The nomination of Lauretta Onochie, President Muhammadu Buhari’s special assistant for social media, and 12 other individuals to serve as the chairperson and board members of the Niger Delta Development Commission has been approved by the Senate (NDDC).
Onochie and 13 other candidates were examined for the NDDC board positions on Thursday by the Niger Delta Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
According to the requirements of section 2(a) of the NDDC (Establishment Act), Buhari had written to the Senate asking the Upper Chamber to confirm the appointment of the Chairman and Members of the commission’s board.
This was the second occasion that Buhari sent a list of candidates for the NDDC board for approval. In 2021, he forwarded the first list of candidates for the board, who were then vetted and approved by the Senate.
The President chose to send a different list of nominees for confirmation, according to Senate President Ahmad Lawan, because the first list had a mistake.
Onochie’s candidacy encountered some opposition from committee members, particularly on the grounds that the NDDC Act prohibits Onochie from chairing the commission because she is not from an oil-producing community in Delta State, where she is from.