NDDC Probe: Nigerian Students Hit Akpabio

Nigerian students under the auspices of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) have urged the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio to step aside and allow for full and unhindered investigations into the activities of the NDDC which he has been supervising.

This is coming even as the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) have also called on the minister to step down in order to give room for proper investigation and audit of the activities of the commission.

NANS in a statement signed by its Senate President, Gambo Abu Mohammed said “the Senate Secretariat of NANS have observed with utter dismay the recent ignominious fiasco playing out by the Interim Management Committee of NDDC and its supervisory Minister, after careful consideration of the revelations into the activities of the agency by various members involved, it’s only sane for the actors to recuse themselves by stepping down while the verification and hearing into the colossal fraud revealed lasted.”

Mohammed called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently wade into the crisis by asking those accused of fraud to step down “ while the audits, as well as the hearing from the National assembly Committee is concluded”.

“The riot act read to MDAs by the President and conveyed by his Media Aide, Mal. Garba Shehu isn’t enough to the flagrant disobedience shown by members of his cabinet,” the statement read. “The Niger Delta region deserves a better deal considering the humongous budgetary allocation year in year out, hence the NDDC and it’s supervisory ministry must be purged. The National assembly must be allowed to perform its constitutionally saddled function.”

While calling on all actors in the case to allow the NASS perform its duty of oversight function, the NANS Senate President said “the parliament remains the conscience of every virile democracy and it should be seen to be discharging such responsibilities of oversight into government expenditures without hindrance or disrespect, as provided by our constitution and National assembly act, with a view of blocking wastages, manifest corruption and corrupt practices like the those exposed by Ms Joi Nunieh in NDDC.”

NYCN in a statement by its Deputy President, Comrade Adamu Kabir Matazu, called on President Buhari to immediately suspend Akpabio, in order to give room for unhindered investigation into the damning allegations of corruption levelled against the Minister by the former Interim MD of the Commission, Joy Nunieh.

NYCN said it is disturbed by the growing corruption in the NDDC which has continued to cripple development in the oil rich Niger Delta region since it was established 20 years ago.

“We are stating our position because we are interested in seeing NDDC that works for the benefit of the Niger Delta people,” the statement read.