Niger Delta Youth Call For Probe In NDDC

Worried by what they
termed low performance and impact in the development of the Niger Delta region by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), youths of the region have called on the President-elect, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, to probe the past leadership of the commission.
The youths also called for the probe of contractors who either abandoned or executed substandard jobs as well as agencies and companies who were among those to contribute their quotas in counter fund but failed to do so.
The youths who made the call under the umbrella of the Niger Delta Youth Coalition (NDYC) expressed dissatisfaction that inspite of the huge fund released to the commission annually for decades most communities in the region were yet to feel the impact of the commission.
NDYC spokesman, Mr Okey Taiwo Emokiniovo, who made the call in an interview with The Tide Thursday in Port Harcourt accused the past leadership of NDDC of financial embezzlement and large scale fraud.
He said apart from few roads and bridges, done over the years, the commission remains far removed from the poor people and communities of the region.
The spokesman equally urged the Federal Government to release all the withheld funds of NDDC to enable the commission play its interventionist role which he said is key in the development of the region.
Emokiniovo particularly described as criminal for oil multinationals, local governments and other relevant agencies not to contribute their counterpart funds for the running of the commission.
“A situation where the FG, oil multinationals and agencies refuse to live upto their financial responsibilities and those entrusted with the responsibility of managing the commission shy away from their responsibility one wonders how the commission can play its critical role well,” he said.
He said time has come for NDDC to be taken seriously in developing the region, pointing out that the right way to go was to look backward on why it has failed in the hope of moving the commission forward for the interest and betterment of the poor people of the region who continue to suffer from the negative impact of oil exploration and exploitation.
The NDYC spokesperson frowned at a situation where the commission has been turned to a political agency and advised that administrators and technocrats should be given consideration when appointing who leads the commission instead of politicians, stressing that politicians appointed into the commission’s board would give priority to the interest of their political fathers as against the interest of the people.

Chris Oluoh