Militants to Jonathan: Choose Between Peace, NDDC

Militants to Jonathan: Choose Between Peace, NDDC

WITH the on-going angry agitation in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's main oil and gas region, for Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, to sack the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), an interventionist agency, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), an insurgent network, has reminded the Nigerian leader that not all their members and affiliate groups, accepted the government’s amnesty.

While the Spokesperson of the group, Cynthia Whyte, insisted that this will be so until complete sincerity on the part of government is established, a civil society group, Grassroots Initiative for Peace and Democracy (GIPD), told AkanimoReports on Monday that Niger Delta youths want government to sack the board of the NDDC.

To this end, a number of groups in the oil region, including the GIPD are mobilising for a mass protest as the Acting President is billed to visit Rivers State on Thursday.

Executive Director of the GIPD, Mr. Akinaka Richard, told AkanimoReports on telephone on Monday: ''We the board of NDDC dissolved because of the outright display of incompetency, gross financial mismanagement, fraudulent award of contracts against due process, and unwarranted internall rift''.

Continuing, the group claimed that the board of the development agency as presently constituted is incapable of freeing the oil region from acts of insurgency. ''To avert some unpleasant developments, we are strongly of the view that the best option for Jonathan is to sack the board as a bait to buy peace'', the group added.

Already, the insurgent network, JRC, has said that the NDDC matter presents a pretty tricky situation because ''we do not see this as a power tussle per se but a conflict of interest between two people who are clearly not very experienced in dealing with a government agency such as this''.

According to Cynthia Whyte, the JRC spokesperson, ''the politics and intrigues involved in an agency such as this demands politically and administratively suave persons''.

Adding, she said, ''we are listening to complaints from concerned persons and we are yet to come to a conclusion on what should be the best thing to do. The truth is, development in the Niger Delta is currently being stalled by the ego-battles between these two.

''First, we hear the Managing Director Chibuzor Ugwoha was said to have accused Architect Esoetuk Etteh (The Executive Director, Projects) of awarding 44 consultancy contracts without due process. Mr. Ugwoha and some of his loyalists were said to have commenced a string of calumnious campaigns against the person of the Architect Etteh.

''Architect Etteh, in return, accused Chibuzor Ugwoha of awarding more than 60 contracts for projects, 51 of which were located in Rivers State alone. These contracts awarded by Mr. Ugwoha were said to be worth N5 billion (five billion naira)''.

''There are those'', they went on, ''who complain that Mr Chibuzor Ugwoha, (whose appointment was recommended and endorsed by the Rivers State Governor Chibuike Amaechi) is suddenly converting the Commission (NDDC) into an extension of the Rivers State Government rather than focusing on the region-wide mandate''.

The rest of the comments of the JRC went thus:

''They say this is the reason why 51 contracts out of 60 were approved for Rivers State alone.

''The series of accusations and counter-accusations has made it difficult for many to come to grips with the real and true issues on ground.

''We are however hopeful that the presence of Elder PZ Aginighan on the board of the commission will continue to help in calming down frayed nerves as he has been a long time top management member of the Commission’s board. He should bring his experience to bear in managing crisis such as this especially at this time when our communities are slowly beginning to lose confidence in the ability of the Commission’s to deliver, it is important that people like Elder Aginighan and more experienced staff of the Commission step up and close the ranks.

''The development of the Niger Delta cannot be cheaply compromised. Our people expect far more''.

AkanimoReports however, reports that in the days ahead, two key issues are likely to dominate the struggle of the peoples of the Niger Delta. These are the clamour for the sack of the board of the NDDC, and what becomes of the report of the Ledum Mitee-led Niger Delta Technical Committee that was presented to the ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua some two years ago. ENDS

ENDS

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