NDP Demands Immediate Inauguration of NDDC Board

Niger Delta Patriots (NDP) has demanded that the Federal Government should without further delay inaugurate the Board of the Niger Delta Development Board (NDDC) or face another round of crisis in the Niger Delta region.
The group, which addressed a press conference in Asaba on the issue, also called for immediate action by the Federal Government to rehabilitate critical infrastructure destroyed by the recent flood disaster in the Niger Delta, especially the East-West road,” he added.
It said there could be agitations in the creeks of the Niger Delta which could cripple the economy if the NDDC board was not inaugurated within the next couple of weeks.
Leaders of the group, who spoke at the press conference, said they were worried about growing concern that government was tinkering with the idea of replicating the NDDC in the North. “More worrisome lately is the Federal Government’s plan to pipe gas from the Niger Delta to Kaduna for onward sale to Niger Republic and Chad.
“The cost of this project will gulp billions of dollars of tax payers’ money. The Federal Government seems not to be worried about the cost as the motive is just to replicate whatever the Niger Delta has in the North.
“Note also that the Buharia dministration is hell bent on discovering oil in the North at all cost which has materialized according to the Federal Government. It also appears that some Northern States are becoming uncomfortable with the derivation principle which gives some Niger Delta States more revenue from the federation account than other states.”
While alleging that the idea of probing the Interim Management Committee (IMC) was diversionary and would certainly be counterproductive, Dr. Okwureogu said NDP wants all campaigns of calumny against the NDDC to stop henceforth.
They appealed to the people to exercise patience while they called on the President to commence actions on the IMC probe report and constitute NDDC board immediately.
“We equally call on all warring stakeholders in the Niger Delta, especially as it pertains to the NDDC to sheathe their swords so that they are not used as cannon fodder by enemies of our region. If there are tendencies that want the Federal Government to scrap the NDDC, our own sons and daughters in the Niger Delta should not join them with the hope of benefiting from it.
“We need to sound it clearly that Nigeria is not prepared for another round of militant agitation in the Niger Delta to add to the challenges currently faced by the citizens. The goose that has been laying the golden eggs for the nation is at verge of extinction,” he added.