WHY WE STRONGLY REJECT COMPOSITION OF THE PROPOSED NDDC BOARD-ITSEKIRI AGGRIEVED APC MEMBERS

OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI

                                                                                                                                                                   Date: July 24, 2016

The President and Commander In-Chief

 Federal Republic of Nigeria

 Muhammadu Buhari

 Aso Rock Villa

Abuja,

Your Excellency, the exigency of this petition will not give us the luxury of elaborating your achievements in a little over one year you have been in office, but this is not to say that we are not unaware of the ruthless approach you have deployed to fight corruption, block financial leakages and kick-start the diversification of our economy from its over-dependence on crude oil as well as gas for survival.

Sir, the entire Itsekiri Nation, particularly those of us who are committed members of the All Progressives Congress, APC are disappointed and piqued to say the least. This is because of the names sent to the Senate for ratification as members of the proposed Board of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Our unshaken believe in your administration’s impeccable stance in the Rule of Law, Justice, Equity and Fairness as exhibited during the Ministerial and Ambassadorial nominations among other appointments, give us the reassurance that you do not know of the injustice a controversial nomination as it affects Delta State has caused. We have it on good authority that the Delta State APC Gubernatorial Candidate in the April 11, 2015 Governorship/House of Assembly Polls, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor hoodwinked The Honourable Minister of Transport, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi into ‘illegitimately’ forwarding to Your Office the name of Adjogbe Ajenakevwe, an Urhobo from Delta State to occupy the position of Executive Director In-Charge of Projects, EDP in the proposed Board.

With due respect Sir, we use the word ‘illegitimately’ because the Act establishing the NDDC is very clear on the issue of tenure-ship as it affects State/ethnic representation. Permit us to state the relevant section Inter-Alia, “where a vacancy occurs in the membership of the Board, it shall be filled by the appointment of a successor to hold Office for the remainder of the term of Office of his predecessor, so however, that the successor shall represent the same interest and shall be appointed by The President, Commander-In-Chief of The Armed Forces subject to the confirmation of the Senate in consultation with House of Representatives”. We made reference to the afore-stated section to further anchor our position because it appears Olorugun O’Tega Emerhor seeming disdain for Itsekiri Ethnic Nationality was taken too far this time around and it’s capable of destroying the APC in Delta State, particularly your leadership style which has enjoyed the full backing of Itsekiri people in the face of apparent hatred/opposition.

Your Excellency, in the light of the above, we are compelled at this juncture to mention that one of our own, Engr. Tuoyo Omatsuli occupied the position of Executive Director of Projects, EDP in the Board of NDDC for two years (December  2013 through December 2015) before Your Excellency  dissolved the Board and appointed a Sole Administrator. For the two years, Engr. Omatsuli held the position of EDP, his performance speaks volume till date and it was only normal for us as Itsekiri in-line with the Act establishing NDDC to expect that an Itsekiri man should at-least be appointed to complete the remaining two years.

The Itsekiri people will not be swayed by the arguments of a few selfish elements that this is a new government and things have changed when it comes to the existing working principles between ethnic Nationalities in Delta State in particular and the Niger Delta in general as it affects appointments in the NDDC Board.

It may interest Your Excellency to know that when Engr. Godwin Omene, an Urhobo could not complete his 4-year tenure as Managing Director, MD of the NDDC Board, Senator Aguariavwodo Edesiri Emmanuel completed it. When Elder P.Z.Aginighan, an Ijaw was not opportune to complete his 4-year tenure as Executive Director, Finance and Administration, another Ijaw man, Lambert Kobonye did.

The story was not any different when Elder Emmanuel Ogidi, an Isoko by tribe served as Commissioner representing Delta State in the Board, his brother Chief Solomon Ogba completed the tenure. It is therefore vexatious, obnoxious and an insult on the sensibility of the Itsekiri people for Olorugun O’Tega Emerhor, with the support of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi forwarded the name of Adjogbe Ajenakevwe, an Urhobo to your exalted Office to serve as the next EDP in NDDC when an astute Itsekiri professional held the position for only two years as against the statutory four years. Maybe Emerhor and his co-travelers need to be reminded of a publication in the Vanguard Newspaper of October 14, 2003, where an Urhobo group, Niger Delta Forum petitioned the Federal Government, calling for the appointment of another MD of Urhobo stock for NDDC when Godwin Omene proceeded “on accumulated leave”.

*Your Excellency Sir, we implore you to use your good offices to revisit the nomination of Adjogbe Ajenakevwe as EDP in the proposed NDDC Board in the interest of justice and fairness to create a sense of belonging for the Itsekiris.

We also want to use this medium to admonish the Federal Government to thread softly in the reported dialogue with militants in the Niger Delta. The dialogue should not provide escape route for criminal elements having corruption cases to answer in Court. The criminal elements are only masquerading as Niger Delta Freedom Fighters and any attempt to patronize them will only promote violence in the Niger Delta region because those who are disposed to peaceful agitation for genuine development may be tempted to take up arms with a view to continuing the economic sabotage against the Nigeria State.

Your Excellency, we respectfully look forward to your prompt action.

 Thanks in anticipation.

Signed:                                         

Robinson Ariyo

2015 APC CANDIDATE, WARRI SOUTH CONTITUENCY 1

FELIX IGHONMIEYETAN   

CHAIRMAN APC, WARRI SOUTH-WEST

DAVID ODELI

LEADER APC, WARRI NORTH

Cc:

The Senate President

National Assembly, Abuja

The Chairman

Senate Committee on NDDC

The National Chairman

All Progressives Congress, APC

Former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

APC National Leader

The Olu of Warri

Ogiame Ikenwoli

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