COVID-19: Akpabio shuts down NDDC after death of director

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been shut down on the orders of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio.

This is coming after the death of the commission's acting executive director of finance and administration, Ibanga Bassey Etang, who recently fell sick and died at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH), Port Harcourt.

All members of staff in the NDDC's Headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has been advised to quarantine for 14 days, according to due to a statement by its Director of Press, Deworitshe Patricia, Akpabio.

The NDDC, however, urged all employees of the commission with symptoms of the disease not to panic, but report to the nearest Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Port Harcourt for evaluation and treatment.

“All activities in the Commission including ongoing matters are hereby shut down for the time being

“The Head Security is by this memo directed to work out modalities to ensure the safety and security of the Commission while Director, Administration is requested to fumigate and decontaminate the entire offices and premises in the headquarters during the period,” the memo said.

However, the Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA) described the closure of the NDDC as a plot to divert attention from the probe of N40b allegedly spent within three months by the IMC.

NDRA spokesperson, Darlington Nwauju, said the group was alarmed that after the IMC accused chairmen, Senate and House of Representatives committees on the Niger Delta inserted projects into the NDDC’s 2019 budget.[Guardian]