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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Former commander of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta(MEND) and foremost ex-militant leader, Ebikabowei Victor-Ben popularly known as General Boyloaf has thrown his weight behind President Muhammadu Buhari over the ordered forensic audit of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
According to him the forensic audit would rid the commission-free of corruption and turned it into a infrastructure-oriented commission for the people of the region.
Boyloaf who rated Buhari high over the ordered forensic audit insisted that the people of the region are more elated that the present administration is the first and only President in Nigeria to have directed the searchlight and ordered for a forensic audit of the almost 20 years of existence of the NDDC.
He however appealed to the President to ignore the calls for the scrapping of the Commission adding that instead of the calls for the scrapping of the commission, the National Assembly, the NDDC IMC and the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Senator Godswill Akpabio should sheath their swords and work towards a repositioned commission in line with timely execution, completion, and submission of forensic audit reports to Mr. President.
Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, in a statement issued via electronic mail, said though the ex-agitators and other stakeholders from the nine States of the Niger Delta region are concerned about controversies surrounding the Commission there is the need for a sustainable mechanism to be put in place to checkmate non-performing federal government interventionist agency in order to work more in synergy with the various stakeholders in the states, local governments and communities in the region.
The statement read in part “The President’s action, which is being resisted by some corrupt few, has confirmed to the people of the Niger Delta region that the President’s penchant for accountability and probity is second to none. It also confirms the President’s interest that a corruption free NDDC is for the benefit of the people in the region, and for the Commission to use the scarce resources judiciously for the interest of the Niger Delta people”.
“At this peculiar time in the life of the people in the Niger Delta region, what we need is a corruption free partnership among stakeholders that are made up of traditional rulers, youths, civil society groups, state governors, state and federal lawmakers to be backing the President’s decision to ensure sanity within the administration of the NDDC for the benefit of all our people”.
“We, the ex-agitators, have accepted the call for a rejuvenated NDDC and want to call on the members of the national assembly, the NDDC Interim Management Committee and the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio not to yield to the temptation for continued theatrics, but rather to engage in meaningful dialogue with sincere stakeholders to work in synergy to achieve the vision of President Muhammadu Buhari for the development of the Niger Delta region and Nigeria”.
