The federal government has been urged to address what a coalition of sociopolitical organizations operating under the auspices of Self Employed Association of Progressives described as the “unjust denial” of Akwa Ibom’s right in the selection of the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
The group claimed that the provisions of the Act that established the commission in 2000 are nullified by the nomination of the board in its current form.
The group claims it was unfair to deny Akwa Ibom State the position of Executive Director, Finance and Administration, which the state has been due since since the agency was founded.
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In a joint statement, the state coordinator, Prince Ekpuk Jumbo, the deputy state coordinators for the Uyo and Eket senatorial districts, Mr. Goddy Unyah and Mr. Ben Ukutt, and the general secretary, Pst. Joe Ita, urged the Federal Government to urgently fix the issue before it was too late.
Self Employed Association of Progressive, a sociopolitical grassroots organization in Akwa Ibom State, said, in part, “We view with great consternation the height of marginalization, oppression, suppression, and deprivation in the recently constituted statutory board of the Niger Delta Development Commission.
“We wish to draw the attention of the Buhari-led administration to the fact that the NDDC is a body formed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria Act, which guarantees that both the agency’s actions and its membership must strictly adhere to the word and spirit of the Act. Since the NDDC was founded, the compositions of all previous NDDC statutory boards have been done in compliance with the established Act, according to the records that are currently available.
According to Section 12 (1), the commission must have a managing director and two executive directors who must be natives of an area where oil is produced. They must start with the member state of the composition with the highest quantity of oil and rotate among the member states according to production level.
In light of the NDDC Act’s aforementioned provision, Akwa Ibom state should assume her proper role as executive director of finance and administration, which has never been given to Akwa Ibom state since the agency’s founding.
“This is completely demeaning to our self-dignity, resolve, and right. It is offensive and embarrassing. Akwa Ibom is very upset about this unjust and ungodly denial of our right and protests it vehemently.
We hereby vehemently demand that the abnormality be reversed and that the newly elected board reinstate us to our proper position as Executive Director of Finance and Administration.
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If the anomaly was not immediately remedied, the group cautioned, it might be forced to mobilize its members throughout the state to protest it.
It went on to say that according to data from the Federal Ministry of Finance, RMAFC, FAAC, and FIRS, Edo state is not among the top four oil-producing states, unlike Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers, and questioned why such a position should be given to Edo.
We urge and organize our supporters in the area to participate in additional peaceful demonstrations until our main demand—that Akwa Ibom state receive its proper compensation—is satisfactorily addressed.
The statement went on to say, “For the time being, we are calling on our members to maintain calm while awaiting the Federal Government’s action on the matter.
