A group, the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A has sent a strong warning to President Muhammadu Buhari, against tinkering with the appointment of members of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, as constituted by his administration, recently.
There had been persistent reports of plans by some interest group on reversal of the appointments of Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba’ as chairman and managing director of the NDDC recently.
Speaking through its national President, Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro in Abuja, the Coalition stated that the further delay in the inauguration of the Pius Odubu-led management board of the development agency was capable of igniting violence in the Niger Delta region noting that the people of the region had suffered enough deprivation and deserve the best as provided by the newly constituted board.
According to the former militant, the latest appointment made by the president in NDDC was the best ever wondering why the President was delaying in inaugurating members of the new board saying, “rumours are rife that the President is deliberately refusing to send names of the new board members to the Senate for screening. We know the Pius Odubu management of the board as constituted in the recent appointment by the President is the best ever.”
Some disgruntled elements in the region Akpodoro said, were bent on ensuring that the President rescinds his decision but was quick to warn that the President shouldn’t contemplate reversing the appointment saying that the appointees have been accepted in good faith by the people of the region but for the elements within the fold of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP whose hallmark he said was looting and plundering the regional fortunes.
Akpodoro urged the President to ignore those he described as enemies of development in the region and go ahead with the inauguration of the new board noting that if otherwise, the region will burn because all hands were on deck since the announcement to see how best the President can stand of his feet.
Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba, he noted were among the regions best eleven who he said are eminently qualified to lead a new NDDC devoid of corruption and with the zeal to take the Delta region out of the pit of abject poverty and underdevelopment adding that reactionary elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and their PDP collaborators were behind those clamouring for reversal of the appointment saying, “never would the President be dictated for by the opposition party.”
