President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed an interim administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission, Mr Effiong Akwa, spokesman Femi Adesina said on Saturday.
Mr Akwa is the Commission’s Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration.
He is expected to assume leadership of the NDDC until the completion of the forensic audit ordered by the President.
President Buhari approves interim administrator for the NDDC
He is Mr Effiong Okon Akwa, the Ag. Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the Commission, who is to assume headship till completion of the forensic audit.
— Femi Adesina (@FemAdesina) December 12, 2020
Buhari ordered a forensic audit of the NDDC in October 2019 following persistent allegations of financial misappropriation within the development agency.
In February, the President appointed Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei, as Acting Managing Director of the NDDC.
However, Pondei has also faced allegations of misconduct. He slumped in July during a House of Representatives committee hearing.
This month, a Federal High Court in Abuja granted an order to restrain Pondei and others from performing NDDC board functions.
Mr Akwa’s appointment is expected to fill in the gap created by the legal restrictions, Mr Adesina said.
The new interim NDDC chief is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.
