WHY ITSEKIRI NATION SHOULD BE STRONGLY CONSIDERED IN YOUR NEW CABINET AND THE NEXT NDDC BOARD

His Excellency         

President Muhammadu Buhari (GCFR)

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Presidential Villa, Aso Rock,

Abuja

Sir,

WHY ITSEKIRI NATION SHOULD BE STRONGLY CONSIDERED IN YOUR NEW CABINET AND THE NEXT NDDC BOARD

The Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, the apex youth body of the Itsekiri ethnic Nationality worldwide, wish to first congratulate you and your, Vice, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on your well-deserved victory in the just concluded 2019 general elections.

No doubt, the victory is a reflection of the degree of confidence reposed in your administration in the first tenure and the belief that this second term would be a consolidation of your developmental programmes for the entire country.

Sir, in the just concluded Presidential election, the Itsekiri Nation, out of over 10 ethnic Nationalities in Delta State, though a minority tribe, gave you over 80,000 votes, recording over 35 percent of total votes you garnered in the state. This was because of the remarkable peace and security we the Itsekiri people enjoyed in your first four years in office, a situation that was sharp departure from our experience, prior to your administration. Succinctly put, no Itsekiri indigene died as a result of external aggression during your first tenure in office.

The dredging of Escravos Bar in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, by your administration, 39 years after the last dredging took place, left us further convinced that polling massive votes for you in a state dominated by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was the only way to go. It is now history that Itsekiri votes in Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Areas as well as parts of Delta Central Senatorial District and Edo State, was en-block for you, to ensure your reelection. This is a reflection of the confidence we have in your administration amid difficulty in our geographical location.

NDDC Appointment

It is clear that by the Act setting up the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, it is the turn of Delta State to produce the next Chairman and Managing Director of the Board.

Your Excellency, it would shock you to know that even though Itsekiri land has the largest deposit of crude oil in Delta State from verifiable records, the only opportunity we had to produce the Executive Director, Projects, in the board of NDDC was terminated abruptly. Only Itsekiri Nation with its endowed Oil and Gas Resources, have suffered such aborted key appointment in the board of the commission, whereas other ethnic nationalities that make up the composition of the development agency, had successfully completed their tenure.

We will not lose faith in our resolve that your administration will correct the perceived injustice, by appointing an Itsekiri indigene with pedigree as Chairman and Managing Director of the soon-to-be constituted NDDC Board.

Permit us to draw your attention to the fact that the last NDDC Board worked contrary to your policy of completing inherited projects. They didn’t contribute anything meaningful to the development of Niger Delta, rather, they awarded fresh contracts that leave much to be desired, thus painting a wrong picture of what your administration stands for. This is why, we want to respectfully plead with your Excellency to do a thorough background check on the character of personalities that would be appointed into your incoming cabinet and the next NDDC Board, so as to fast-track development in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country, in-line with your dreams and aspiration. Unlike your first four years, we are equally glad that the leadership of the 9^th National Assembly would work in synergy with your administration towards attaining the Next Level agenda.

Our Demands:

·         While commending your administration for the dredging of the Escravos Bar in Warri South-West Local Government Area, we want to respectfully demand that the contract to dredge and open up the rivers to boost socio-economic activities at the Sapele and Koko Ports be awarded to provide the much needed job opportunities, that would take our countless unemployed youths off the street as a matter of urgency.

·         We further demand that the Ministerial slot of Delta State be given to the Itsekiri Nation, this is the only way to reciprocate our huge contribution towards your re-election.

·         The multi-billion dollar Gas Revolution Industrial Park Project, GRIP, Ogidigben otherwise known as EPZ, in Warri South-West Local Government Area, which was unattended to by the relevant MDAs in your first tenure, is one key project the Itsekiri Nation pray that you set machineries in motion for its immediate take-off as promised by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo when he visited our respected Monarch, His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, The Olu of Warri.

·         Sir, the age-long Koko-Ogheye Road and Omadino-Escravos Road Projects, which have the huge potential of opening up the coastal communities and boosting socio-economic activities from the Benin River and Escravos axes to the South-West region, is also of utmost priority to us and we are begging that your administration immediately take up the project in full flight and awarded to company(ies) with reputation in this regard, as you have done to other inherited age-long projects across the country.

·         While we are happy that approval has been granted by your administration for the $64 million power supply project to communities around the Escravos area in Delta State, we are appealing to your Excellency to immediately ensure that the contractor is mobilized to site. The gains of this dream project cannot be overemphasized, both for the benefitting communities and the country at large.

·           We also like to use this opportunity to call on you to direct the relevant agency(ies) to commence clean-up of the rivers /creeks along Warri-Escravos River, which is currently polluted, with its attendant adverse effects on both human and aquatic lives.

Sir, we humbly look forward to your prompt action in respect to our modest demands as enunciated above.

Comr. Agbateyiniro I. Weyinmi

(President, INYC)

Comr. Appearance Afejuku

(Secretary, INYC)

×