NDDC: Ex-Militants Call For Appointment Of Sole Administrator To Replace IMC

 

By DAPO FALADE

A coalition of ex-militant leaders in the Niger Delta, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately appoint a sole administrator to replace the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), led by  Professor Keme Pondei.

The coalition, under the aegis of the Leadership Peace and Cultural Development Initiative (LPCDI), said appointing a sole administrator for the interventionist agency became necessary in view of the several litigations against the IMC.

LPCDI, a non-governmental organisation established by leaders of various groups of ex-agitators and 95 percent of the first phase “Generals” of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, made the call in a statement, on Thursday.

The coalition opined that since nature abhors vacuum, it was necessary for the concerned authorities to appoint an administrator to oversee the administrative responsibilities of the NDDC.

“We are restating the need to appoint a sole administrator to pilot the affairs of the NDDC, pending when a substantive board will be sworn-in,” it stated in the statement.

The ex-agitators, in a letter to President Buhari through the Office of the Chief of Staff and copied of which were sent to Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, urged the president to continue in his effort in repositioning the commission for the maximum benefit of the Niger Delta Region.

In the letter, signed by its president, Pastor Reuben Wilson; national secretary; Nature Dumale and spokesperson, Joshua Opia, LPCDI expressed satisfaction over the genuine interest of the president to use the instrumentality of the NDDC to address the issue of infrastructure deficit in the region

“We, the leaders of the Forum, want to make it clear that President Buhari has the development of the Niger Delta region at heart. We also want to praise the efforts of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Godswill Akpabio, who has made it clear that work on the completion of the East-West Road will commence soon.

“Moreover, we also want to appreciate the minister for ensuring the completion of the new NDDC Headquarters complex which has made work easier for management and staff of the commission,” the letter partly read.

The group reminded that during the dark days of militancy, they agitated for a better Niger Delta Region and expressed its willingness to support the president and leaders of the region to achieve the desired results.