The Itsekiri National Youths Council (INYC) is set for a massive protest against alleged exclusion in the newly-constituted board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by the Federal Government.
This was disclosed in a statement signed and made available to Sunday Tribune by INYC President, Isaac Oritseweyinmi Agbateyiniro, and Secretary-General, Appearance Afejuku, on Saturday in Warri, Delta State.
The youths argued that based on what the Itsekiri contributes to the country’s economy through the oil and gas industry, the exclusion of the nationality from holding key positions in the board of NDDC was discriminatory and provocative.
“Expectedly, with all the ministerial and other appointments into various MDAs that President Buhari has done since inception of this administration, the Itsekrii nation has not protested despite been shortchanged because all of such appointments reside in the prerogative or discretional power of the office of the president but on this present marginalization of the Itsekiri nationality in the nomination of the NDDC that is stipulated by the NDDC Act itself, we shall surely resist it.
“We make bold to state at this juncture that given our humongous contribution to the economic survival of Nigeria, and given the fact that we have been treated with disdain, disrespect and deprived of our due rights as stipulated in the Constitution and even the NDDC Act, the non-recognition and/or deliberate exclusion of the Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality from the position of Chairman or Managing Director will be resisted with all the legitimate fiber in our veins.
“For the sake of equity, justice and fair play, we urge the Federal Government to look into the Act Establishing the NDDC, the rotational principles by alphabetical order of the oil-producing states and the principle of oil production quantum.
“This is also in agreement with the Federal Character Act and No. 3 and 4 of article (14) of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended,” the youths noted.
To avert what it described as the mother of all protests, the Itsekiri youths made the following demands:
“Deriving our position from all extant laws guiding the oil industry, persons from Itsekiri (foremost oil and gas producing area in Delta state) should immediately be nominated on the list.
“Specifically, the position of Chairman, Board of the NDDC zoned to Delta State should be unconditionally given to the Itsekiri ethnic nationility for the huge economic contribution/responsibility she is carrying on behalf of the Nigerian state.
“The senate should suspend the screening of all nominees on that list until the right thing is done. We truly deserve to benefit from our labour.”
The youths warned that “accordingly, a Congress of all Itsekiri youths from all oil and gas producing communities both in Delta and Edo states have been fixed as published in our circular dated 24/11/2022 to take immediate actions that will put an end to this unabated serial marginalisation of the Itsekiri Nation over this NDDC board composition and other areas of interest.”
It will be recalled that just last week, President Muhammadu Buhari nominated his Special Assistant on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, from non-oil-producing Delta North, as the substantive chairman of the NDDC
Fourteen others from across the geopolitucal zones were also nominated as board members.
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