ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Niger Delta youths, under the aegis of the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience (21st CYNDAC), have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately inaugurate the board already screened and confirmed by the National Assembly for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group in a statement on Saturday by its Coordinator, Izon Ebi, said it behoved President Buhari to do the needful now that the report of the forensic audit of the commission had been submitted to the Presidency.
The group deplored any attempt to delay the constitution of the board any further since the forensic audit being used as a plausible excuse had been concluded and submitted.
21st CYNDAC, therefore, challenged the President to match his words with action by creating an enabling environment for the peace and development to reign in the region.
The statement read: “By inaugurating the substantive board that was screened and confirmed by men of impeccable character and integrity in the National Assembly, it will truly put the board members on their toes to deliver on a new template for the much-awaited development of the Niger Delta.
“We reiterate that the inauguration of the screened and confirmed board by Senate will douse the current agitations and restiveness that have become pervasive in the region these past years as well as rekindle the hope and aspirations of the Niger Delta people.
“It will also prove the seriousness of the federal government towards ameliorating the plight of the long-suffering people of the region to give them a sense of belonging.”
The 21st CYNDAC also commended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for delivering on the mandate assigned to him by Mr President on the forensic audit of the NDDC.
The group said it hoped that with the conclusion of the forensic audit, the leakages in the administrative structure that facilitated the wanton corruption and malfeasance that allegedly riddled the commission would be checked if the recommendations of the auditors were adhered to.
The agitators demanded that the management structure of the commission should be rejigged for better service delivery to the long-suffering people in the region.