Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, worldwide has threatened to shut down the head office of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in Port Harcourt, if the interim management committee of the commission announced last week is not dissolved.
IYC President, Mr Eric Omare, while briefing newsmen, canvassed the immediate inauguration of the NDDC board which list had already been sent to the Senate by the President and screened by the Senate Committee on NDDC.
The IYC which issued a three point demand, warned that the demands if unheeded would lead to the shutting down of NDDC office in Port Harcourt by Ijaw youths.
They demanded the immediate desolution of the newly inaugurated interim management committee of the Commission and to inaugurate the the board of the NDDC which member list had been sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari for approval.
They also sought that the forensic audit of the commission should be supervised by the President Buhari himself and not the Niger Delta Affairs ministry.
“We are calling on the Senate to confirm the nominees screened by its committee on NDDC for immediate inauguration.
“If our demands are not met, IYC would be left with no other option than to embark on a mass action and shut down the NDDC office in Port Harcourt.
Also Read: NOSDRA rules out compensation for Rivers pipeline fire explosion
“The crisis Sen. Godswill Akpabio had thrown the NDDC into would derail and slow the development of the region. Virtually all the roads in the Niger Delta are bad, rather than the NDDC going to work it has embroiled in unnecessary crisis, which is not in the interest of the Niger Delta region.”
“It would be recalled that President Buhari through the office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation in August, 2019 announced the appointment of the Board of NDDC with Chief Bernard Okumagba as Managing Director and Chief Odubu as Chairman subject to senate clearance.
“On Tuesday, October 29, 2019, the names of the newly appointed board members were forwarded to the Senate for clearance and the Senate President, Ahmed Lawal directed the Senate Committee on NDDC led by Senator Peter Nwaboshi (Delta North) to do the screening within one week.
“However, to the utter consternation of Niger Deltans and Nigerians, in the evening hours of October 29, 2019, Chief Akpabio announced the appointment of a three man NDDC interim management committee led by Mrs. Joy Nunieh as Acting Managing Director.
“The IYC completely reject the interim management committee set up by Chief Akpabio because it is illegal and not in the interest of the NDDC and the Niger Delta region to set up such a committee when the Senate has begun the screening process,” the IYC said.
