The supreme body of Ijaw youth groups, known as Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide, has urged Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari to immediately sack the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio.
EkohotBlog reports that the IYC in a statement signed in Port Harcourt on Friday by its President, Peter Timothy Igbifa, stated that sacking Akpabio would fast-track the inauguration of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) following the submission of the forensic audit report.
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According to Igbifa; Akpabio is deliberately mismanaging the audit process, using delay as a tactic for selfish politics in order to maintain his stronghold on NDDC against the collective interest of the region.
He stressed that the Minister will never be ready to allow the NDDC to serve the collective interest of the region but was determined to keep the commission under his whims and caprices.
The IYC boss explained that Akpabio had perfectly worked out his plans to retain the control of NDDC and keep the commission running under a sole administration that will endanger the Buhari regime, emphasizing that the most valid way to give the NDDC the desired board was to sack the minister.
Igbifa passionately appealed to the Presidency to approach scrutiny some of the recommendations contained in the documents the Minster handed over.
He stated that “We were told that Akpabio ensured that selfish recommendations were smuggled into the report. If these recommendations are implemented, they will deny states adequate representation on the board and give Akpabio more time to continue running the NDDC with a sole administrator.
“For instance, we learned that there are recommendations for a part-time board and reduction in the number of the board members. These suggestions are not feasible because they are designed to extend the sole administrative regime in NDDC. They require amendments of the Act establishing the NDDC and this will take at least six months to achieve.
“Besides, how can you think of reducing the board members. Which state are you going to exclude from the board? Or do you think IOCs should not be part of the board? These are obviously selfish recommendations and we are calling on the Presidency to be careful to avoid promoting one man’s selfish tendencies ahead of the collective interest and development of the Niger Delta.
“We are calling on the President to sack Akpabio for all the embarrassment he has caused for the Presidency in his insatiable appetite to maintain his stranglehold on the NDDC. Since he has submitted the report, it is time for him to go home and allow the NDDC to have a fresh breath. His continuous stay in office is an obstacle to President Buhari’s desire to inaugurate the board of the commission”.
The President of IYC further implored President Buhari to launch an inquiry into what transpired in NDDC within the period of the audit, especially how funds meant for the commission were deployed under the current Minister.
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