NIGER DELTA PATRIOTS
(Ondo State Wing)
3b, Ikuomola Street, Igbokoda.

The RT Honourable Speaker,
House of Representatives
Three Arms Zone
Abuja

Hon Speaker

RE: APPOINTMENT INTO THE CHAIRMANSHIP OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ON NDDC:
APPEAL FOR SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR ILAJE/ESE-ODO FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY

The above subject matter refers

2. We write to congratulate you on your victory to the 10th Assembly and your subsequent election as the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the next 4 years and we believe that your tenure will bring the renewed hope to Nigerians and particularly the Niger Delta Region.

2. We write to bring to your particular notice how one Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo, a member representing Akoko NW/Akoko NE in the 10th Assembly as the Chairman, House Committee on NDDC in the 9th Assembly under the leadership of Right Hon. Gbajabiamila colluded with the Interim Management Committee of the Commission(IMC) of NDDC between 2019 & 2022 to deny the people of Ilaje/ ese-odo federal Constituency in Ondo State their right place in the Commission within which time frame mentioned above.

2. As you are aware, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is created by an act of Parliament in the year 2000 as an intervention agency, established to offer a lasting solution to the socio-economic difficulties of the Niger Delta region and to facilitate the rapid and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically stable which is the primary objective of government is setting up the Commission.
3. In all sincerity, the development in the Niger Delta region cannot be said to be commensurable with the accrued resources available to the agency from the State since inception in year 2000. This is why most of the problems faced by the region before the advennt of the NDDC empowerment e.g environmental, human and socio-economic challenges faced by the region came to a sorry state in the recent years.
4. Sir, it is worthy to note that, under Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo as Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, all socio-economic projects meant to add value to the region were either not prioritized, misplaced.
   or diverted to Akoko Area in the Northern Senatorial district of the state.
5. Hon Speaker sir, sadly, the House Committee on NDDC in the 9th Assembly under the chairmanship of Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo did not in anyway help the Niger Delta region of Ondo State, rather, he used that office to create unprecedented calamities in the Commission for the people of the oil producing Area of the state in terms of projects allocation, empowerment programs, training,Scholarship and employment of new staff into the Commission.This, we believe is as a result of the fundamental error made by the Leadership of the 9th Assembly in appointing a very greedy, crafty and over ambitious Bunmi as the chairman of the House Committee on NDDC at a time our region faced the most severe degradation & devastation and needed government attention to surviveneglet.
6. Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo Constituency is about 220kms from the oil producing area of the Niger Delta region. The geographical location of Akoko and it’s environment is in a total contrast to what the NDDC ACT says and what the Commission practices in other states.
7. For instance, as part of his constitutional duties to oversight all projects in the region, Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo did not visit the oil producing Areas of ILAJE and ESE-ODO for the 4 years of his been in the saddle. For four (4) years, he never consulted stakeholders in the oil producing communities before imputing Ondo State projects in the NDDC budget. Interestingly, he used this undue advantage as the Committee Chairman, since there was no state representatives, to infuse all 2021 & 2022 budget on behalf of Ondo State where he had the grave opportunity to divert NDDC projects and programs to the Akoko Area of Ondo State without recourse to the suffering mandate area.
8. In the recent appointment made for junior officers in the Commission, out of 37 officers, Hon Olubunmi Tunji Ojo used his position to employ 31 from Akoko, his federal consrituency that does not have a single drop of oil but gave only 6 to the applicants from the oil producing area as if our right to our resources does not exist again.
9. To make things worse for the oil producing Area of the state, in the last board constituted in December, 2022, the 9th Assembly, highly influenced by financial inducement and crude selfish drive deliberately acted against and violated its own laws to clear one Mr Charles Ogunmola, from Owo local government as the Executive Director of Project (EDP) for the Commission where our own persons like Barr Gbenga Edema, Dr Wunmi Ilawole who were also nominated by Ondo State governor, His Excellency, Barr Rotimi Akeredolu(SAN) to that position were denied.Therefore, with the Chairman House Committee and the Executive Director Project(EDP) outside the oil producing Area of the state, the entire region is doomed.
10. We were reliably informed that before the 2021 and 2022 NDDC Appropriation Act was passed in the House, there were financial inducement and gift of bullet proof G.Waggon to some of the committee members where he presides.
11. We are aware that he has informed many of his friends that he gave you money to emerge as the Hon Speaker and therefore , you are under compulsion to consider him for any position of his choice in the 10th Assembly.
12. We therefore implore you not to yield to pressure to retain him at that position in this 10th Assembly or consider him for any sensitive Committee in the House because he is a known serial betrayer when money and position are involved.
13. Thank you for your anticipated action on this, Sir
14. Please accept the assurances of our humble regards.

Yours faithfully,

Dr Timi Doubra-Tom
Coordinator

Prince Adeola Mebawondun
Secretary