By Brave Dickson
Niger Delta Activists Forum has commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the sacking of the immediate past management Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) led by Prof. Nelson Brambaifa.
The group at a media parley in Port Harcourt on Tuesday attributed the sacking of the Prof Brambaifa led NDDC Board by President Buhari to the group’s mass actions and high profile consultations in some of the highest quarters of the presidency.
A statement signed by Comrade Success Jack (President), Hon. Ubokobong Umoh (National Secretary) and Hon. Ambrose Obioha (Spokesman) reads in part that the: “Niger Delta Activists Forum would like to thank President Muhammadu Buhari for heeding our call and fulfilling his promise to us by dissolving the Prof. Nelson Brambaifa led NDDC Board.
“We welcome the newly announced NDDC Board and advise the Board to shun infighting, corrupt practices and work for the interest of the Niger Delta as the Board can be assured of our support.
“However, we must not fail to caution that, we would not also hesitate to pull strings on the new Board should it betray the confidence reposed on it by our people.”
The Niger Delta Activists Forum equally commended the newly appointed Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio for recommending the probe of the NDDC Board since inception in line with the group’s desire, urging the minister to come up with an original plan that would develop the region.
“It added that: “Going forward, the group shall commence struggles to ascertain the following (1) Compliance with the funding provisions of relevant and enabling laws of the NDDC, using all legal instruments available to us in pushing for full compliance.
“(2) Demand for a total probe of the financial activities of the Port Harcourt Refining Company and finally called on the Nigerian Agip Oil Company to immediately revisit the intake of the successful candidates of its 2014 junior production technician recruitment exercise from host communities.”
The group further accused Agip of continually perpetrating acts of provocation by employing people through the back doors while neglecting its host communities’ job seekers.
It described the action of Agip as a recipe for anarchy and warned the company to cease immediately, adding that it would fight against such with every legitimate resource at its disposal to stop such anti-labour practice by the company against the people of the region.
