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TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt
A coalition of Niger Delta groups has given 14 days ultimatum to the leadership of National Assembly (NASS) to withdraw their threat of probing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) over N40 billion spent by the commission.
The resolution was taken at the weekend, by the joint executive council of the Niger Delta Elements Progressives Union (NIDEPU) and League for the Sustainable Development of the Niger Delta (LSDND), when they met in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Coordinators of the groups, Lawrence Akpeti (NIDEPU) and Kingsley Arthur
(LSDND), as well as Bassey Ntak
(President of Joint Council) and Silas Braide (Secretary of Council), in the resolution issued, said they noted that the proposed probe by NASS was politically motivated.
The groups warned that failure of NASS to withdraw the threat (probe) within the stipulated deadline, Niger Delta youths would be mobilised on a peaceful protest to push forward their agitation.
They noted: “We have watched with keen interest the uncouth and very irresponsible dig up fight that has characterized the smooth running of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, over the past six months now.
“We chose to overlook the fight for the soul of the Commission believing that the principal actors would in no time, come to terms with the dire need to sheathe their swords and join forces to reform the interventionist agency with the view to rebranding it for the real development of the Niger Delta oil-bearing region.
“We call on the National Assembly to discard the threat to probe the alleged N40 billion spent by the Commission. After our findings, it was obvious that the amount in question was a cooked up plot to rubbish the genuine effort of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Commission”, they maintained.
The groups pledged their support for the leadership quality of the Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, “because he truly means well for the region that has been impoverished over the decades despite its abundant resources”.
“We are in full support of the ongoing forensic audit of the NDDC as instructed by President Muhammadu Buhari. Any attempt to scuttle the probe would be resisted by the Niger Delta people”, they warned.
