Perturbed by the continuous wait, a Niger Delta movement, 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC) has called on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to do the needful by advising President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately inaugurate the substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, (NDDC).
The group, in a statement on Wednesday, issued by its coordinator, Izon Ebi, said the region will blame President Buhari for “plunging the Niger Delta region into fresh crisis and grounding the economy of the nation if he fails to inaugurate the NDDC board.”
It further said that Niger Delta people have lost confidence in the Senator over what it called unnecessary delay.
The statement read in part: “The honourable minister is being seen as someone capable of trading the peace of the Niger Delta region for his political aspirations. The 21st CYNDAC condemns in strong terms the antics of the minister because his body language and actions are questionable on this issue.”
21st CYNDAC also accused Senator Akpabio of not running the NDDC as it ought to be for the benefit of the region.
Izon Ebi further contended that Akpabio was running the NDDC as if it is his private company. He said that the Niger Delta people were awakened with various allegations raised against the commission in the past.
The group noted that it was glaring that Akpabio has succeeded in conceding the supervision of the NDDC to himself.
According to Izon Ebi, Nigerians and people of the region know the truth and cannot be hoodwinked by the politically motivated forensic audit that was done to muzzle Niger Deltans.
The group also noted with dismay that “as it stands, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) is making progress without any significant contribution to the nation’s GDP but the Niger Delta region that pays the supreme sacrifice of contributing 80 per cent to the nation’s GDP is being used by some politicians for political brinkmanship and showmanship to the detriment of the of the Niger Delta region and its people.”
