The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has called out the Minister of Transportation and former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi over his silence on the agitation of stakeholders for a substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In a statement on Tuesday, the IYC President, Peter Igbifa, wondered why Amaechi had remained unusually mute since the agitations for justice and fairness started in NDDC.
“The silence of leaders like the Amaechi on the illegality at the NDDC is no longer golden.
“Why has Amaechi, who is known for his boldness and for withstanding all opposition to support President Muhammadu Buhari, suddenly lost his voice concerning the NDDC? Amaechi and other leaders must explain to us the reason for their silence.”
Igbifa further condemned President Buhari’s quietness on the NDDC board during his recent speech to inaugurate the hostel project completed by the NDDC in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
He said that though the extension of Effiong Akwa’s tenure as NDDC sole administrator expired on December 31, 2021, the presidency was doing nothing to inaugurate the NDDC Board.
“We condemn the silence of Mr. President on this board matter. It is obvious that persons surrounding the president and who wrote that speech for him are misrepresenting him because the real Buhari that we know would have inaugurated the NDDC board at least as a new year gift to the Niger Delta people who gave him the goodwill of regional peace like no other.”
He called on the president to make the forensic audit report of the commission public while maintaining that the council would continue to demand transparency and accountability in the NDDC.
Igbifa said the IYC remained committed to having governors from the Ijaw extraction in Rivers and Delta states in 2023 and asked Ijaw persons committed to the course of the Ijaw nation to begin consultations and grassroots mobilisation to actualise the vision.
“Politics has gone beyond ethnic divide. Do your home work and avoid the pull-him-down syndrome. Ijaws are very desirous to produce the next governors of Rivers and Delta states for which Delta Ijaws are consulting already. Hence, we call on Rivers Ijaws to begin their consultation.”
He also said the IYC would monitor the implementation of the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) to ensure it does not become another political strategy to steal money to run for the 2023 elections.
