Groups under the aegis of concerned Edo citizens and coalition of Edo volunteers have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to separate the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) from the Niger Delta Ministry and return it to the presidency where it was previously domiciled.
The groups made the call on Wednesday during a protest at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) office in Benin City.
Displaying placards with various inscriptions, the protesters, who disrupted the movement of vehicles on Murtala Muhammed Way, where the office is located, also called for the inauguration of board members that have been cleared.
Kola Edokpayi, the spokesperson of the aggrieved groups, demanded “the immediate inauguration of the substantive board of NDDC as presently constituted, screened and confirmed by the Senate since November 2019.
“Removal of the agency from the ministry of Niger Delta affairs and return it back to the presidency. Release of government white paper on the forensic audit report submitted to the government on September 2, 2021, and take punitive actions against all those found wanting and indicted by the forensic audit report to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.
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Edokpayi posited that “the noble intention of the President to clean the agency has been hijacked by ‘hawks’ who found willing partners in the new interim arrangement to continue with the nefarious activities in the commission to the detriment of the Niger Delta people.
“The interim management committee stayed on board for over a year, revelling in scandals, accusation and counter-accusations of fraud, personalisation of contracts award and massive corruption, before they were summarily dissolved.
“As the people of Niger Delta heaved a sigh of relief that now, the substantive board would be inaugurated, the problem was compounded by the appointment of a sole administrator for the commission in continuous violation of the extant laws guiding it.
“Mr. President, the people of Niger Delta see you as the father of modern-day Nigeria and hold no grudges against you. Just as the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) is tackling the challenges of the North-East region, we expect and demand that the NDDC be inaugurated to tackle the Niger Delta region challenges.”
