Group says ex-agitators threatening to shut down NDDC are uninformed

The Movement for Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) says ex-militants threatening to shut down the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are “ignorant and uninformed”.

On July 20, a group known as the Coalition of Ex-agitators of Niger Delta (CEND) had given a five-day ultimatum to the management of the NDDC to vacate office.

The group based its ultimatum on the directive by President Bola Tinubu dissolving the governing boards of all federal government parastatals, agencies, institutions, and government-owned companies.

The ex-militants said if the Samuel Ogbuku-led management of the NDDC failed to leave office after the expiration of the ultimatum, they would occupy the commission and ground its activities.

However, in a statement on Saturday, MOSIEND described the ultimatum as baseless.

The body said CEND falsely claimed that the Ogbuku-led NDDC management was occupying the office illegally, adding that the federal government granted a waiver to the team until a new board was constituted.

“As critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region, we find it very distasteful, a purported threat issued by a faceless bunch, Coalition of Ex-agitators of Niger Delta (CEND),” NAN quoted MOSIEND as saying.

“This group thinks it is convenient to fan the embers of discord and crisis in the region by issuing threats to the smooth running of the NDDC.

“Over time, as a group, we have pointed out that the sacrifices and efforts expended by sons and daughters of the region before the last board was constituted should be respected.

“And that at this time of our lives as a people, the peace and progress of the Niger Delta region is extremely important to us.”

The group said it would resist the actions of CEND aimed at manipulating the unsuspecting youths of the region while pursuing its selfish agenda.

The group also appealed to those being recruited to block access roads to the NDDC office, to have a rethink as security agencies would arrest and prosecute anyone who attempted to breach the peace.