From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Acoalition of youth groups in the Niger Delta has said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is gaining massive support from the region due to the outstanding performance of the current leadership of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Over 20 youth groups in the Niger Delta, including the Crusaders for Niger Delta Community Development (CNDCD) and the Niger Delta Youth Coalition for Peace and Progress (NDYCPP) stated this after a meeting convened to assess the achievements of the commission since the current board was inaugurated.
The youth groups who had taken a tour of most projects undertaken and completed by the current board, including ongoing projects and inherited ones that are spread across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta commended the Samuel Ogbuku-led NDDC for its commitment to development in the Niger Delta.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the youth leadership commended Dr. Ogbuku and his men for the people-oriented projects spread across the region, which have made life more meaningful to the people.
The communiqué read by Pastor Jude Olayinka of NDYCPP thanked President Tinubu for the appointment of the current leadership of the board which they described as a round peg in a round hole.
According to them for the first time since the formation of the NDDC, the commission is meeting the developmental and human capacity needs of the people of the region.
The groups also lauded the non-politicisation of the operations of the NDDC, saying it allows for inclusivity of the people of the Niger Delta without recourse to political affiliation.
“Look at the scholarships in the educational sector, foreign scholarship. This current leadership has done a great deal when you talk of continuity of projects. It is out of this world that any government would come and say we want to inherit abandoned projects, knowing the political mentality of our people, that no matter how much you try to complete abandoned projects, it is those who initiated the project that will be given the credit. Despite that, Ogbuku and his team are finishing every abandoned project undertaken by the NDDC.”