Senator Godswill Akpabio
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godswill Akpabio
The Ijaw Youth Council has threatened to ground activities at the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.
According to the IYC, it will back the threat with action if the NNDC’s Interim Management Committee constituted by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Godswill Akpabio is not disbanded immediately.
Addressing a news conference in Warri, Delta State, IYC President Eric Omare also demanded that the new members of the NDDC Board cleared by the Senate should be inaugurated immediately.
He added that the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari should be “directly supervised” by the President.
“If our demands are not met within a reasonable time from this moment, we will be forced to embark on mass action in the entire Niger Delta, especially at the NDDC headquarters in Port Harcourt to forcefully remove the interim management committee from the NDDC headquarters,” the IYC President said.
Mixed reactions have trailed the constitution of the interim committee which is charged with the responsibility to oversee the affairs of the commission throughout the period of the forensic audit.
Mr Akpabio had announced the appointment of a three-man interim management committee expected to oversee the affairs of the NDDC until the forensic audit is completed.
Not only did the IYC reject the move, it also dismissed the idea behind it declaring it illegal.
“The reasons we are against the committee set up by the Minister are as follows: Number one, it is illegal. Number two, the argument that the committee is to ensure unhindered forensic audit ordered by the President is unacceptable; it is weak and baseless,” Mr Omare said.
Following shouts of “Enough is Enough”, he added, “We are tired of people using our resources to run their bogus lifestyles.”
He believes the youths of the Niger Delta are ready to hold everybody accountable and if the incoming board fails to do what they are supposed to do, they will “hold them accountable”.
