Ijaw youths fault calls for sack of NDDC management committee

The Ijaw Youth Council ( IYC) worldwide has dismissed as untrue the report attributed to its President, Comrade Timothy Igbifa purposely calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the present Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC.

According to the IYC, the position attributed to Comrade Timothy Igbifa does not represent the new positions of the Ijaw youths as reflected in the recent seven points presented by the South South Governors during the last stakeholders meting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

IYC, in a statement signed by its National Spokesman, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe, said instead of calling for the sack of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the NDDC, the sponsors of the purported report should focus on the call on President Muhammadu Buhari to focus on an appreciable increase in the funding allocated to the NDDC for smooth and effective delivery of the federal government mandate to the region.

Also prevail on President Buhari to prevail on the oil multinationals to ensure the 3 per cent contributions to the NDDC account as provided in the Act establishing the commission to ensure more development to oil communities in the region.

The IYC spokesman, Ebilade flayed the statement of its President, Peter Igbifa as not the true position of Ijaw Youth Council, he said the problem facing every management of NDDC is too much interference by government and political class.

The IYC mouthpiece said it is diversionary to call for the sack of a committee headed by an Ijaw man at a time the council had aligned itself with the seven point demands of the governors to the federal government in the south south stakeholders meeting.

According to him, what he expects the sponsors of the report to do is to intensify the calling of President Buhari to pay all outstanding debts owed the NDDC, increase its funding to meet up to the developmental challenges of the region occasioned by perennial flooding and the amendment of the Act establishing the NDDC to include a “deterrent clause” to multi national oil companies which have refused to pay their obligatory three percent contributions to the NDDC to fast-tract development in the fragile region. It’s quite sad and unacceptable that the IOCs will continue to treat the region with contempt and brazing impunity because the laws allow them no do so.

“NDDC has become a cash cow for politicians and too much interference is the real problem facing the commission, and this has also contributed to the agency not being able to achieve what the region had expected.

“Our request as Ijaw youths concerning NDDC is very simple, let the political class allow management to look at the mandate of commission and work according to the master plan of the agency.”

The IYC, however, aligned itself with the seven points as presented by the Governors on Resources Control, True Federalism and equitable development to the Niger Delta region.