CWN Urges Wike to Intervene in the Sealing of NDDC Office

Gladys Nweke

A group, the Community Watch of Nigeria (CWN), has appealed to the River State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to open the National Headquarters of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) sealed by the State Government on Monday.

The body strongly condemned the sealing of Niger Delta Development Commission Corporate Headquarters in Port Harcourt by the agency of the Rivers State Government saying it was a national embarrassment.

Speaking with newsmen, the International President of the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Samingo Etukakpan, claimed that the action of the Internal Revenue Service of the River State Government was political.

He said the body was appalled by the method applied by the Rivers State Internal Revenue Service in collecting revenue from the Commission when it was on record that NDDC had paid the first tranche and was waiting for the release of funds from the budgetary allocation for further payment before the sad incident.

The NGO country leader said the act of sealing the Commission’s premises was a national embarrassment and a language of political vendetta.

“Rivers State is part of the Commission and they have the greatest benefit in terms of staffing and infrastructural development.

“It is even very outrageous for the Commission to be asked to pay a whopping N460 million as revenue to the Rivers State Government in a stakeholders utility of nine States,” Etukakpan said.

He maintained that it was to the advantage of the Rivers State Government for the commission’s corporate headquarters to be cited in Port Harcourt and advised that the State should not exercise that advantage negatively as the Federal government did not make the mistake in the choice of location of the Commission.

Etukakpan called on the Rivers State Governor to direct the Revenue agency to reopen the premises of the commission as its continuous closure is having a negative effect on all stakeholders including the nine States of NDDC.