August 08, (THEWILL) – The Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Efiong Akwa, has said those agitating for the inauguration of a substantive board are acting the script of enemies outside the region.
Akwa disclosed this at the weekend in Uyo during the inauguration of the Akwa Ibom state and local chapters of the Progressives Patriots Initiative (PPI), a pressure group within the All Progressives Congress(APC).
According to him, some disgruntled elements in other regions of the country, envious of the peace in the Niger Delta, were hiding under agitations for the constitution of a substantive board of the NDDC to export crisis to the region.
He lamented that enemies of the region misconstrued the forensic audit ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari to right the past wrongs in the NDDC and were rather insisting on the inauguration of a board for the commission.
He said: ”I want to use this opportunity to thank God for Akwa Ibom State. Of course you know that South-East was boiling because of IPOB; North-East also boiling; North-Central has issues of border clashes and so on; South-West has issues of kidnapping even in Lagos.
”The only peaceful region we have in Nigeria is the South-South because we are a peaceful people and that is why peaceful things will follow you. We want peace in the APC because we are peace loving people.
”And so when you have peace in the South-South being threatened and people give ultimatum that within seven days if you don’t set up the NDDC we are going to blow oil pipelines we knew that the whole thing was a gameplan by enemies outside the region.
”Those outside this region also want our region to boil like theirs. If we allow that to happen Nigeria would have gone to another phase because the resources used in managing Nigeria, 90 percent comes from your region.
”And so they want to make your region ungovernable. And that is why I salute the courage of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Akpabio, who sat down and said he wants to go to the creeks to talk to those who are giving these ultimatums.”
Speaking earlier, a member of the Board of Trustees of the APC and former Military Administrator of Ogun and Rivers states, Group Captain Sam Ewang (rtd), hailed the inauguration of the Progressives Patriots Iniattive(PPI).
Ewang explained the PPI stood for governance and people-oriented policies which the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC epitomise.
He, however, condemned the overbearing and undemocratic antics of some leaders of the APC who circumvented due process in the purported ward congresses held penultimate Saturday in Akwa Ibom.
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