NDDC leadership: Ijaw youths hold divergent views on way forward

Nathan Tamarapreye

The Ijaw youths under the auspices of the Ijaw Youth Council have held divergent views on the appointment of an interim sole administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)

The Nation President of the youth body, Mr Peter Igbifa, has proposed a stakeholders’ parley to discuss the issue, while the Zonal leaders of the IYC have threatened to protest and shut down the NDDC headquarters.

The Zonal leadership opposed to a dialogue include Comrade Tobin James (Chairman, Eastern Zone), Chief Frank Akiefa, (Chairman Western zone), Comrade Clever Osuma Inodu, (Chairman Central zone) and Chief Diplomat Adam Ogomugo Marbo (Chairman Abuja Chapter).

A statement signed and issued Wednesday by the zonal leaders in Yenagoa, declared that the planned protest and shutdown of the NDDC headquarters as an action against President Muhammadu Buhari for refusing to set up a board for the commission as provided for in the Act establishing the NDDC board.

The zonal leaders in a joint statement, said despite the unfounded statement credited to Comr. Peter Igbifa, the plan to shutdown NDDC headquarters was in top gear by all structure of the Ijaw Youth Council.

They said that Peter Igbifa never supported the agitations of a substantive board for NDDC and so does not have any right to halt or call for the stoppage of the protest.

They said: “The only reason that will stop the protest is for President Buhari to do the right thing by appointing the substantive board in NDDC that will carry out it functions properly.

“We are calling on every well-meaning Ijaw youths not to be distracted by the statement of Peter Timothy Igbifa which does not reflect the decision of the council.”

When contacted, the National Spokesman of the IYC, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe, confirmed the development, insisting that the decision of the Ijaw Youths Zonal leaders to embark on a protest and shutdown the NDDC headquarters was legitimate and those calling for the cancellation of the protest were enemies of the region.

Ebilade reiterated that the protest was as a result out of genuine desires of the Ijaw youths to demand for a substantive board that will facilitate development in the Niger Delta region.

“It is a people’s driven and people’s-oriented protest that cannot be cancelled by anybody who has never been a part of the ongoing protests in the region.

“The protest will go on according to plans as all structures of Council has been fully notified for the show down and they are all ready and waiting for the signal.

“Our intelligence unit have gathered that there is a grand plan to use security to intimidate Ijaw youths during the protest.

“We warn that any attempt to do that will be catastrophic as rights to protest are protected by law.

“Finally, for those whom have been contracted to infiltrate us in other to course havoc and chaos, be rest assured that we shall fish you out and deal with you decisively,” Ebilade stated.

In a reaction to the discordant tunes emanating from the zonal structure of the IYC, National President Igbifa dismissed the allegations and views canvassed by the zonal leadership and restated that a meeting of all stakeholders was the better option.

“IYC is not part of banana republic.

“Once the President issues a statement on a national issue, no other officer can act against it. The highest will be paper noise as they are doing now to satisfy their pay agents,” Igbifa said in a text message.