The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has faulted report stating that the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio advised protesting Youths and Women of the Niger Delta Region on the constitution of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC.), to channel their grievances to President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Ministry in a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Babayo Ardo, described the reports as misleading, adding that it does not represent the position of the Minister, Senator Godswill Akpabio, on the constitution of the board of the NDDC.
He said: “The sensational headline given to the news item has no bearing to the statement issued by the Ministry. At no time did the Hon Minister meet with Youths and Women as alleged. At the appropriate time, upon the recommendation of the Minister to Mr President, the board of the NDDC will be constituted.
“It should be noted that the Hon Minister had earlier stated his position on the constitution and inauguration of the board of the NDDC in a statement he personally signed.
“The statement was widely published in conventional news media and online platforms and this position has not changed and that position has always been that:
“Mr President has set out to reposition the NDDC after 19 years of rot saw to the undermining of the dreams of the fathers of the region, to fast track its development through the setting up of an interventionist agency.
“Part of the strategy was a forensic audit to understand what went wrong, despite the resources committed to the Commission over the years”.
Ardo explained that the “report of that audit has just been submitted to Mr. President, who is studying it to come up with a formula for a commission fit for purpose. That formula is what the board being put together will work with.
“It is not in the interest of the region to stampede the government into aborting the reform process. The President has demonstrated immense love for the Niger Delta and its people. This is reflected in the support he has given to the NDDC to complete some of the projects abandoned over the years, like the headquarters complex in Port Harcourt, the Students’ Hostel at Uyo, and the electrification project in Ondo State.
“The President wants to give to the region an interventionist agency that will realize the dreams of our fathers for our people and generations yet unborn.
“The greatest disservice we can do to the region is to attempt to stampede him, through ingeniously crafted media campaigns”, he stated.
He said the Minister “is irrevocably committed to assisting Mr. President to leave behind a legacy for the Niger Delta people, particularly, saving the NDDC from dying like past developmental agencies put together for the region since 1958”.
No Comments