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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A Niger Delta Advocacy group known as Young Professionals for Peace, Transparency and Development (YPPTD) has commended the decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to call for the resignation of cabinet members particularly the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio over their presidential ambition.
The group however urge President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately set up a substantive board for the smooth running of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The Director-general of the YPPTD, Chief Selekumo Ndiaye, in a statement issued in Yenagoa, implored Buhari to use Akpabio exit, which he described as a breath of fresh air, to establish the substantive board and ease the frosty relationship between the people of the Niger Delta region and his administration.
“We commend President Muhammadu Buhari for feeling the pulse of the people and asking those distracting the administration with their presidential ambition to resign. The people of the Niger Delta region however see Sen. Akpabio’s resignation as breath of fresh air and a new chapter to straighten the frosty relationship between the Niger Delta people and his administration”
“The years of deceit and unfulfilled promises under the Sen. Akpabio’s ministerial leadership of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has created enmity between the people and the Buhari administration. It was under Akapbio that the NDDC became a comic relief for the national Assembly and the nation.”
“It was under Akpabio that the ordered and welcomed Forensic audit was done without result. It was under Akpabio that the anti-corruption effort of the Buhari administration became null. Rather, report of under table corruption emerges daily and now confirmed by his declaration to contest for Presidency,” he said
The group pointed out that aside from the fact that the Interim administrator of NDDC, Effiong Okon Akwa is toothless and without proper legal backing to settle issue of backlog of debts and activities of the commission, the setting up of a substantial board for the commission will be a welcome development that will reposition the trust of the region in the APC led Federal Government.
