Izanzan Camp Accuses Akpabio Of Pocketing NDDC, Rejects Appointment Of Effiong
…Wants president Buhari to appoint a substantive board now
By Binebai Princewill
An Ijaw group under the aegis of Ijaw Interest Advocates, popularly known as the Izanzan Intellectual Camp has accused the Minister of Niger Delta Ministry, Sen. Godswill Akpabio of pocketing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group made the comment via a statement issued to newsmen in Warri yesterday by its national coordinator, Amb. Salaco Yerinmene, a copy of which was sent to The Liberator Newspapers.
The group while rejecting the appointment of a sole administrator of the commission had called on all well meaning Niger Deltans and Ijaws to rise up against the appointment, adding that the move is a fraud and another calculated attempt to further manipulate the people to wallow in political slavery.
However, the Izanzan Intellectual Camp had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently constitute a substantive board now to pilot the affairs of the commission, stressing that enough is enough.
The statement reads: “The recent decision of president over the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is utterly wrong and unacceptable hence we feels that President Buahri has completely relegated the Ijaw Nation to the background.
“The President of the country has apparently shown to us that the cries and yernings of the Ijaw; Niger Delta people is nothing to him following his reconstitution of an interim administrator in the commission through the ill influence and advise of Akpabio.
“Before today, the IzanzanCamp has cleverly noted that, the president of the country has allowed himself to be used by his minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio against the Ijaw Nation even as we have been observing for long that he, Senator Akpabio is one of the major enemy to Ijaw Nation.
“As head of the several revelations in NDDC, our concern and point of agitation over the months is for the preisdent to flush out every corrupt practices in the commssion and set up a substantive board (the interest of the Ijaw Nation inclusive) to manage the board to deliver the stipulated priorities of the commssion in terms of developing the special areas and the region at large. But instead of approving what the people want, the president so decided to take anti people decision. What a disservice to the Ijaw Nation?
“But we want to refresh the memory of Akpabio and its cohorts that, the Ijaw people are not fools and that we are still very much aware how, he Akpabio stood against the genuine struggle of the Ijaw people that gave birth to the NDDC and other interventional agencies in the Niger Delta.
“We are in strong terms cautioning Akpabio to desist from playing dirty politics with the Development of the region and it is his best interest to stop pushing the Ijaws to the wall, because the opposite reaction might not be fair to the Nigerian state.
“He Akpabio, can never be allowed to pocket and completely be in charge of what he never fought for, therefore we are loudly calling on the Ijaw youth council and other reliable Ijaw Nation based groups to rise against this Injustice considering the fact that Ijaw Nation ought to have over 50% stake in the commssion for being a major survival factor of the commssion and of course to the entire Nation.
“To this end, we are unequivocally stating without mincing words that, we will join force with other bodies to resist the anti Ijaw decision of president Buhari and Akpabio with a peaceful protest as we can’t continue to leave under circumstances in a country we are majorly breading.
“Therefore if the presidency doesn’t call Akpabio to order in time, we shall have no option than to resolve at the appropriate time to come out from our Intellctual camp to stand against this ill decision against the Ijaw Nation by every legal means necessary to stop the operation of every oil industry in our region as we can’t allow someone who is against the genuine struggle of the Ijaw people that resulted to the creation of NDDC, NDM and others.”
