socio-cultural group in Edo State, Esan Coalition, has decried the continuous limitation of the Nger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) coordination or supervision to one man leadership, Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, under the guise of forensic audit, a ploy that has been adopted to beguile the president on reason not to inaugurate substantive board of the NDDC.
Coordinator of the Esan Coalition, Henry Okpamen, therefore, “condemned in its entirety the continuous operation of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) under one man leadership that is superintendent by Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, under the guise of forensic audit.”
The Coalition protested that “this is the highest form of corruption and abuse of power;” noting that “NDDC is presently being operated under non existing laws as the law setting up the commission does not have provision for interim Committee nor sole administrator.” The group wondered why public officers who swore to uphold and defend the Nigeria constitution, while being sworn in, often turn their back on the law and carry on in a manner that promotes disdain and disrespect for the laws once they assume office. The group highlighted that Niger Delta Development Commission was set up by then President Olusegun Obasanjo as a response to the cry and agitation of the people of the region over huge deficit in infrastructures and other basic life’s demand; adding: “and it was therefore set up as an intervention Agency to continue to address these problems.” The coalition protested further that what is more troubling and surprising, is that Sen Godswill Akpabio who has continued to frustrate every effort to set up the NDDC Board in line with the laws setting it up is from Niger Delta.
“We, therefore, call on political leaders, traditional rulers, opinion leaders, youth groups, students organisations and other critical stakeholders in the region to speak up against this grave injustice that is being meted to Niger Deltans before our very eyes.
“The myriad of agitations across Nigeria today for secession, breakup, regionalism or true federalism are results of obvious injustice, nepotism, subversion of the principle of federal character, neglect of the principle of rule of law etc., which has continued to heighten tension in the country. “While we support, in clear terms, the ongoing forensic audit designed to reposition the commission for effective and efficient service delivery in line with the vision of the founding fathers, carrying it out under a supervision unknown to law, amounts to trying to correct a wrong, using a wrong approach, which will ultimately deliver the wrong and unacceptable result,” the coalition declared.
The group argued that if the desire of the President Mohammadu Buhari is to unravel the mystery surrounding the billions of Naira that has been budgeted for the commission till date that cannot be traced to any part of Niger Delta, in terms of provision of Infrastructure, amenities etc., then, the process to unravel the mismanagement of the huge resources, should be carried out in an open, transparent and acceptable manner with active involvement of the states and stakeholders that make up Niger Delta with the setting up of the board as envisaged by the law setting it up just like was done in North East Development Commission (NEDC).
The group further protested that doing otherwise will mean threading the same path that led to the mysterious disappearance of the billions of Naira in question.
“We are, therefore, calling on President Mohammadu Buhari to honour his pledge to defend the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria by respecting the law setting up NDDC and ensure its full application, especially, during the forensic audit, if he really means well for Nigeria and the Niger Deltans.
“We want to thank the Governors of the states in the Niger Delta for rising up against this subversion and we want to urge them to continue to speak out until the right thing is done in NDDC,” the coalition declared.