In the face of national insecurity reports of kidnapping, killings and violent attacks on public institutions, the Niger Delta region remains the most peaceful region of the country but this feat could be halted following Wednesday’s deadline of a month’s ultimatum given by the national wing of the IJAW Youth Council to shut the operations of the Niger Delta Development Commission until a substantive board is appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to run the affairs of the interventionist agency.
Stakeholders of the Ijaw extraction who interacted with AIT Correspondent over the development expressed divergent views on the proposed action by the apex IJAW Youth body.
The appointment of Effiong Akwa by President Muhammadu Buhari last year December as a sole administrator to oversee the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was followed by strong agitations with many drawing arguments from the NDDC act which gives legal backing to the appointment of a substantive board.
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About five months of dealing with the forensic audit mandated by the Effiong Akwa’s administration, the issue of appointing a substantive board has not been given desired attention and this development has prompted a resolution by the IJAW Youth Council, to shut down the NDDC Headquarters on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, after an initial one-month ultimatum.
A report of President Muhammadu Buhari’s willingness to conclude the ongoing forensic audit to ascertain the ideal setback of the NNDC before appointing a substantive board to manage the core responsibilities of the commission was also addressed in Yenagoa.
According to a recent confirmation by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the NDDC forensic exercise will be rounded off by July, this Year.
(Editor: Nkoli Omhoudu)
