In Nigeria, experience has taught me that the higher the drama, the greater the cover up. When you see a major drama playing out like in the recent NDDC case, know that the real truth behind the scenes is ‘stranger than fiction’ .
Late last year, the President nominated 16 people including Dr Joy Nunieh for the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). The Senate confirmed 15 of those nominees who presented themselves for the exercise. Former Deputy Governor, Dr Pius Odubu was nominated and confirmed as the Chairman of the Board and Chief Bernard Okumagba was confirmed as Managing Director.
However, Dr Joy Nunieh who was one of the President’s nominees, was not confirmed as she did not appear for screening. She was, at that very moment whilst the others were being screened, sworn in as Acting Managing Director, heading an Interim Committee set up by the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio. Akpabio announced that the three man committee who he appointed will oversee the management of the commission to create an “enabling environment” for an impending audit of the activities of the previous Board.
The three-man committee was made up of Dr Joy Nunieh as Acting MD, Cairo Ojougboh Acting Executive Director, Projects and Ibanga Bassey, Acting Executive Director, Finance and Administration. Akpabio stated that President Buhari had approved the appointment of the members of the Interim Committee but it was quite clear that this was his team, who he was comfortable working with. All efforts by the Senate to insist upon the inauguration of the confirmed board members were resisted. The Senate argued that the law does not recognise the interim arrangement as a duly confirmed board is already in place. The Senate President further stated that the Senate would only entertain budget presentations from the Board they had confirmed.
However, in a new twist of events, the President wrote a letter to Senate on the 23rd of December 2019, informing them that the newly confirmed Board has been disbanded and confirmed that the Interim Committee has been put in place to oversee the forensic audit of the former Board’s activities. The letter stated that once the audit has been completed, the presidency would compose a new board of the commission for confirmation by the senate.
It was not clear at this point why the new sworn in board could not oversee the planned audit of the activities of the former management or why only Dr Joy was selected out of all the nominated members of the new board to serve in the IMC. In fact, it appeared that Dr Joy was Akpabio’s preferred choice for the position of Managing Director and this was the first step towards realising that goal. With the President’s latest letter, the coup d’etat executed by the minister and Dr Joy, the new Acting MD was complete. She took charge and began to manage the Commission under the direction of the minister but their collaboration was short lived.
No one really knows how and why the pair fell out. Neither of them treated us to the high drama we are currently witnessing when the going was good. We were not told that they were meeting in hotels and slapping themselves. Nor were we informed that illegal contracts were being approved and that a looting spree had commenced in the Commission. But on Wednesday 19th of February, Femi Adeshina, the President’s spokesman announced that the President has expanded the IMC and appointed Kemebradikumo Pondei to replace Dr Joy as the commission’s new acting managing director. Two more people, Caroline Nagbo and Cecilia Akintomide had been appointed to join the IMC.
At the time there were vague whispers of Dr Joy being removed because she possessed a fake National Youth Service certificate. Other unconfirmed rumours were that she was high handed and had a difficult relationship with her minister. Whatever the real case was, Joy was not going to go quietly. She held various press conferences where she accused the minister of corruption and claimed that she was removed because she questioned his fraudulent activities. The minister, who did not at the time address the accusations of corruption responded by directing us (the public) to go and interview her past four husbands to understand how difficult she is and to throw more light on why he had to sack her for insubordination. He also brought up the issue of her alleged fake certificate.
Dr Joy’s response came quick and fast. She called a press conference to address the accusations. However, in the middle of her statement, thugs appeared and disrupted the proceedings. Undeterred she went to Arise News to accuse the minister of corruption and to state that he had attempted to sexually assault her which led to her slapping him. She claimed that being a typical ‘Port Harcourt girl’, she would not take such nonsense from him. She also stated that he always asked her to meet him in hotels and guest houses however there is no indication that she ever declined to attend such intimate meetings.
Clearly a once tight relationship has gone sour. The two warring parties were once as thick as thieves (make of that what you will) but are now sworn enemies and everyone is taking sides. Some women groups are pitching their support with Joy whose ‘bravery’ in taking on a powerful male has whipped their protective spirit into action. Akpabio’s supporters on the other hand are indicting Joy and claiming that the minister is innocent of all Joy’s accusations. The Senate is however interested in interviewing Joy to clarify some of the activities implemented by her management team.
Now it is not clear whether the policemen that surrounded her house this morning were sent by the senate to escort her back to Abuja to answer their queries. However, she was rescued by her new protector, Governor Wike who threatened a few days ago, that anyone who tampers with her, would have to answer to him. The declaration came as a surprise considering that he belongs to a different party, PDP and the lines of division between the two parties in their state are very deeply drawn.
However, he made good his threat this morning when like a knight in shining armour, he appeared at her residence to rescue her from the policemen who had arrived to arrest her on ‘orders from Abuja’.
Let us watch and see how this drama will end. But one thing that is glaringly clear to me is that none of us (the general public) really know what this fight is about. Neither of the warring parties deserve our support as none of their actions before or during this fight was ever for our benefit. This is one of those ‘the more you look, the less you see’ dramas unfolding before our very eyes and I daresay there will be more shocking revelations ahead. Take your time before you take sides in this fight between two strange bedfellows because none of this is really about you.
