NDDC Board: Akpabio Using Juju On Presidency –Ijaw Leaders * It’s Infantile Allegation-Akpabio * Jubilation As Court Removes NDDC From Akpabio’s Claws
8 min read
Edith CHUKU
Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta, MOSIEND, is worried that till date, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is still being run by an illegal administrator.
The group of Ijaw youths whose desire is to see the commission being run and managed by a board as provided for by the law establishing it, have accused the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio of using juju to control the president, Muhammadu Buhari.
They said it was the voodoo power that has made the president not to constitute the board of the commission. They also demanded the sack of Akpabio.
But Akpabio has fired back, describing the allegation against him as baseless and infantile.
MOSIEND said it suspects that Akpabio might be using ‘Voodoo’ as black power to manipulate the Presidency to have his way in the region.
We Nearly Exchanged Blows Trying To Settle Leadership Crisis – APC Chieftain
The group which is a sociocultural cum mass mobilization pressure group, advocating for environmental justice, equity, fairness from the Nigerian government and the multinational oil companies was established on March 21, 1993.
MOSIEND is amongst the forerunners of contemporary Izon organizations pushing for a better deal for the ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta and Nigeria at large.
It played a significant role towards initiating and facilitating the Kaiama Declaration in 1998, which supposedly gave rise to the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC. It also contributed immensely towards the creation of Bayelsa State, rendered active support base during the formative stage of the Ijaw National Congress, INC.
MOSIEND is believed to have written the first Izon Charter in September 1993 which was well received by the Embassies back then, MOSIEND also wrote a Position Paper in the 2005 National Constitutional Conference
The leadership of the group in the oil rich Niger Delta region, after an extraordinary meeting, issued a communique, on the resolution of the 9th National leadership of MOSIEND, on issues ranging from the 799 billion Naira said to have been received by the NDDC between 2020 to 2021, the 3 per cent Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, the 2023 presidential election, the Federal Government reneging in his promise to award Modular Refinery to local refiners, among other issues.
According to them, “MOSIEND is wondering why Sen. Godswill Akpabio is still being kept as the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. It is on record that Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has received well over N799 billion Naira between 2020 to 2021 and nothing tangible can be sighted in the region in the name of development.
“We suspect that Sen. Godswill Akpabio is using Voodoo as black power to manipulate the Presidency to have his way in the region. It is also on notice that Sen. Akpabio has been lobbying certain quarters to scrap the NDDC for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, just to cover his vicious tracks.
IWD Celebration: Woman Threaten Nationwide Protest, As C’River Assembly Pledges Support
“MOSIEND have continually echoed that the 1999 Constitution is a fraud and should be set aside for a fresh Constitution to be discussed. The constitutional amendment recently given consent by Mr. President and the National Assembly is a charade. it’s like using an insecticide in place of an air freshener. The Constitutional Amendment won’t solve the issues surrounding restructuring, resource ownership and credible elections.”
On the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, the leadership of the group, described its signing as another form of marginalization and oppression of the oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta Region.
MOSIEND, while expressing disapproval on the 3 per cent Host Community Fund, stated that the slowness of the process to release the funds is a clear indication that the Federal Government had no intention of even giving host communities the 3 per cent.
The leaders of the Niger Delta group accused the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari of been largely responsible for the increasing bunkering in the Niger Delta.
According to them, Buhari led federal government has reneged in his promise to award Modular Refinery to local refiners to stem their activities, encourage local participation, create employment for the teeming unemployed youths.
Presenting the communique at a media parley in Port Harcourt, the spokesman of MOSIEND, Charles Omusuku said “the 9th national leadership of MOSIEND is a blend of credible career men and women with sterling leadership qualities and charisma. The Executive Members are drawn from the Niger Delta states. Our 3R mantra are: Reorientation, Repositioning …. Recovery of lost values.
“At the end of the National Executive meeting held in Port Harcourt, the Movement resolved as follows: The Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari is largely responsible for the increasing bunkering in the Niger Delta by reneging in his promise to award Modular Refinery to local refiners to stem their activities, encourage local participation, create employment for the teeming unemployed youths.
“Recall that in February 2017, during the Niger Delta Avengers attacks on oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta region, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, then Acting President, made promises that the Federal Government had resolved to liberalize the award of modular refineries to curtail bunkering activities. That singular promise got several of our people who were financially buoyant to venture into the business in other to enjoy the waivers as the thinking was that most of the perpetrators would be granted amnesty and considered for allotments.
“Unfortunately, the Government awarded the Modular Refineries to themselves and their cronies. We challenge the Federal Government to make public the owners and companies they awarded the Modular Refineries to since 2017.
“We consider the signing of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as another form of marginalization and oppression of the Niger Delta Communities. As a region and Oil bearing Communities, we have expressed our disapproval of the 3% Host Community Fund, but had to allow it for peace to reign. It became obvious that the Federal Government had no intention of even giving Host Communities the 3% as the process to release the Funds is extremely slow and while the other processes, for example, the registration of NNPC as a Limited Liability Company and other clauses in the PIA to enable government make more money is given expeditious attention.
“This lackluster attitude against any venture to promote development in the Niger Delta that will bring about economic prosperity to the people of the region is what triggers insecurity and disaffection in the region, if not, little wonder pipeline security that was a creative and positive approach of engaging the locals to monitor and protect the pipelines from being vandalized was deliberately scraped by Mr. President in 2015 as soon as he was inaugurated, thereby sending thousands of youths into joblessness. We urge Mr. President to review the process of awarding the Surveillance Security Contracts as well as the Modular Refineries to create room for locals, as a way of rekindling hope and saving government billions of dollars.”
The group commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for the rehabilitation of the Refineries, which they believe will frustrate the process of fuel subsidy and encourage the deregulation process in earnest. MOSIEND posited that, “without the Federal Government’s sincere intervention by doing the needful to complete the genuine pursuit of Governor Nyesom Wike’s fight against bunkering which has reduced the Black Soot killing Rivers people in their drove, especially those with asthma and other respiratory diseases.
“We urge the Federal Government to be proactive by catching into the drive to save our people from dying before their time. As MOSIEND, we are already doing alot in terms of orientation and sensitization in that wise.”
Further on the forthcoming 2023 election, the group resolved that, “in as much as we recognize the right every aspirant to contest the 2023 Presidential election, we are however of the strong opinion that the President be allowed to come from the South South region for equity and fairness.”
Meanwhile, Akpabio has denied the allegation. Speaking through his spokesman, Jackson Udom, he described the allegation as infantile.
According to Udom in a chat with TNN, “that kind of allegation is infantile, baseless and highly irresponsible for any sane person to say that concerning the Hon Minister Niger Delta Affairs. It is the height of recklessness and senselessness that should not be dignified with any response.”
Jubilation As Court Removes NDDC From Akpabio’s Claws
There has been jubilation in the Niger Delta following an order by a Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, directing the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to return the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to The Presidency as provided for in the Act establishing the commission.
The court ordered that under no circumstance should the commission be returned to the Niger Delta ministry of any other ministry for that matter.
The court also granted a perpetual injunction restraining the office of the AGF from further constituting an interim or sole administratorship board to run the affairs of the commission.
The orders were made following a motion ex parte dated December 10th, 2021 and filed by Odighonin Adienbo on behalf of the Wailing Women of Niger Delta (WWND) and the Integrity Friends for Truth and Peace Initiative (IFTPI).
Other applicants are Peace Ossy, Utibe Benedict, Beatrice Young, Juliana Alagoa, Lovett Timothy, Loveth Kekghe, Osaruchi Idumesaro, Modimu Beauty and Nkechi Umeozor.
Granting the order, Justice Isa Dashen also directed the enrolled order of the court together with all the filed processes be served on the respondent.
The judge also asked the parties to return to the court on April 5th for report of service, compliance and hearing.
Cultists Resume Rival Killings, Robbery At Bayelsa Main Market
The court further said: “That leave is hereby granted to the applicant to seek an order of this Honourable Court directing the respondent to dissolve the current sole administratorship structure used to run the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“That the applicant is granted leave to seek an order of mandamus directing or compelling the respondent to immediately publish the outcome of the report of the forensic audit of NDDC.
“That leave is granted to the applicant to seek an order of mandamus directing and compelling the respondent to account for all monies that have accrued to the NDDC from the inception of the Interim or acting management beginning from the era of Prof. Nelson Brambaifa till date.”
