Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
A group of former Niger Delta agitators has thrown its support behind the ongoing probe of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the National Assembly.
The group in a statement by the Chairman, Amnesty Phase II, Delta State Chapter, Chief Kingsley Muturu, stated that the probe is long overdue and urged the National Assembly to ignore ‘the drama by those called to give an account of their stewardship.’
Muturu also called for the probe of the utilisation of constituency project funds allocated to members of the National Assembly from the region. He stated that conflicts of interests in the Niger Delta have been the bane the regional commission.
According to him, ‘all I want is for the National Assembly to get to the root of the issues at stake. In the NDDC, there are no harmonised interests, rather varied interests of those who are only interested in lining their pockets to the detriment of the masses of the Niger Delta.
‘Every appointee in the NDDC, unfortunately, represents a private interest. The only way forward is to remove those interests. Let whoever that is appointed the Managing Director of the NDDC or the Niger Delta minister be allowed a free hand to run the place so that the people would know whom to hold accountable when there is a problem.
‘As the Commission is presently constituted, it will be difficult to hold one individual responsible because whomever you see as the MD of the Commission is under immense pressure. We know these things because we are from there and we have our ears on the ground.
‘For instance, in my Bomadi local government, we have those who have been representing us in the Commission, yet you cannot see any good road, no portable water, no rural electrification and this lack of basic amenities has exacerbated the security situation not only in my local government area but also in the entire Niger Delta,’ Muturu said.