NDDC: Militants kick over Akpabio’s plan to appoint brother as administrator

A coalition of Niger Delta militants, under the aegis of the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), has sent a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari over the alleged plan by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to appoint his brother as the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The RNDA said though Akpabio had the power to oversee the NDDC, his recent actions and lobby to approve the reappointment of the current Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Akwa Okon, as the sole administrator to oversee the commission was provocative and could trigger a new round of violence in the creeks of the region.

The RNDA, in a statement Saturday by its Coordinator, ‘General’ Johnmark Ezonebi, said if the approval was given for the appointment of Akpabio’s brother as the sole administrator, the coalition would be forced to review its earlier position on a cease-fire and commence renewed hostilities against oil facilities in the region.

The RNDA said: “We have declared that we are against Akpabio’s recent actions and this time around, there will be no going back. We, members of the RNDA, are sending our protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari against alleged Akpabio ‘one-man show’ and plot to appoint a sole administrator to oversee the NDDC with his brother, Okon, from Akwa Ibom.

The RNDA said: “The appointment of a sole administrator alone without the appointment of an EDP and EDFA in the commission just to enable Akpabio to allegedly siphon, divert and embezzle billions of naira into private pockets from the recovered money by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is unacceptable and immoral.

“If Akpabio is allowed to have his way and announce the name of Mr Efiong Okon the present EDFA as the sole administrator to oversee the NDDC alone excluding the appointment of EDP and EDFA, then the RNDA will be left with no option but to declare a total war in the creeks to cripple the economy. We will also announce operation zero crude oil to flow in the creeks of the Niger Delta.

“With this singular reason, we advise multinational oil companies operating in the creeks of the region to evacuate its workers on rigs, platforms and manifolds and we will close down all the oil wells and flow stations in the creeks and will cut down the ESCRAVOS-Warri-Kaduna gas pipeline that transmits gas to Abuja.”

The group also vowed that every illegality must stop and would be resisted.

The coalition, therefore, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to act now before the situation would be too late.

The group said: “And as we speak, enough is enough of this continuous illegalities. if Mr President folds his arms and allow this form of corruption and devilish act to continue without acting and without doing anything, then we the RNDA with the dreaded striking force in the creeks will not fold our arms and keep quiet and we will not allow that to happen again this time around.

“We want to let Akpabio know that he and his fellow bidders would fail woefully and cannot enslave the people of the region any longer. We will fight Akpabio to a standstill with the last drop of our blood in the creeks if he does not change mind.”

Also, the RNDA urged the President to hold Akpabio responsible for whatever would cause the destruction of oil pipelines and oil facilities to shut down the production of crude oil and attack the Escravos-Warri-Kaduna gas major line. (The Nation)