Group Restates Call on Buhari to Swear in NDDC Board

Less than a week after urging Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, to advise President Buhari to inaugurate the NDDC Board to avoid a new crisis in the region, the 21st Century Youths of the Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC) restated its demand on Thursday, this time directly addressing President Buhari to swear in the substantive board of the NDDC so that all nine constituent states in the region are

In a statement, the group’s coordinator, Izon Ebi, also demanded the Federal Government to release the report of the forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission’s actions.

Read Also:  COVID-19: Jigawa plans to vaccinate 3.6m people by December 24

“The 21st Century Youths of the Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC) are miffed by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio’s macabre dance steps of “giving audience to youth groups who are paid to pass fake vote-of-confidence on his administration of the NDDC without doing the needful of swearing in the substantive board for the commission,” according to Ebi.

“It smacks of absolute insensitivity to bring dubious youth organizations to pass a vote of confidence on the Minister’s office,” the group said. Seeing this dubious procession every now and then is terrible and demeaning to the sensibilities of Niger Deltans.”

“The Niger Delta Youths of the Twenty-First Century is using this platform to encourage the Federal Government to swear in the substantive board of the commission so that all nine member states in the region are duly represented,” Izon Ebi said. The act of courtesy in asking the Minister for his approval is out of touch with the people of the region, who live in abysmal poverty.”

Read Also:  Insecurity: Nigerian telecom masts should be equipped with cameras – Gen Usman

Remember that on November 17, the 21st Century Youths of the Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC) called on the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to do the right thing by advising President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately inaugurate the Niger Delta Development Commission’s substantive board (NDDC).

The organization claimed in a statement issued by its Coordinator, Izon Ebi, that if President Buhari fails to inaugurate the NDDC board, the region will blame him for “plunging the Niger Delta region into fresh crisis and grounding the economy of the nation.” It went on to say that the Niger Deltans have lost faith in the Minister.

“The Minister is being perceived as a conundrumist who is willing to sacrifice his people and the peace of the Niger Delta area for his political ambitions and selfish disposition and advantages,” the statement stated. The 21st CYNDAC strongly condemns the antics of Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, because his body language and actions are no longer honourable as a result of his selfishness, inconsistencies, and lies, which plainly depict him as a confusionist.”

Read Also:  Bianca Ojukwu, late Ojukwu’s wife urge Buhari to release IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu

“Akpabio is running the NDDC as his private owned corporation,” Izon Ebi continued. False charges of bribery and payments for frivolous water-desilting operations that are not done anywhere in the region have awoken Niger Deltans.”

“As it stands, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) is progressing without making any significant contribution to the nation’s GDP,” the group said, “but the Niger Delta region, which pays the supreme sacrifice of contributing 80% to the nation’s GDP, is being used for political brinkmanship and showmanship to the detriment of the pathetic plight of the Niger Delta region and its people.”