The 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, 21st CYNDAC, and Network for Grassroots Development, NGD, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resend to the Senate the names of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, screened and approved since November 2019.
Commenting on the new order in NDDC, 21st CYNDAC, in a statement by Izon Ebi, said: "President Buhari should match his words with action by resending the board already screened and confirmed by the National Assembly, made up of men of impeccable character, which he failed to inaugurate for three years with no justifiable reason.
"The sack of the erstwhile interim administrator, Mr. Effiong Akwa, was long overdue and is nothing to celebrate about. The fact is that a few months to the end of Buhari's eight-year administration, he turned the NDDC into a cash cow to the detriment of the Niger Delta and its people.
"If the government of Muhammadu Buhari is sincere and means well for the Niger Delta after using NDDC to pacify his political associates that betrayed the region for his emergence as the president, we urge him to proceed immediately by inaugurating the already screened and confirmed board by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
"The good and peaceful people of Niger Delta will accept a new board that represents the law setting up the NDDC."
Co-Administrator of NGD, Ukato Thomas, said in Benin City, Edo State: "We urge Mr. President and the National Assembly to recall the already appointed, screened and confirmed governing board members of the commission.
"Government should inaugurate the board in line with Section 5 of the NDDC Act, 2000, having regards also to the current oil and gas production quota of the nine states of the NDDC.
"Once again, we sincerely appreciate Mr. President for his action, although coming late; it is better late than never. We consider his action as most appropriate at this point in time as it is certainly in the interest of the people of the Niger Delta and other state members of the Commission."
It's Bayelsa's turn to produce next MD -- Ijaw group
Meanwhile, a group, Watchdog for Progressives Ijaw, WPI, has informed President Buhari that it is the turn of Bayelsa State to produce the substantive Managing Director of NDDC.
The Coordinator of WPI, Lambert Olambo, in a statement said: "We understand that some states are lobbying for it. Investigations we conducted revealed that Ondo State through its governor had relocated to Abuja to mount pressure on the Presidency to nominate the next managing director of NDDC from Ondo.
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"But the truth is that Ondo is not qualified to occupy that position. Those hanging around President Buhari and collecting money from desperate politicians seeking this juicy appointment are simply cashing out and deceiving people.
"The fact remains that the law establishing the NDDC rotates the chairman of the governing board of the NDDC alphabetically from A-R among the oil producing states, while the managing director rotates among the four states with the highest oil production quota. Ondo and Edo states are not part of the four highest oil producing states as recommended by the Act.
"Since its establishment in 2000, Akwa Ibom has produced two substantive managing directors; Delta has produced two; Rivers State has also got two except Bayelsa, which is the only state that has got only one MD among the four states."
