Niger Delta leaders restate support for Buhari, Akpabio

Leaders of the Niger Delta region on Wednesday described the appointment of sole administrator in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as legal and ethical.

They also described the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio as a pride to Nigeria.

‘’We are determined to support the current effort of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr Effiong Okon Akwa to sanitize the Commission and effectively develop the oil rich region’’ the leaders said on Wednesday.

In a statement in Port-Harcourt, the leaders commended President Buhari for his commitment to assisting and dealing with challenges in the Niger Delta region.

Signed by the Chairman, South-South Front (SSF), Chief John Harry, the regional leaders condemned the orchestrated attack on the person and leadership of Senator Akpabio by some misguided individuals and their backers.

They praised Akpabio for sticking to the administration’s policy of transparency and accountability, promoting the best interests of the Niger Delta people and initiating the first-ever comprehensive reform of the NDDC.

The leaders expressed disappointment that some elders, politicians and youths in the region seem to be interested in board appointment rather than the performance of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

‘’Some governors, elders and federal lawmakers in the region are not focused as we think they should on the level of development in the region. We should not quantify development of the region in terms of board appointment but in broad terms. We have to think about completed and on-going projects’’ the leaders said.

They described the calls for Akwa’s removal as puerile.

‘’As notable leaders, we are concerned with the unity and transformation of the region. We are very proud of Senator Godswill Akpabio. He has given good account of himself in politics and public life” the leaders added