By Godwin Anene
Thousands of protesting women drawn from the states of Niger Delta on Tuesday shutdown official activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at its headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The protest, according to the women, was to demand the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a substantive board for the interventionist agency.
They vowed to disrupt the commission’s operations till a substantive board is appointed and the report of the forensic audit recently submitted to President Buhari is made public.
The protesters under the Wailing Women of the Niger Delta(WWND) demanded immediate dissolution and sack of the sole administration of Effiong Akwa, which currently runs the activities of the commission.
The protesters were flying placards with various inscriptions such as, ‘no more one-man show,’ ‘Minister we need a board’, and others vowed to remain at the commission’s office until the needful is done by the APC-led government.
Leader of the protesters, Adienbo Odighonu, accused the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, of allegedly blocking efforts to constitute a new NDDC board.
Odighonu, a lawyer, insisted that women of the region would no longer tolerate the continued illegitimacy in the commission at the detriment of the oil-rich region.
She said, “We are here because Godwill Akpabio (Minister of Niger Delta Affairs) thinks he has compromised, bought over, and given money to all the people of Niger Delta.
“NDDC Acts bears nothing like interim administration. They should constitute a board to bring development to our grassroots. I come from the grassroots, I know what our men, women, and children are passing through. We are here to tell them (Nigeria, that Akpabio, Malami, and Buhari) to constitute the board.
“We are here to tell them to bring to the public the forensic report and when constituting the board that women should be well and properly incorporated into the board. That illegal sole administrator should be dissolved.
“If they do not listen to our calls, we promise them we are going to protest naked women. This is just the beginning. Women will come here naked and lie down and sleep in order to tell them that the board must be constituted and the protest will continue as long as they refuse to constitute the board, it will continue.”
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Operations, Rivers Command, Udu Ogechi, on ground to receive the women told them, ” have come to know your anger, need, and request. I am going to take them to the authorities and I am assuring you that they will be resolved.”
