THE Ijaw Youth Council, IYC has described the move by the Federal Government to constitute and inaugurate the Advisory Board Committee for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, as a contradiction with a substantive board being in place.
Patricia Deworitshe, the Head of Press and Public Relations in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs had in a statement said the Advisory Committee will be inaugurated by President Muhammad Buhari at the Council Chamber, State House, Abuja on Tuesday, March 10 in accordance with the provisions of Part III, Section 11 (2) of the NDDC Establishment Act (as amended).
But IYC in a statement, Monday, said it welcomes the initiative by the Federal Government to comply with the requirements of the NDDC Act by constituting the Advisory Committee but wishes to state clearly that the decision in itself is a contradiction because it is illogical for an advisory committee to be appointed to advise the governing board when in actual fact when there is no governing board in existence.
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The statement signed by Eric Omare, said that: “If we may ask the Federal Government especially the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, which governing board would the Advisory Committee advice in the absence of a substantive board of the NDDC?
“We are of the strong view that the proper thing that the Federal Government ought to do is to inaugurate the board of the NDDC before constituting the Advisory Committee to advise the board. In the absence of a substantive board, the decision to appoint the inauguration of the Advisory Committee is illogical and would not serve any useful purpose.
“Consequently, we call on the federal government to put on hold the planned inauguration of the Advisory Committee of the NDDC and inaugurate the board of the NDDC before inaugurating the Advisory committee.”
