A frontline Niger Delta advocacy group, Voice Of Niger Delta For Equity And Justice (VONDEJ) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore sponsored protests against his recent nomination into the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group particularly said the people of the region will reject every attempt to frustrate the nomination and confirmation of the proposed chairman of the Board, Ms Lauretta Onochie, and Managing Director, Chief (Dr.) Samuel Ogbuku.
In an open letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari by the Director General of VONDEJ, Chief Williams Onohwakpor and National Secretary,
Mr Abdulhazeez Amedu, noted that protests against the nomination of the new Board were political sponsored.
The group said the new Board under the chairmanship of Onochei, a Special Adviser on Social Media to President Buhari, will reorganise the Commission to fulfill its establishing mandate to the region.
According to the group, “We are indeed delighted at the high quality of nominees to the new Board of the Commission and want to register our appreciation of the President’s careful and well-considered choices which reflect deep concern for experience, competence and integrity.
” We are confident that the new Board under the able chairmanship of the highly experienced and de-tribalized Special Adviser on Social Media, Ms Lauretta Onochie will effectively steer the affairs of the Commission for the fulfilment of its mandate to the people of the Niger Delta.
“We thank the President for the nomination of Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku
for the position of Managing Director of the NDDC.
“We equally thank the President for the nomination of General Charles Ehigie Airhiavbare (Rtd) as Executive Director Finance on the Board of the Commission.
“”Also appreciating the President on the nomination of Hon. Charles Ogunmola as Executive Director Project.
“We truly thank Mr President for the right pick for the top job at the Commission in terms of track record, exposure and other indicators of leadership ability.
“We have strong confidence in them and believe that they will discharge their responsibilities with utmost prudence, dedication and exemplary sense of duty.
“We will not end this thank you message without calling and appealing to Mr President to as a matter of Equity and Justice to forward to the Hallowed Charmber the name of nominee to represent Delta State in the Commission.
“Failure to do this will amount to gross injustice and this is what our body stood against.
“Mr President, we also want to use this opportunity to call on you to ignore any opposition to the nominees either by individual or group for such is the nature of man.
“People will always criticize and even protest against good ideas for selfish reasons once it’s not within their manipulative reach.
“We have seen and read about criticism on the person of the nominated Chairman Ms Lauretta Onochie not being from an oil producing Community of Delta State.
“Also the so called protest in Abuja against the Managing Director, Chief Dr Samuel Ibukun over politically motivated arrest under the PDP regime of now Senator Seriaki Dickson of Bayelsa State.
“Mr President, Sir, we of the Voice of Niger Delta for Equity and Justice comprises of the Nine States of the the region including the Niger Deltans resident in the FCT Abuja and Lagos State of Nigeria are solidly in Support of her nomination and the Managing Director and solidly stand with them and promise to occupy the region in protest should you and the parliamentarians listen or harken to these self styled leaders that never meant well for the good and betterment of our people. Their stock in trade is only to cause underdevelopment to the region. We say, enough is enough.
“As long she is from the region with the capacity to deliver she is qualified to attain and to occupy any vacant position in the region and nation at large.
“Also, since no court in the Land have found Chief Dr Samuel Igbuku guilty of any crime, he reserve and deserve the right to occupy any vacant position in the region and nation at large.
“We also admonish the National Assembly to give the nominees a speedy screening and clearance without recourse to those self propelled leaders whose sole aims and objectives are to control in other to cornner to themselves what belong to the people.
“We want to once again thank the President and wish all the nominees to the new Board of the NDDC every success in their new assignments and Voice of Niger Delta For Equity and Justice wish to be partakers in the coming inauguration.”
