Inaugurate New NDDC Board For Region’s Development, Group Tells President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has been called upon to inaugurate the recently confirmed 16 member board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for the rapid development of the mandate area of the Commission.

This call was contained in a release dated November 21, 2019 and signed by Dr. Mike Onogu on behalf of the Niger Delta Accountability and Development Movement, an advocacy group championing the implementation of the Niger Delta Development Master Plan during the group’s emergency meeting held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

The group appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the NDDC board he appointed and save the NDDC from the whims and caprices of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and his co-political actors who they asserted are now using the commission to their selfish advantage and settle political scores.

They opined, that it has become laughable for the Niger Delta Minister Senator Godswill Akpabio, to abandon the core mandate of his Ministry particularly legacy projects such as the East-West road project to fight for the control of the NDDC because of his fixated mindset to join the badwagon of previous players whose activities led to the underdevelopment of the region.

The Niger Delta group requested President Buhari to break his silence over this unresolved impasse and direct the inauguration of the substantive board confirmed by the Senate and save the region from retrogression.

They wondered why the North East Development Commission is not being treated like the NDDC which has constantly become news headlines in various National newspapers to the disadvantage of the suffering Niger Delta people.

Stating further that the provisions of the NDDC establishment act 2000 as amended, is unambiguous on who qualifies to administer the affairs of the commission which is undoubtedly, a substantive board and not an Interim committee.

The group while unanimously condemning the actions of Senator Akpabio who they noted ought to be conversant with the law and yet chose to foist illegalities to justify his selfish gains, reiterated their call on President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the board to exculpate himself from the charade currently ongoing.