NDDC: Akpabio Has Crossed The Rubicon, Call Him To Order Now – N’Delta Monarch Tells Buhari

A paramount traditional ruler in the Niger Delta region, HRM, King O.M.A Whiskey JP, Udurhie I, Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, Delta State, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call to order the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio, saying the Minister has crossed the Rubicon with his recent utterances.

The monarch made the call in a letter addressed to President Buhari, a copy of which was released to newsmen on Tuesday in Warri, the commercial nerve centre of Delta state.

He said that Akpabio’s recent utterances particularly his diatribe against governors were capable of igniting the already tensed atmosphere in the Niger Delta.

The royal father said; “Since September, 2019 when the Honourable Minister of the Federal Ministry of the Niger Delta Affairs, Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio viciously took over the mantle of controllership of the regional interventionist agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC. He has left nobody in doubt as to his mission and vision to make the agency his personal estate.

According to him, “Obong Akpabio as a former Governor of Akwa-Ibom State had the privilege to nominate Commissioners, Executive Directors and even at a time nominated the Managing Director of the agency and at that time, no serving Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs bullied Obong Akpabio like he is currently doing to Niger Delta Governors.

“It is instructive to note that between September 2019 to December 2020, a whopping sum of N87billion allegedly disappeared under two different Interim Management Committee, IMCs and now N485billion is to be managed by Sole Administrator, an alien authority not known to the Act that establishes NDDC.

He stated that the Oil Producing States Governors are justified by the position they adopted to save the region from the huge corruption and the possible breakdown of law and order.

“Your Excellency, if the truth must be told and as Royal Father I cannot run away from the facts that Obong Akpabio has dangerously crossed the Rubicon and needed to be urgently called to order as his recent escapade and unguided utterances against critical stake holders like the Governors and Royal Fathers is nothing but buying more trouble in already tensed region like the Niger Delta.

“Obong Akpabio knows very well that his activities at personalizing benefits and privileges accruing to the region from the NDDC is dangerous to both the security of the region and making your government very unpopular amongst the people because if your government that has anti-corruption as major slogan is now faced with huge corruption cases running into several Billions of Naira, the question to be asked – Is the Federal Government under your leadership truly aware of the huge financial recklessness and open corruption that is ongoing under the charade called IMC and lately sole administrator in the NDDC?

“There is nothing wrong with the patriotic position of the Niger Delta Governors when they said beyond payment of salaries of staff every other money coming into NDDC pulse should be escrowed in an account until the President inaugurate a board in accordance with the Act establishing the agency.  I cannot phantom what warranted this out burst from Obong Godswill Obot Akpabio against the Governors of the Oil Producing States who by rights are the Chief Security Officers of the respective States.

“We cannot afford to be sleeping when our house is on fire, NDDC truly needs your attention and guidance now, do so by returning the interventionist agency back to the Presidency and urgently inaugurate the already screened and confirmed board of the agency under the Chairmanship of Dr. Pius Odubu and Mdship of Olorogun Bernard Okumagba”.