THE SUN

A group, the Urhobo Youth Forum For Change, (UYFC) has thrown his weight behind the inauguration of a substantive board for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), insisting that the board of Okumagba led Exco was due to be commissioned.

The body who lend its voice to the ongoing protest across the region over the absence of a substantive board for the Interventionist agency, described further delay in the inauguration of Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba-led executive by the President Muhammadu Buhari as an invitation to anarchy in the region.

The Coordinator of the group, Eshanekpe Israel, a.k.a Akpodoro stated this in Ughelli over the weekend as he noted that the Urhobo speaking people of Delta State are the most patient tribe in Nigeria stressing that the President should inaugurate the the Pius Odubu and Bernard Okumagba, board that had already been screened by the Senate.

According to Akpodoro, President Buhari has taken the people of Niger Delta for granted for too long adding that the time is nigh for Urhobos to add their voice to the call for the President to “remove his knee from the neck of Niger Deltans.”

The vociferous Urhobo youth leader stated further that President Buhari was waiting until such a time that oil facilities begin to go up in flames before will swear-in the Okumagba board.

He commended the efforts of the Ijaw youths who have being in the forefront of forcing the President to rescind his decision of allowing the intervention agency manage by a sole administrator in lieu of a statutory board wondering why the FG want the agency to be managed under sole administratorship.

“For us at UYFC, the Ijaw group who filed out in protests since last week acted our minds and we are solidly behind every move to inaugurate Okumagba-led executive board and we shall stop at nothing to stampede this inept government to inaugurate a board constituted by the President and duly screened by the Senate of the Federal Republic.

“We have in Urhobo land the Otorogun gas plant the largest in West Africa, yet, we have nothing to show for it. President Buhari will be deliberately inviting trouble if he refuses to inaugurate the board. We are tired of the deceptions called forensic audit, Urhobo people will no longer watch while Buhari ride roughshod on our collective intelligence as a people. The people of Urhobo land are tired of Buhari’s macabre dance.” Akpodoro stated, while calling on Urhobo leaders to stand up to their responsibilities by supporting the youths in times like this.