More Knocks For Akpabio Over NDDC Board
John ODHE, Yenagoa
The peace pervading oil and gas activities in the oil rich Niger Delta region may soon disappear following anger amongst members of the region over the Federal Government’s failure to establish a substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
It was learnt that different aggrieved bodies in the region have resolved to return to the trenches of economic sabotage by disrupting oil activities in the Niger Delta to express their grievances.
One of the groups gearing for a disruptive showdown with the International oil companies over their displeasure with the delay in forming the NDDC board is a group under the aegis of Concerned Niger Delta Group for Justice and Development based in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.
The group in an open letter to the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, drew the attention of the 9th Senate leadership to the prolonged crisis in the NDDC over what it described as illegality of the non-appointment of the NDDC Board.
The Niger Delta pressure group recalled that the NDDC was established in the year 2000 under former President Olusegun Obasanjo to accelerate the development of the oil producing areas of the Niger Delta Region.
Rather than bringing the expected development, the group asserted that the commission had become a cash cow for individuals and has assumed a monumental dimension under the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, adding that in all legal ramifications as established by the Act, the former Minister had no locus standi.
According to the group, the NDDC is “to facilitate the rapid, even and sustainable development of the Niger Delta into a region that is economically prosperous, socially stable, ecologically regenerative and politically peaceful”.
“The Act also states that there shall be a Board to execute the mission of the Commission. In fact, the appointment of the Board is a constitutional requirement for the smooth operation of the NDDC.
“Sadly, from the year 2020 through 2021, several Non-Governmental Organizations, Community-Based Organizations and concerned Niger Delta Groups have written petitions on the need to constitute the NDDC Board but to no avail.
“In May, 2020, Members of the House of Representatives summoned the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, and the Interim Management Committee of Niger Delta Development Commission, over corrupt activities in the commission.
“The lawmakers also wanted Akpabio to explain the spending of N40billion by the Commission without yielding commensurate result in the motion sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader, Peter Akpatason.”
The socio-political group further recalled that a group known as Niger Delta Renaissance Coalition, had advised the then minister of Niger Delta, Akpabio, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, the Acting Executive Director Projects of the IMC and others to retun all the alleged looted funds from the Commission.
In the open letter signed by its chairman, Bibonimi Achimota and three others, the group stated that Interim Management Committee (IMC) was alien to the NDDC board.
“The senate had on Thursday July 23, 2021, accepted its Adhoc Committees recommendations that the IMC be disbanded and made to refund the sum of N4.92 3 billion. Yet Akpabio had the guts to disregard this recommendation and a court which declared his supervisory role illegal and should vacate the position,” the letter read.
It also called on the Senate to make open report of the forensic audit on the NDDC to Nigerians and those found wanting penalized.
It added that there was mounting angst and disillusionment in the Niger Delta because of the illegality of not constituting the Board and that Niger Deltans know that the National Assembly is saddled with the responsibility of over sighting the NDDC.
The Niger Delta group warned that It would be a dangerous error of judgement if the NASS under Ahmed Lawan pays blind eyes to its demands which include to investigate alleged award for the supply of Hilux vehicles and medical consumables to the tune of N4.8bn by Akpabio “in clear breach of Sections 19, 25, 41 and 42 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.”
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Apart from the concerned Niger Delta group, there are several other aggrieved groups which have been formed under different aegis, who are regrouping and perfecting plans to resume hostilities over what they described as unnecessary delay in constituting the NDDC board.
It could be recalled that the pan Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) led by its national chairman, Comrade Peter Igbifa had been threatening hell over the alleged refusal of the President Muhammadu Buhari led FG to constitute the NDDC board.
We also learnt that plans have been perfected by aggrieved youth bodies in the region to vandalize pipelines going to the North, an action which our source said is to teach Mr. President and management of Niger Delta Affairs ministry a hard lesson.
One of the vexed groups led by one Ebiegberi Kalatin said they would no longer watch while oil producing communities are taken for a ride.
The group also described sole administrator and care-taker-committee as a breach of the extant law setting up the agency.
Our source further revealed that a group which calls itself Niger Delta Peace and Security Initiative, NDPSI, held a meeting in Port Harcourt over a week ago to fine tune the plans to carry out wide range of activities aimed at resuming militant activities to send a strong signal to those responsible for the non-constitution of the NDDC board.
According to the source, “We are all living in fear, that if any fresh militancy resumes as groups are beginning to beat war drums to carry out plans to vandalize pipelines and blocking of highways at the east-west road, it will be too bad because of the self serving agenda of few individuals who were not involved in the struggle to restore peace in the Niger Delta”.
It will be recalled that in 2016, a new group of agitators under the platform of Avengers resumed militancy which shutdown crude oil production from 2.2 to 1.4 million barrels per day.
