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The Ondo State Host Community has rejected the appointment of Ifedayo Abegunde and Victor Kolade Akinjo, as members of the governing board of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Chairman of the Host Community, Prince Ogundere Adejugba, told journalists on Friday in Abuja that the nominees are not from the oil-producing community, which contradicted the Legislative Act that stipulated the state’s representatives must originate from such communities in the Niger-Delta.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to review the NDDC Act before making nominations and assigning portfolios, expressing faith in the president’s commitment to the rule of law.
Adejugba highlighted the Ugbo Kingdom as the sole oil-producing community in Ondo state and warned the state government against conspiracies targeting the kingdom.
He urged the federal government to withdraw the current nominee list and make fresh nominations from the Ugbo Kingdom and emphasised that the HostCom had written to the President, his Chief of Staff, and the National Security Adviser with this request.
He warned that if the government fails to address their concerns, the HostCom might take matters into its own hands, with potential repercussions that would be felt by all.
“We are rejecting the nominees based on the established laws of the NDDC. The HostCom has competent sons and daughters who can represent us on the board of the NDDC.
“Should the federal government persist in violating the law, we will support such actions, albeit with the intention of ensuring that their consequences are felt by all,” Adejugba warned.
In a letter to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, he reiterated the need for appointees to the NDDC board to come from oil-producing communities, citing a history of such nominations since the board’s inception in 2000.
According to him, previous appointees not from these communities led to legal disputes, with cases filed in Federal High Courts in Abuja and Akure.
He implored the National Security Adviser to recommend someone from the Ugbo Kingdom for board membership and convene a meeting with stakeholders to verify the original oil producers in Ondo state.
