The activists and civil society group attributed the gross inefficiency in the commission over the years to the way and manner the politicians gave out job slots at the commission to compensate and assuage loyalists.
Anti-corruption activists as well as civic group, the Social Development Integrated Centre, have called on President Bola Tinubu to tackle the corruption and maladministration going on in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and reposition it for better productivity in the interest of the people in the region.
The activists and civil society group attributed the gross inefficiency in the commission over the years to the way and manner the politicians gave out job slots at the commission to compensate and assuage loyalists.
The center stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a Twitter Space conversation tagged "Setting an Agenda for the NDDC under the new Administration."
The conversation is also aimed at promoting accountability and effective service delivery to the people of the region and the country as a whole.
One of the speakers and Chairman of the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA), Suraju Olanrewaju, lamented the excessive interference by the political actors in running the affairs of the commission which he said was responsible for its failure and inefficiency.
He urged the President Tinubu-led government to be proactive in addressing the age-long menace of making the commission a tool in the hands of political office holders who are bent on enriching their pockets.
He called for proper scrutiny on the character, competence and integrity of those to be considered for appointment into the governing board of the commission.
He said the government had the duty to put the commission back on the path of honour to enable it achieve its constitutional mandate. He also called on the civil society groups in the country to monitor and beam their searchlight on the activities of the commission by exposing all forms of corrupt and sharp practices.
Also speaking at the event, the Coordinator African Centre for Media & Information, (AFRICMIL), Chido Onumah, stressed the need for democratisation of the commission for transparency and accountability.
He attributed the rot in the system to the fact that those at the helm of affairs of NDDC had little or no knowledge or understanding of the terrain of the region.
Onumah therefore asked the government to allow people with prerequisite credentials who are familiar with the region to be involved in piloting the affairs of the commission.
Another speaker who is the Executive Director, Center for Transparency Advocacy, Faith Nwadishi called for total overhaul of the commission with the view to redefining its mandate to achieve optimal performance.
She blamed the Nigerian government for turning the commission to a mere political tool to repay their associates at the expense of the masses.
On her part, a representative of Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mrs. Ese Okwong urged Nigerians to assist the commission in the fight against corruption by reporting action and inaction of the leadership of the commission.
The event was supported by MacArthur Foundation and moderated by Tijah Bolton, Executive Director of Policy Alert.