Onyedi Gabriel, Port Harcourt
Niger Delta Rights Advocates has threatened a showdown with the National Assembly if it fails to implement its report on the activities of the Interim Management Committee of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
NDRA Spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, appealed to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, to ensure the implementation of recommendations of the Senator Olubunmi Adetumbi Ad-hoc Committee, which probed the IMC.
He recalled that the committee, among other things, recommended the dissolution of the Interim Management Committee and the refund of N4.925bn extra-budgetary expenditure made by the Prof. Keme Pondei-led IMC.
Nwauju said they would embark on massive protest to shut down the National Assembly complex if the lawmakers attempted to jettison their report.
He said, “It is our considered opinion that given the fact that the NASS has made far-reaching decisions, which include but not restricted to the dissolution of the IMC. It would amount to a total disrespect for Section 88(1) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) from where the NASS drew its powers to oversight the NDDC if the recommendations are abandoned.
“In addition to this indubitable fact, the NASS would have made a complete caricature of the doctrine of the separation of powers under a constitutional democracy, if the much publicised recommendations of the NASS is abandoned or set aside or swept under the carpet in the guise of cooperating with the executive arm of government.
“So far, the inaction of the NASS over the illegal contraption in the name of an IMC amounts to a grave conspiracy of silence, which short changes the overall interest of the peoples of the Niger Delta region.
“The doctrine of fair representation captured in our very operational laws has been ingloriously ignored as the Niger Delta is made up of nine oil-producing states, which requires equal representation on the Board and Management of the NDDC.
“The NDRA demands once again that the NASS communicates it’s position on this matter unequivocally as we shall not hesitate to shut down the National Assembly complex through a massive protest if the current IMC or any IMC for that matter attempts to represent the region on any Budgetary matters either by submitting, defending or operating the NDDC budget forthwith”.