The people of Ndokwa ethnic group in Delta State have renewed agitation for appointment into the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive for the recomposition of the board.
The group also intensified efforts to lobby President Muhammadu Buhari to sign the bill seeking the establishment of Federal Polytechnic Kwale into law.
Rising from its General Assembly, Thursday, the people under the umbrella of Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU) resolved to constitute a committee to mobilise logistics to ensure the presidential assent on their requests.
“Motion is moved here for Ndokwa people to follow up the Federal Government to ensure that whenever a new NDDC Board is considered, an Ndokwa man should be considered first; that Ndokwa people should form a strong and viable lobbying force that will greatly attract Federal and State appointments to our people”, the communiqué stated.
President-General of the apex socio-cultural body, High Chief Johnson Ossai Opone, who read the communiqué said a delegation of Ndokwa stakeholders, including their representative in the National Assembly, will soon pay a visit to President Buhari and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State to address the issues of political relevance and lack of public tertiary institutions in Ndokwa land despite their enormous contributions to the nation’s economy.
The general assembly of NNU thus resolved that come 2023, the ethnic nation would mobilise its people to, at least, clinch the deputy governorship position, if the chief executive position becomes unattainable.
On their part, the General Assembly resolved that all Ndokwa people both home and abroad, should commence “a process to fund their own modular refinery which must be operated on commercial basis with private equity ownership under joint venture with established companies of good reputation.”
Opone urged all tiers of governments to always interface with the NNU leadership on all matters relating to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) for proper synergy, adding that a data bank of qualified graduates will be created to enable Ndokwa people take advantage of opportunities from PAP.
On health, the assembly called on Ndokwa people to join hands together to ensure that modern health facilities for the communities by government, adding that “our legislators should help initiate bills to improve on the health facilities across Ndokwa nation.”
While appreciating the state government for all roads constructed across Ndokwa nation, Opone hinted that a delegation will be sent to Governor Okowa as well as interventionist agencies including NDDC and DESOPADEC to discuss the issue of priority road projects in the area.