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- Urges Tinubu to appoint ex-youth leader as minister
From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The Niger Delta Rights Advocates (NDRA) has charged the new Minister of Niger Delta to focus on a single point agenda of completing the abandoned sections of the East-West road.
NDRA noted with regret that the recent appointment of Ministers of the Niger Delta region across the nine states was centred around recycled politicians from the region, with the exception of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.
The stakeholders took the resolution after their meeting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on the appointment of ministers of Niger Delta extraction and the vacancy at the Ministry of Youth.
NDRA further resolved in a communique signed the Chairman, Bright Ngolo, Mobilization Director, Irikefe RO, stakeholders, Alamiesigha King, Darlington Nwauju, Ubong Essien and Women Representative, Clara Nkwocha.
The group congratulated the Minister for Interior, Tunji-Ojo, and urged him to justify the clamour and demand for greater inclusion of youths in the mainstream of Nigerian politics.
“We also urge him to re-enact his stellar performance as a representative of his people, most especially the reform he introduced to the style of doing business in the NDDC when he chaired the House of Representatives Committee on NDDC.”
NDRA maintained that the grassroots acceptability and contributions were vital for the would-be appointee (of Ministry of Youth) and not an Abuja-based politician.
The NDRA appealed to President Bola Tinubu “to consider for appointment an individual with the requisite understanding of the nuances of the youth constituency, coupled with experience to liaise and coordinate the diverse blocs/interest groups of this unique constituency like the APC youth leaders, NANS (National Association of Nigerian Students) and NYCN (National Youth Council of Nigeria).
“We further appeal that a former Students Union President of ABU Zaria, former Chairman of NANS Convention Committee, former Secretary of the disbanded Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in Taraba State who also served as Coordinator of all NGO Support Groups for Tinubu/Shettima 2023 in Taraba State; a former aspirant to the National Secretary position of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria, Mustapha Bello Mohammed, be considered for this position of Minister for Youth of the Federal Republic.
“Our call is an exemplary demonstration of the much trumpeted hand shake across the Niger, reinforcement of our belief in a United Nigeria and the recognition of hardwork and merit beyond religious, regional or ethnic sentiments.”
The NDRA further called on President Tinubu to reconstitute the Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to ensure equal representation of all nine member-states that make up the region.
“We demand that accountability and performance by the Niger Delta Development Commission be strengthened by the Federal Government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through activating Part 6 Section 21 of the Establishment Act 2000, by appointing a Presidential Monitoring Committee for the NDDC to monitor the management of funds, implementation of projects and have unhindered access to the record books of the Commission and reporting to the President regularly.
“The NDRA shall in the coming days publish details of billions of Naira credited to the NDDC via 50 percent of ecological funds due member states, 15 percent of total monthly allocations due member-states and three percent of total annual budget of oil and gas processing companies,” the group declared.
