Odahiekwu Ogunde, Yenagoa
Umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has handed the Federal Government a month’s ultimatum to constitute and inaugurate a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC.
The National President of IYC, Mr Peter Igbifa, who made this known on Monday during an interview with journalists in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said the decision was reached during the council’s expanded executive and stakeholders’ meetings in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, had reportedly extended the tenure of the NDDC Interim Administrator, Effiong Akwa, and also shifted the constitution of the commission’s board to July after failing to do so in April, which he had earlier promised.
Igbifa urged President Muhammadu Buhari to inaugurate the commission’s board within the one-month notice or else Ijaw youths would shut down the entire region.
The IYC boss said, “The IYC has made its position very clear today (Sunday). The IYC in her expanded executive council meeting and her stakeholders meeting at the Hotel Presidential (Port Harcourt), had given the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government one-month notice.
“Within this one month, it is expected that the President will do the needful: inaugurate the NDDC Board and let us see how the board will not function anymore.
“If there is no positive response at the expiration of our ultimatum, we will take action, we will shut down the entire region. We will shut down the Niger Delta if there is no action from Mr President within the timeframe we have given him.”
Igbifa advised Buhari not to always allow the people of the region agitate for whatever they ought to have as this could affect the fragile peace in the area.
“Anything that is due us, do not allow us to agitate for it. If we do not agitate and you truly give us, there will be no insecurity. Now that the region is peaceful, the President should do the needful,” Igbifa stated.