By Chimezie Godfrey
The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has charged youths to unite as a common front for peace and development of the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC Interim Administrator, Mr Efiong Akwa, said this during a meeting with the executives and representatives of various youth groups in all the local government areas of Rivers State, at the Rivers State Office of the Commission in Port Harcourt.
Akwa, who was represented by the Director NDDC Rivers State Office, Mr. George Ero, urged all youth groups and organisations to cooperate with the new leadership of the NDDC to ensure that development efforts were not hindered.
He urged the youths to embrace peace for the continued growth and progress of the region, emphasizing the need to adopt peaceful methods.
The NDDC boss affirmed that Niger Delta was made up of different ethnic nationalities, stating that the youth groups included women and people with disabilities.
He harped on the need for unity to ensure that everyone benefited from the development programmes and projects in the Niger Delta region.
He said: “We must work with recognized leaders for orderliness and peace, recognizing that it is in unity that we have strength. We want our youths to be well organized to be able to articulate their needs and present them properly.
“We need to discourage bad behavior in all ramifications because it makes people from other parts of the country deride and look down on us.”
The NDDC Interim Administrator said that President Muhammadu Buhari was very eager to address the challenges facing the Niger Delta region, noting: “Luckily we have the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who has a track record of uncommon transformation, driving the President’s plans for the region.
“Our permanent headquarters building that has been under construction for many years has now been completed and we thank Mr. President and Senator Akpabio for this achievement. The youths will be able to witness live streaming and broadcast of the commissioning ceremony in February.”
He said that as long as youths were well organized and peaceful, they would always get all the benefits from NDDC development programmes, adding that there would be no need for anyone to block roads or gather at the gates of the Commission to express any grievance.
In his response, the Chairman of the Niger Delta Youth Movement, Rivers State Chapter, Ambassador Austin Okpara Ijeoma, assured that the youth groups in the region would support the NDDC in its development efforts by embracing peace and unity.
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