Group Accuses NDDC Of Marginalisation

The Ndokwa National Union (NNU), the apex socio-cultural organisation of the Ndokwa people in Delta State, has condemned the maginalisation of its people by the state and federal governments. The group frowned at the non-invitation of its youths for the one-day summit on Investment and Business Development organised by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Addressing journalists at the Lagos Airport Hotel in Ikeja, Paul Enebeli, President of the Union said that their attention had been drawn to a publication by a national newspaper which advertised the summit were not carried along by NDDC.

Mr. Enebeli noted that only one Ndokwa indigene among the communities of Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West and Ukwuani local government areas was invited for the summit.

He added that the group had not benefited from the resources deployed in their land for the use of the country and called for justice. He cited an instance of the independent power project commissioned in 2005 in their land supplying 480mw of electricity to the national grid and despite this, the land is still in darkness.

“We are here to voice our concern as a group against the ill treatment meted to our people. We are being marginalised as a group and the non-invitation of our youths to the NDDC one-day summit is just an indication of this. For the records, our restive youths were not involved in the amnesty programme and we had to plead with them not to forment trouble because they were grieved at this ill-treatment. We see this not just as marginalisation but near annihilation as we do not have any federal presence in all the senatorial districts”, he said.