ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
An advocacy group, the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to shun detractors plotting to truncate the inauguration of the incoming board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The 21st CYNDAC, in a statement on Thursday by its Coordinator, ‘General’ Izon Ebi, also urged Buhari not to be hoodwinked by the cacophony of dissenting voices concerning the nominated persons and the immediate inauguration of the board.
It asserted that the nominated team for the commission including its Chairman, Chief Bernard Okumagba, was considered after due consultations with Niger Delta leaders and representatives to truly drive the vision of the government concerning the peace and development of the region.
The group, therefore, said the issues of tribal sentiments did not arise, stressing that the nominated persons were tested and trusted individuals with proven records of experience, knowledge and capacity to drive the noble vision of Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, and the Federal Government to guarantee peace and development of the region and its people.
The statement said: “The placement of the NDDC under the supervision of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is to put the intervention agency in checks. We, therefore, appeal to the good people of Niger Delta to support Senator Akpabio and the incoming board to execute the assignment in line with the vision of the Federal Government.
“The ability to make or break the Niger Delta region is in the hands of the Niger Delta people. Therefore, the essence of aligning the commission with the MNDA was finally to check and further reduce the incidence of unnecessary bureaucracies and bottlenecks in its administration and to limit the extent of corruption surrounding its operations.
“We are now in the last phase of political detractors and champions of underdevelopment in the Niger Delta region. They have now resorted to propaganda, blackmail, peddling of falsehood and all means necessary to stop the inauguration of the incoming board of the NDDC.
“There is no gainsaying that the purveyors of administrative rascality in the commission is caused by political and tribal sentiments, we should therefore take bold steps to do things differently by going for capacity, commitment and visionary leadership.
“It is on record that no other region in Nigeria from inception ever produced the leadership of the NDDC except the people of the Niger Delta region. Therefore, the development or otherwise of the region through the NDDC is in the hands of the Niger Delta people.
“We, therefore, urge the Federal Government to be focused and not to be distracted by the cacophony of dissenting voices and insane vituperations by detractors. Niger Deltans are very much comfortable with the calibre and trusted names like Okumagba to drive the vision of the uncommon transformation of the region.”
The 21st CYNDAC appealed to the people of the Niger Delta to support the nominees and inauguration of the new board and embrace positive reforms geared towards value addition and rejuvenation of the commission for better service delivery to the people.
It added: “If we fail to join hands with Godswill Akpabio and his team to make sure that the board is inaugurated as promised, it means the purveyors of administrative rascality and corrupt tendencies will continue to thrive.
“It also means the commission itself will forever be run by few to the detriment of all. So, we need capable, mature and trusted leaders nominated to drive the vision of the minister and the Federal Government.”