Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
President Muhammadu Buhari has been advised to disregard calls for the appointment of another sole administrator to head the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group under the aegis of Niger Delta Movement for Development (NDMD) in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Ogbakiri Yanga, insisted that the current management of NDDC under Dr. Efiong Akwa, should be the last interim administrator for the commission.
It stated that it had observed with dismay another selfish plot to make the NDDC remain under the leadership of a sole administrator. They also noted that they had observed plot intended to make the Commission an appendage of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs with full powers to dictate the direction of its activities.
Yanga, disclosed that after an emergency meeting in Oporoza, Delta State, that was attended by youth leaders and elders from the region, they decided not to welcome another sole administrator for NDDC to the region.
He said any other change in the management of the NDDC should be the appointment of a board as stipulated by the Act establishing the Commission.
“This is the least we expect from the Presidency and the Ministry of Niger Delta. Any announcement of another interim administrator other than the inauguration of a substantive board will be viewed by us as provocative and the highest level of insensitivity.
“We have stomached this outright neglect of our opinions and feelings for a long time because we believe that Dr. Efiong Akwa will be the last sole administrator of this commission. Any other change of management must be the inauguration of a board.
“Any administration other than a substantive board will lead to a revolution of unimaginable proportion in the region because the entire Niger Delta is watching with keen interests and is prepared to rise to defend its common interests,” he said.
Yanga asked some selfish persons benefitting from the status quo at the Presidency and the ministry to jettison the alleged sinister plot to appoint the most senior NDDC director as the next sole administrator.
He said: “This is utter wickedness. We want to believe that some selfish individuals are bent in totally damaging the image of President Muhammadu Buhari in the Niger Delta. Already, the image of Buhari has been dragged in the mud because of the way some of these individuals have handled the affairs of the NDDC.
“People are quiet because they believe that the next change of leadership will be the announcement of a board. Don’t taste the wrath of a lion by touching its tail. Any attempt to appoint another interim administrator will be likened to waking up a sleeping dog. We can assure you that we will revolt and this time it will be total.”
While further lamenting the deployment of sole administration for the NDDC management, Yanga called on Buhari to quickly constitute the board.
