Leadership of the Niger Delta Peace and Development Advocates has called on the National Assembly to without delay expedite action on the budget of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) before it.
The latest call is coming on the heels of a recent call by the House of Representatives on NDDC to halt the release of fifteen billion naira to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for project execution pending the approval of it’s budget.
A statement by President of the body, Comrade Kelvin Ebi-Thomas described the recent comment by the House of Representatives as vexatious given the fact that they are responsible for the delay in the passage of the NDDC budget into law.
The statement expressed grave concern over the delay in the passage of the NDDC budget estimate before it for 2021, 2022 and 2023 and urged the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on NDDC to as a matter of urgency pass the bill into law to enable the commission function effectively.
According to the statement, the delay in the passage of the NDDC budget estimate into law is not only affecting the operations of the board but also stagnating the development of the region, the main reason for the establishment of the board.
The NDPDA reminded the National Assembly that the peace being experienced in the region is as a result of the activities of agencies like NDDC and urged them to shun actions that are capable of creating crises in the region.
The statement further urged critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta Region to mount pressure on the national assembly to pass the budget estimate of the NDDC into law, saying a situation where the interventionist agency is only paying salaries while neglecting it’s core mandate of developing the region due to the absence of budget is unacceptable.