The Community Development Communities of Niger Delta Oil and Gas Producing Areas (CDC) has asked Umana Umana, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, to ensure a corporate governance structure within the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The CDC stated in a press statement by Joseph Ambakederimo, the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, warned that failure by the Minister to ensure that such a structure is in place would be met with resistance by the people of the Niger Delta region.
In the statement titled “NDDC: When Enough Will Be Enough,” the group lamented that the illegality within the NDDC has been allowed to drag on for too long, urging political leaders, traditional rulers and youths in the region to speak up.
Read the full statement below
We urge the Minister to take all necessary steps are as soon as possible to ensure the corporate governance structure is allowed to function. Anything short of this shall be met with stiff resistance from our people whom are already been mobilized for any action necessary for a positive change in the commission. The interim management contrivance should not be allowed to continue in office a day more than necessary. This illegality has been drawn out for too long, political leaders, traditional rulers, women and youths in the region should speak up.
2. We do not know what a gathering for five days is meant to achieve for the region under a skewed, uninspiring and a corrupt leadership as presently composed to run the affairs of an institution as serious as the NDDC except the leadership do not understand what they are suprintending upon.
3. Since the creation of the National council on Niger Delta we haven’t seen anything that has been done differently in the region, to who’s benefit is this council we do not know, what have they achieved so far remains to be seen.
4. The National Council on Niger Delta with no clear mandate is a scheme used to squander scarce resources that would hitherto be used for the development of the region that is crying for attention.
5. Are we saying the membership of this Council are comfortable with the happenings in the NDDC as it is today? Have they not heard of the financial hemorrhage that has occurred in the last three years of this interim sole administrator management. The stealing that is going on has blighted the period covered by the forensic audit. Member states are been shortchanged, the commission has been run from peoples bedroom at their whims and caprices for this period of time. Does the council not know that the Act that sets up the NDDC has no provision for interim management?. Yet they have agreed to gather for five days to discuss what? This jamboree must stop.
6.. This conference to our mind should be called off immediately because it is not meaningful at this time, it is wastage and uncalled for. What is paramount and should be agitating the mind of the Honourable Minister should be the inauguration of the substantive board to enable us have a true corporate governance structure and not all of these diversionary tactics to further perpetuate illegality with impunity.
7. If the Honourable Minister must know some of us that stood for him to ensure he is brought in to bring succour to our people are beginning to get dissatisfied with his attitude of non compliance with extant laws and his output so far.
8. We call on our people to continuously resist the umbecoming attitude of interlopers and busybodies from within and without to allow the NDDC function properly to the benefit of all of us in the region.
9. We have mentioned many times that there will be dire consequences if the inauguration of the substantive board is further delayed. The relative peace we presently enjoy in the region is about to be compromised, therefore we call on the organizers of this charade called meeting of the National council on Niger Delta to put it off and concentrate on getting the already appointed persons by President Muhammadu Buhari to take office and reposition the commission to meet its set mandate for the people of the region. This is not too much to ask for the people we represent. We have sensitize our people enough for them to take action.
10. Again the talk of the release of a white paper on the forensic Audit before the substantive board is inaugurated is unacceptable to the people. In order words this comes across to us an unending interim system that some persons have come to embrace, and going further if we may ask, who is afriad of a substantive board for the NDDC anyway. Is the Honourable Minister comfortable with what he has come inherit in a floppy system and that he cannot prevail on the President to change course taking the plight of the people into consideration.
11. We interact with the people who are bona-fide owners of the resources, we know their thought process therefore there is no way violence cannot be threatened when the authorities continue on the wrong path to continuously provoke ghe people whom have remained resolute even on
the face of extreme provocation.
12. We want an NDDC that will work for everyone and not a few. We want an NDDC that is free of all encumbrances, scandals and baggages. This should be everyone’s expectation and not this macabre dance they show out every now and then. Inauguration of the Board is what should be paramount at this time and this should be the focus and nothing else.
We, therefore, call on the Honourable Minister to confer with the President and do the needful as soon as possible.