Niger Delta youths under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to as a matter of urgency intervene in the alleged mismanagement of funds in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
In a statement on Tuesday by the IYC spokesman, Comrade Bedford Berefa, he stated that the call for action is a clear message to the federal government that the people of the Niger Delta will no longer tolerate mismanagement and inefficiency.
While criticizing the leadership of the NDDC for its lack of transparency and accountability, Berefa noted that with the various issues facing the region, the funds meant for the development of the Niger Delta must be used properly to benefit the people.
He expressed hope that with President Tinubu’s intervention through a probe of the income and expenditure of the Commission under its managing director, Samuel Ogbuku, there will be a positive change in the NDDC’s operations and a better future for the region.
He highlighted the growing frustration and restiveness among the youths in the region while calling on the leadership of the NDDC to be effective in the management of resources to improve living conditions and foster regional development in the oil-rich region.
“As youth bodies, we can not allow such to continue to happen because it is not in the best interest of the region. We can say without any iota of doubt that the mobilization of the Niger Delta leaders for a summit is a political ploy to play to the gallery and curry support from leaders of the region.
“The IYC advocates that politicians who are eying to contest for governorship in their state should not be given exalted positions in the NDDC. The commission should only employ the services of technocrats who have track records of leadership prowess for the development of the region as entrenched in the laws establishing the commission,” Berefa said.
ALSO READ THESE TOP STORIES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
and then