Tinubu nominates Zainab Marwa to NDDC board

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to screen and confirm Zainab Marwa as a new member of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Ms Marwa will represent the North-east geopolitical zone on the board. She is taking over from Abdulrazak Namdas, who resigned in March to chase his governorship ambition in Adamawa State.

The president's request was shared in a letter during Thursday's Senate meeting, read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

In the letter, Tinubu stated that the nomination follows Section 2 of the Niger Delta Development Commission Establishment Act. He aims to restore the North-east’s representation on the commission's governing board.

The president added that Ms Marwa’s appointment would keep the board's work going and maintain the zone's presence in the commission's activities.

“In compliance with the provisions of Section 2 of the Niger Delta Development Commission Establishment Act, I am pleased to present for confirmation by the Senate the nomination of Dr Zainab Marwa as a member representing the North-east in the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.

“The Senate is invited to note that the appointment of Dr Zainab Marwa is to fill a vacuum created by the resignation of the immediate past member of the board, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, from the North-East Zone, who resigned on the 30th day of March, 2026, to contest for the position of Governor of Adamawa State”, the president’s letter reads.

After reading the letter, Akpabio referred the request to the NDDC Committee for screening and consideration. He asked the committee to report back to the Senate within two weeks.

The NDDC was set up in 2000 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo through the NDDC Act. It was created to tackle socio-economic and environmental issues in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta area.

The commission came about after many years of demands from communities in the region for better handling of environmental problems, poverty, poor infrastructure, and underdevelopment, even with their contributions to Nigeria's oil wealth.

The NDDC's job is to create policies and guidelines for the Niger Delta's development. It also plans and carries out projects to improve the living conditions of people in the region. Its main duties include providing roads, bridges, water, electricity, healthcare, education, and environmental restoration projects.

The commission also coordinates development programs across the nine member states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers. It serves as a federal agency to tackle development gaps in oil-producing areas.

Over the years, the NDDC has worked on thousands of infrastructure and human capital development projects. But the agency has also faced ongoing claims of corruption, project abandonment, and financial mismanagement. This has led to several audits and investigations by the National Assembly and anti-corruption bodies.

The governing board of the commission includes representatives from the member states, oil companies, geopolitical zones, and important federal ministries. The board sets the policy direction and supervises the agency's operations and development programs.