Niger Delta leaders decry marginalisation

Niger Delta leaders have decried the marginalisation  of the Southsouth, particularly Delta State.

The leaders Delta State has not been given attention like Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom and Cross River in the appointment of Chairman and Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

At a meeting in Abuja, the leaders said it was the turn of Delta State to produce the chairman and managing director of the commission.

The NDDC Act stated that the office of the chairman shall rotate among the member states of the commission in the following alphabetical order: Abia State, Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State, Imo State, Ondo State and Rivers State.”

Former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa YarÁdua, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Onyema Ugochukwu (Chairman 2001-2005) Abia State, Sam Edem (Chairman, 2005-2007), Akwa-Ibom, Dan Abia (Acting Chairman 2007-2009), Akwa-Ibom, Larry Koinyan (Chairman (2009-2011), Bayelsa State, Tarifa Tebepah (Chairman 2011-2013, Bayelsa State, Bassey Henshaw (Chairman 2013-2015), Cross River State and Ndoma Egba (Chairman 2016-2019), Cross River State.

The leader of the Niger Delta Front (NDF), Chief John Harry, who addressed reporters in Abuja,  urged  President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint Delta State indigenes as chairman and managing director.

He said: “The NDDC Act requires that there shall be for the commission, a Managing Director and two Executive Directors who shall be indigenes of oil producing areas starting with the member states of the Commission with the highest production quantum of oil and shall rotate among member states in the order of production.”

Harry said  Rivers State occupied the position of Executive Director (Finance and Administration) for years through Itonanen Ogiri (EDFA 2013-2015), Mene Derek (EDFA 2016-2019), and Chris Amadi (Transition Acting EDFA 2019-2019.

He added: “The right thing to do is to appoint someone from Bayelsa or Akwa-Ibom as the Executive Director (Finance and Administration) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).”

Viewed against the background of the provisions of the NDDC Act, the leaders urged the authorities not to compound the problems of the Niger Delta region or make absolute nonsense of the NDDC Act.

“It is time to exhibit fairness.”

The leaders commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the effort he was making to develop the region.

Harry urged well-meaning people within and outside the Niger Delta region to prevail on President Buhari to Delta indigenes as chairman and managing director.

He said: “We expect the President to use the next NDDC Board to correct the imbalances of previous appointments. We believe in Mr President’s sense of justice and fair play” the leaders added.

“Nations are built when existing laws are implemented in its entirety. As you apply the Law and zero on Delta State for the appointment of the Chairman and Managing Director, we plead with you to pick men or women who would further your Next Agenda, serve the interest of the country and the aspirations of the Niger Delta people.”