NDDC Audit: Angry IYC calls for Akpabio’s Sack

By Uche Mbah

Piqued by the alleged gross mismanagement of funds and manipulations of the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Ijaw Youth Council has called on President Buhari to sack the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio while demanding for names of contractors who abandoned projects to be made public and defaulters prosecuted.

Akpabio had, while submitting the forensic suit report, insisted that 13,000 projects had been abandoned in the region since its inception.

Skeptics, however, allege that it will be an uphill task unmasking the contractors since many of them have links with powerful men in positions of authority.

Sources allege that some members of the National Assembly might be complicit.

The IYC president, Peter Igbifa, therefore called for a probe of the period under review.

In a statement Friday, Igbifa queried the reduction of board members of the commission.

“We appeal to the President to first publish the names of persons and companies behind this collective rape and destruction of our commonwealth.

“We want their names to be made public. We are challenging the Presidency  not to allow this to slide and end up as one of the empty consumed by the lack of political will.”

Canvassing for the inauguration of a substantive board, Igbifa said:

“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 Board members.

“These suggestions are not feasible because they are designed to extend the sole administrative regime in the NDDC. They require amendments to 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 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 continued stay in office is an obstacle to President Buhari’s desire to inaugurate the Board of the commission.”