Obaland tv correspondent learned about The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was disclaimed in a publication in a national daily, by a group, the Niger Delta United Congress (NDUC), claiming that the interim administrator of the commission, Dr. Effiong Akwa, urged people to “reduce the agitation for the board and work with the current management of the NDDC.”
The group claimed that Akwa made the statement during a webinar engagement for stakeholders on June 4, 2022. In a statement, the NDDC emphasized that Dr. Akwa was not present at the occasion, but was represented by his Special Adviser on Youths and Sports, Udengs Eradiri, and so did not make that statement at the online interaction which focused on the theme: “2023 Elections and the Imperative for Strategic Participation of Niger Delta Youths.”
According to the statement, “Indeed, it is on record that Dr. Akwa, instead used the occasion to call on the people of the Niger Delta region to trust President Muhammadu Buhari on the development of the region, noting that the president would act on the “genuine request” for the constitution of a substantive board for the Commission.”
“It is also on record that Dr. Akwa has been at the forefront in asking for a new NDDC Board. It is unfortunate that the newspaper allowed its platform to be used by mischievous politicians hiding under a nondescript group to continue the unfortunate agenda to create confusion in the commission, and negate the gains of the past months when the commission has been transformed from an organization under forensic investigation to one that President Muhammadu Buhari has commended as having turned the corner for good.”
