The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio has said he never advised youths and women of the region protesting over the delay in the constitution of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Akpabio, however, stated that the board would be constituted at the appropriate time. This was contained in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Babayo Ardo, who maintained that President Buhari was determined to reposition the NDDC after 19 years of rot.
The statement reads, “Part of the strategy to reposition the NDDC was the recent setting up of a forensic audit to understand what went wrong despite the resources committed to the commission over the years. The report of that audit has just been submitted to Mr President, who is studying it to come up with a formula for a commission fit for purpose.”
He also said it is not in the interest of the region to stampede the government into aborting the reform process, noting that Buhari has demonstrated immense love for the Niger Delta and its people.
