By Akinwale Kasali
A group, Midwest Progressive Forum, MPF, has called for the resignation of the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Minister of State, Festus Keyamo, over the appointment of Pius Odubu, former Deputy Governor during the Adams Oshiomhole administration, as the Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The group blamed Akpabio and Keyamo for failing to properly advise President Muhammadu Buhari on the correct position of the law.
Its National President, Comrade Andrew Emwanta, and the General Secretary, Mrs. Judith Osarumense, in a statement jointly signed by the duo, said that Akpabio and Keyamo are beneficiaries of the crisis of the Commission since they allegedly constituted their offices into the interim Board of the Commission, under the guise of probing the finances of the commission.
“As lawyers, they both owe Mr President the responsibility of advising him on the propriety and legality of the nomination(s) to the offices of Chairman and Managing Director of the Commission, which was made in flagrant violation of the provisions of the NDDC Establishment Act No. 6 of 2000.”
Emwanta stressed that, “due to this avoidable mistake by the President, there are currently over 5 lawsuits in various courts challenging the validity of the Board nominations. The underlying gravamen of the current crisis over the nomination of the NDDC Board leadership is akin to the President nominating a citizen of Chad Republic as the Grand Khadi of the FCT” (Abuja) Judiciary because he is fluent in Fulani language and a Nigeria-trained Islamic Scholar.”
The group asked the two officials to resign for failing the President.
“It was because of the failure of top government officials to appropriately advise a former President of Nigeria that made the country to lose a lawsuit in England, which will cost Nigeria over 9 Billion Dollars.
“This NDDC crisis is avoidable if the two Ministers in the Niger Delta Ministry will put aside partisan and personal interests, and accordingly advise Mr President on the correct position of the law. If the two Ministers are unable to follow the path of patriotism and due process appropriately advising Mr President on this impending national tragedy, they should turn in their letters of resignation, because they have started failing to fit into Mr President’s next level agenda. There is no room for laxity and impunity in an era where corruption is tantamount to failure to act on account of personal interest. A stitch in time saves nine.”
