The Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), snubbed the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, carrying out investigation on alleged illegal sacking of some staffers of the commission between February and May this year. The Senate had on May 5, 2020 on the strength of a motion sponsored by Senator George Sekibo (PDP Rivers East) on alleged financial recklessness and arbitrary sacking of staff in NDDC , mandated his committee on Niger Delta Affairs, to investigate the staff sacking aspect and assigned that of financial recklessness to an Ad- hoc Committee .
While the Ad-hoc committee had carried out its own investigation on the alleged financial recklessness against the current Professor Daniel Pondei led IMC of NDDC, the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, has not been able to get attention of the IMC members on alleged illegal sacking of staffers. Attempt made by the Committee led by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Niger North), on Monday to carry out the investigation was stalled with the absence of the entire IMC members along with the Managing Director, Professor Pondei.
Signs that the IMC members would not appear before the Committee, emerged at about 12:30 pm when none of them was sighted at the venue of the planned investigative hearing in room 022 of the Senate wing of the National Assembly. Even attempt made by the Committee to ensure appearance of the IMC members before it two hours after by shifting the sitting to 3:00pm failed, as none of them appeared at about 3:20 pm when the session resumed.
Irked by the development, the committee chairman, Peter Nwaoboshi, asked the NDDC Director of Human Resources, Silas Anyanwu to offer explanation for the development. Anyanwu in his explanation said, the Managing Director of NDDC, Professor Pondei and other IMC members, were held back at the House of Representatives wing of the National Assembly where they were being engaged on similar investigation.
