NDDC: N’Delta Stakeholders Call For Sen.Goodswill Akpabio’s Arrest, Prosecution.
…Describe Umana’s Retreat As Jamboree.
By Admin
The Community Development Committee, CDC, of the oil and gas producing areas of the Niger Delta has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Efiong Akwa and the immediate past Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
The stakeholders laid claim to the fact that their call was the premise on the physical deplorable state of the NDDC and the inability of the due to impact positively on the affairs of the region in terms of infrastructural development, youth empowerment among other anticipated benefits.
This is as the group described the recent two days retreat organized by the newly appointed minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Dr Umana Okon Umana as a mere jamboree aimed at “wasting” the scarce resources of that Commission for their selfish gains.
In a statement signed by Joseph Ambakederimo, Chairman Board of Trustees, of the Community Development Committees of Oil and Gas Producing Areas of the Niger Delta. (CDC) said that the seriousness of the level of irreparable damage done to the commission, “without the sack of Effiong Akwa to reposition the commission will be a futile strategy.
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Ambakaderimo insisted that “Effiong Akwa must be sacked with immediate effect. The issue of employment of undesirable elements that have created a lopsided staff composition that did not reflect the component states, the hurriedly commissioning of a half-baked Headquarters building that has left many amenities including the lift unworkable after the day of commissioning and many other unwholesome activities going on in the commission should earn Effiong Akwa an invitation from the EFCC.
“This is what we expect from the Honorable Minister (Umana Okon Umana). Sack and handover Mr Effiong Akawa and the former Minister Godswill Akpabio to the EFCC immediately if not Mr. Umana will be seen as complicit in all the sordid affair in the NDDC”, he demanded.
On the planned two-day retreat by the Ministry, the stakeholders argued that it was a misplaced priority and an act of giving legitimacy to illegalities going on in the Commission contrary to the wish and expectations of the Niger Delta people
Ambakaderimo claimed in the statement that for over three years now, the NDDC would have been run by a system not known by the law establishing the commission, the NDDC Act of 2001 as amended.
“The NDDC Act and the composition that is made up of nine states to benefit from projects, empowerment schemes and human capital development and tackle environmental issues and equitable representation from across board as its core mandate has continuously been run by a one-man squad.
This is clearly a corruption of the highest order under President Muhammadu Buhari regime.
“It will be very insensitive on the part of the organizers of this event to continue if they fail to heed our call for this event to be put off especially when the region cannot boost of any legacy project Undertaken by the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the NDDC for eight years, certainly we should be ashamed of ourselves.
The retreat should have been organized for the incoming board to enable them go through the rudiments of managing an interventionist agency as important as the NDDC. The substantive board members nominated by the President and duly screened and cleared by the senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be the ones to be taken through this retreat and not the people who have been running the NDDC solo,” the CDC Chairman said.
“In order not to aggravate the palpable
anger in the region we make bold to say this retreat must be called off. What this means is clearly a recipe for violence and it is insensitive actions as this has brought the nation to where we are today in terms of the insecurity we face.”
