‘Bid to distract board’ — NDDC dismisses claim Onochie asked for more aides

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has dismissed reports that Lauretta Onochie, the chairperson of the commission’s board, asked for more aides.

There were reports on Wednesday that Onochie proposed to have more special assistants, and that members of the board rejected the purported request.

Reacting to the claims in a statement on Thursday, the commission said Onochie, on her resumption as the chairperson of the board, insisted on a reduction of the number of aides attached to board members.

“As the Chairman pointed out, the story is a tissue of lies designed to sow a seed of discord among members of the Board who are united in their resolve to make a difference in the Niger Delta,” the statement reads.

“We have always reported the various submissions by the Board members on their being united to work for the Niger Delta.

“The truth is that the [chairperson] insisted on a drastic reduction in the number of aides attached to board members, in line with extant rules and regulations of the federal government.”

The NDDC also described the claim as an “indication of a ploy to misinform the public in a bid to distract the Board”.

“We assure [you] that the Board will neither be distracted nor divided in its resolve to do things differently and make a difference in the Niger Delta,” the commission added.

On December 20, the senate confirmed Onochie, a former presidential aide, as the chairperson of the NDDC after her nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The NDDC board was thereafter inaugurated on January 4.