10 things you probably don’t know about Lauretta Onochie, the new NNDC chairman

Lauretta Onochie will be the first woman to chair the commission

Lauretta Onochie is not a name that rings a bell, at least, not until recently. Suddenly, it’s a name every Nigerian is talking about.

And that’s because on the 22 November, 2022, President Mohammadu Buhari appointed Mrs Onochie as the chairman, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The Niger Delta Development Commission is a body comprising of the nine states which make up the Nigeria Delta region. It was established on June 5, 2000 by the former president, Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the affairs of the Niger Delta.

Meanwhile, in 2008, President Umaru Ya’adua established the Niger Delta Ministry, to quell the incessant militancy in the region at the time. Consequently, the Niger Delta Development Commission became a government parastatal under the minister of the Niger Delta.

In a statement obtained in the commission’s website, NDDC was 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 peaceful.

For a region that is rich and volatile as the Niger Delta, the NDDC is an integral part of the oil producing supply chain of Nigeria.

But who is Lauretta Onochie that the president, Muhammadu Buhari, should place her over such a prestigious and pivotal commission?

Here are 10 things we know about the new NDDC chair

1. Lauretta Onochie was born on July 9, 1955. Her parents were from Anioma Local Government Area of Delta State. They lived in Calabar, Cross River State where Lauretta spent most of her childhood.
2. Lauretta studied at the University of Calabar where she obtained her first degree in Elementary Education.
3. Information on her LinkedIn confirms that Lauretta obtained the following qualifications:
   • Harvard University: Certificate Course, Humanitarian Response to Conflict and Disaster;
   • Harvard University: Certificate Course, the Health Effects of Climate Change;
   •  University of Greenwich: Post Graduate, Post compulsory Education and Training
4. Lauratta became a lecturer at Apping Forest College between 2005 and 2011. Between 2011 to present, she listed as a consultant in AfricaFirst.
5. Mrs Onochie is a professional curator, educator, public official, and pastor. She attended a Bible School in Calabar and was ordained a pastor in her local church. She has a plethora of academic degrees in Business Education, Post Compulsory Education, and Training (PCET).
6. Mrs Onochi is a mother and grandmother. Her family currently live in the United Kingdom. She is currently unmarried.
7. Lauretta Onochie is reportedly one of the richest women in Nigeria, with an estimated net worth of two million dollars.
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8. In 2016, Mrs Onochie was appointed by the president, Muhammadu Buhari, as Personal Assistant to the President on social media. A role she has served diligently, defending the government and the president on social media on several occasion.
9. Mrs Lauretta Onochie’s appointment would make her the first woman to chair the volatile Niger Delta Commission.
10. Last year, the President, Muhammadu Buhari, had appointed Mrs Onochie to chair INEC but the appointment was vehemently opposed by the Senate.

If the Senate approves the appointment of Mrs Onochie this time, she would be taking over from the current chariman, Senator victor Ndoma-Egba, who was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016.