Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana, has dismissed opposition to the implementation of the forensic audit report on operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Umana Okon Umana, minister of Niger Delta affairs, has rebuffed objections to the adoption of the forensic audit findings on the Niger Delta Development Commission’s operations (NDDC).
Umana responded to a media report yesterday in Abuja, saying he was countering President Muhammadu Buhari on important matters relating to the forensic audit.
He pleaded with relevant parties to ignore the study and focus on the overall growth of the oil-rich region.
During a courtesy visit to him in Abuja, Senator Ita Enang, the former Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, said.
‘The Ministry is committed to supporting you in all of these initiatives so that we would have maximum benefit in the development of the region and Nigeria at large.’
In response to a question on oil theft, he stated that, despite its complexity, no alternative would be disregarded in the fight against the problem, and that efforts are being made to keep the area peaceful and serene.
Umana emphasized that the ministry was taking action to analyze the audit report in order to establish a suitable foundational blueprint for the implementation and accomplishment of projects in the area.
Therefore, he pledged to support initiatives, programs, and activities that would help the ministry fulfill its mandates and goals.
Sharon Ikeazor, the minister’s state minister, had earlier stated that effective coordination across the ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) was necessary to support regional development initiatives.
‘The region would be highly interested in aqua-culture, therefore, we would coordinate and research intervention partners and agencies that have been doing a great job in the Niger Delta region without knowledge of the ministry for sustainability and development of the region,’ she noted.
The minister also met with the Niger Delta Youth Council of Nigeria (NDYCN), promising to collaborate with them as their input is required for the successful implementation of the ministry’s projects.
While praising the ministers’ efforts, Comrade Ufuoma Victor Erharhine, the president of the NDYCN, implored them to promote programs and initiatives that would help the area’s underprivileged. He promised to provide a favorable atmosphere for the ministry’s operations to flourish in the oil-rich region.