Elder Statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a substantive Board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) without delay.
Clark made the appeal when members of the Delta Central All Progressives Congress Leaders of Thought (DELCAT) paid him a solidarity visit in Abuja on Tuesday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the board was dissolved and the President authorised a forensic audit of the NDDC in 2021 following allegations of widespread corruption at the commission.
Buhari had expressed disgust that a few individuals entrusted with the management of the special development fund for the Delta had squandered the resources for more than 20 years, without tangible results.
Clark said that when the Forensic Audit Report was submitted to Buhari on Sept. 2, 2021, he promised to constitute a substantive board for the commission.
“About 10 months after, no board is constituted. This is affecting the duties of the commission, and the people of the Niger-Delta region because there is a limit to the things an Interim administration can do.
“The yearning of the people of the Niger-Delta is for the Federal Government to constitute a substantive board.
“Any other agitation, especially from some greedy and self-centred persons for Mr President to appoint another Interim administrator will be resisted,” he said.
The elder statesman said that there were speculations that government was in the process of appointing another interim administrator for the NDDC.
“If this is true, it will mean that it will be the fourth time an interim administrator will be appointed in total neglect of the act setting up the commission.
“This is an aberration. The people of the Niger-Delta have been patient and understanding enough.
“As Mr President ends his tenure, we plead and wish that the cordial relationship which has been established out of very deliberate and concerted efforts should not be truncated.
“We plead with him not to listen to the selfish demands of few individuals who want to continue to despoil and milk dry the region.”
