NDDC Board: Tension Mounts As Youths Prepare For Another Showdown

There is growing tension in the Niger Delta, as youths from the area get set for another showdown at the headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, over the constitution of a board for the commission.
Some youths under the aegis of South-South Youths Initiative, SSYI, recently protested at the commission’s headquarters, as they clamoured for the sack of an interim leadership in the NDDC.
The youths are already warming up for another round of protest from the end of this month. They said in a letter they sent to the president, Muhammadu Buhari, that the NDDC could no longer be run by an interim administration. The letter was signed by Imeabe Saviour Oscar and other leaders of the group.
“We are not asking for much, we are only requesting that the right thing be done in the NDDC. We are not happy that the agency is still being run contrary to the Act establishing NDDC.
“This has caused a lot of setbacks to the region. An unconstitutional administration can never be right in the sight of law, that is the reason we are insisting that a substantive board be immediately constituted. This substantive board will benefit the youths of the region, who in the instance are relegated and abandoned.
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“We are urging you, the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, to task President Muhammadu Buhari to hear us out. We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised that issues affecting the people of Niger Delta would top his priority to act now and constitute a board for the commission.
“We are giving one (1) month for the federal government to act and set up the board of NDDC. If this is not achieved within the period, youths of Niger Delta will resume and shot down the facility until our demands are met.”