IT’S TIME TO SHEATH  SWORD AND LET AKPABIO WORK

IT’S TIME TO SHEATH  SWORD AND LET AKPABIO WORK

By Ukeme Bassey

 

The Niger Delta Women for  Peace Movement (NDWPM),  has in the past few days observed the calls from different pseudo and emergency  political and  ethnic groups in the Niger Delta sub region for the immediate sack of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, over his appointment of a three man Interim Management Committee(IMC), to oversee the  forensic audit of the activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission since it’s establishment in 2001 till date.

The Women group, who spoke through their Leaders, Obonganwan Grace Ben and Chief Mrs Promise Amasoma,  at  its monthly meeting used the opportunity to congratulate the Ag MD of NDDC, Dr Joi Nuneih

on her appointment, stating that they were  more than convinced that she will use the office to better the lot of the Niger Delta Women within the shortest time possible.

They also stated emphatically that they were solidly behind the moves and steps taken by Senator Akpabio to reposition the commission in order to realign its objectives and purpose of its creation to the benefit of the people of the region.

Recall that, the President in his Independence day speech informed the nation of his resolve to put the commission under the direct supervision of the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, because according to Mr President,  and we cannot but agree with him.

Records have shown from the previous executive offices held by  Senator Akpabio, especially when he served as the governor of Akwa Ibom State, that he was able to positively change the narrative and set the precedence in his dexterous style of governance in the country by making prudence use of the money allocated to him as the governor to develop his state and his people through various empowerment programmes, human capital development and infrastructural renaissance  which made him outstanding in the country far beyond his contemporaries and gave him the appellation, The Uncommon Transformer.”

“Senator Akpabio has proven beyond reasonable doubts, that he has the rational capacity to handle the affairs of the Ministry of Niger Delta and by extension the supervisory role over the NDDC assigned to him by Mr. President  for optimal  productivity and outcomes.”

It would be recalled that following the persistent criticism of the operations of the NDDC, President Buhari ordered a forensic audit of the operations of the Niger delta development commission, the president made this statement when he received the governors of the Niger Delta States, who decried the huge corruption in the agency, despite the funds released to it by the government at the Centre.

With this statement, the minister was given the full mandate to set up a team of competent beaurocrats and technocrats to carry out a forensic audit of the agency which has since begun.

“The Malicious attacks on the Minister is aimed at distracting him from carrying out instructions of the President there by setting  the Niger Delta region back in the infrastructural development plans of this administration”

“Already the forensic auditing is yielding positive results as it has already been discovered that the NDDC is owing phantom contractors to the tune of N3 trillion and also a certain serving senator (names withheld), who was awarded over 300 multi million naira contracts by the NDDC out of which 120 of them have been fully paid for, yet he has refused to move to site. This is disheartening and devastating,” the women lament.

With this initiative of probing the NDDC, it is believed that the government is in the right direction to unmask the people behind the under development of the Niger delta region which is littered with over 12,000 abandoned projects.

It is, therefore, expected that every interest group, individuals that make up the region shield their swords no matter whose ox is gored in the NDDC probe exercise.

The Niger Delta Peace Movement calls on every socio political and ethnic group in the region to shield their different self-motivated agitations, media castigations and further call for the sack of the minister and allow him and exhibit his high intellectual capacity and dexterity in bringing back the glorious days of the NDDC as demanded by Mr President.