Senator Kassim Oyofo, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed his regret over been instrumental to the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
According to him at an interview over the weekend he is worried over how the commission has killed the dreams of its founding fathers and has become a place of corruption.
He said he prevsiled over Olusegun Obasanjo
“to establish the NDDC. It is the only Act since 1960 that was passed by veto. If you understand what that means: 95 votes to two.
“When I look back today, I always regret that I supported the passage of the NDDC Act. I should have agreed with Obasanjo not to bring the amendments I put into the Act, because the whole thing is now a cesspit of corruption.”
“People like the former President of the Senate, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo (of blessed memory), who made it possible for us to pass the Act would be in his grave to see the corruption that had taken over the commission.
“I have never gone there to take anything from them. I do not want anything from them. We had hoped they would, at least, improve the lot of their people. Contrary to its mandate, the NDDC is now a cesspit of corruption. The worst corruption that you can imagine takes place there.”
Oyofo went on further to blame the National Assembly for their incompetence, he said the current legislators “are lame duck and have shown incompetence in discharging their oversight functions.”
He said he was shocked recently to watch the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, “kneeling down for President Buhari. Does he not know that he was degrading the institution of the legislature?
“That is why you cannot compare the National Assembly of our time with the one of today; because, it’s like day and night, ”
