budget estimates to the National Assembly without the board, which attracted condemnation from the National Assembly.

He added that the Senate during its plenary on Tuesday, November 26, 2019 passed a resolution directing its committee on Niger Delta Affairs not to recognise the IMC, but to relate only with the approved governing board when considering the budgets.

“Following condemnation of the President’s submission of the budget estimates without the governing board by the National Assembly and Senate’s resolution, the President in a letter dated December 23, 2019 notified the Senate of his decision to “put on hold” appointment of the governing board to allow the IMC to manage the NDDC pending outcome of the forensic audit,” Effiong said.

He added that in contravention of the earlier Senate resolution, the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs recognised the IMC, while considering the 2019 budget on February 12, 2020 and allowed the interim committee to defend the 2019 budget and that on Wednesday, March 4, 2020 and Thursday, March 5, 2020, the Senate and House of Representatives passed the 2019 budget estimates without governing board.