Youth storm NDDC office, accuse Anyim of sabotage

Posted by admin Niger Delta Sunday, October 2nd, 2011

PORT HARCOURT— Hundreds of Niger Delta youths, weekend, stormed the premises of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, in protest over what they called deliberate move on the part of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, SGF, Chief Pius Anyim to frustrate the smooth operations of the commission.

Mr. Sam Ebiye of Watch Dog of Niger Delta and John Walter of Niger Delta Peace Movement, who led the protesters, said ongoing projects of the commission had remained stagnant three weeks after the dissolution of the previous board of the commission.

They blamed the development on the inability of the acting Managing Director, Mrs. Osato Arayenka to exercise the powers of the Managing Director of the commission. According to them, contractors could not mobilise to site because of the alleged inability of the acting Managing Director to make approvals.

The youths recalled that when Timi Alaibe and Pastor Power Aginighan functioned at separate times as acting Managing Director of the commission, they exercised the full mandate of a Managing Director, a situation that enhanced the smooth operation of the commission until a board was put in place.

They accused the SGF of deliberately frustrating the new Managing Director by not granting her mandate to fully function in that capacity.

They said: “The failure of Chief Pius Anyim to give the acting MD the mandate to perform her functions is detrimental to the development of our region. We had no option but to believe that he had a sinister motive and is anti-Niger Delta.”

The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such: SGF give acting MD mandate to pay contractors, SGF is not sincere on NDDC matters, SGF don’t kill the vision of NDDC, NDDC pay contractors money to work, among others.

-Sunwp_posts