BY PATIENCE UDOH
A coalition of ex-militants from Akwa Ibom State, under the aegis of Unyek Isong, has given the Federal Government 14 days ultimatum to sack the sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Efiong Akwa, and reconstitute a substantive board for the commission.
They also want the Federal Government to sack Col. Milland Dikio (retd) and appoint a substantive Special Adviser/Coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty Programme within two weeks.
The ex-militants gave the demands in a statement signed by ‘General’ Dede Udofia and ‘Major Ibanga Ekeng’, made available to journalists, in Uyo, on Friday.
They threatened to shut down all Federal Government projects, parastatals, ExxonMobil facilities/operations, including the NDDC office in the state, if their demands were not met within 14 days.
The statement said, ”Rising from a high-powered meeting with some ex militant leaders in Akwa Ibom, Unyek Isong hereby demands the removal of the sole administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and reconstitution of a substantive board for the commission to ensure that the interventionist agency runs in line with the NDDC Act.
”We also demand for the immediate appointment of a substantive special adviser/coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) to replace the present interim administrator.”
”We view the appointment of the Interim Management Commission (IMC) and now a sole administrator to run the affairs of the NDDC as well as oversee the NDDC forensic audit as illegal even when the nominees for the new NDDC board had already been screened and confirmed by the Senate in 2019,” the statement added.
The groups alleged that running the NDDC and the PAP with interim administrators had resulted in fraud, financial recklessness and the usurpation of the resources of the Niger Delta region by self-seeking politicians.
