By Emeka Samuel, Uyo
A coalition of socio – political groups under the aegis of Self Employed Association Of Progressives (SEA-Pro), has threaten d to drag the Federal Government to Court over alleged marginalisation of Akwa Ibom in the constitution of the new board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The group after a peaceful protest in Uyo last weekend pointed out that the composition of the new Board, “negates the extant provisions of the Act establishing the interventionist agency in 2000.”
Leader and state Coordinator of the coalition, Prince Ekpuk Jumbo told a press conference that only State Representative aloted to Akwa Ibom, one of the four major oil producing states in the region was, ‘not only embarrassing, but an insult to the sensibilities of the people of the state.”
Urging the Federal Government to revisit what they described as ‘lopsided composition of the new Board with a view to correcting the anomaly” Jumbo, vowed that the coalition would stop at nothing in dragging the Federal Government to Court over such injustice.
It has already sent a petition to be transmitted to the Federal Government which was signed by other members including Mr. Goddy Unyah, Deputy state Coordinator for Uyo Senatorial District; Ben Ukutt, for Eket Senatorial District and the Secretary General, Pastor Joe Ita.
According to the petition, “as a group, we have taken our position to use this medium to impress it on the Federal Government to address this bare-face injustice by giving Akwa Ibom, one of the oil producing states in Niger Delta its statutory right of the position of the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, in the composition of the new NDDC Board as enshrined in the Act that established the agency in 2000.
“According to section 12 (1) of the Act, it says and I quote: “There shall be for the Commission, a Managing Director and two Executive Directors, who shall be indigenes of oil producing areas, starting with the member state of the Commission with the highest production of oil, and shall rotate amongst member states in the order of production.
“Account to the data obtained from the Federal Ministry of Finance, RMAFC, FAAC, FIRS, Edo state, unlike Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers, is not among the four top oil producing states”, wondering why such position should be aloted to Edo.
Jumbo, therefore, warned that “we will simultaneously charged and mobilized our members across the region to embark on more peaceful protests until our major demand of giving Akwa Ibom state its rightful due is addressed satisfactorily.”
“For now, we are calling on our members to remain calm, while waiting for the Federal Government’s action on the matter.” He stressed.
