*alleges plan to raise money for Rivers, Delta elections from commission



The South-South Emerging Leaders Forum (SELF), has alleged that some Senators in collaboration with a certain serving minister are working to frustrate the confirmation of the board member nominees for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) forwarded to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari so as to raise fund to prosecute elections in River and Delta states.


The forum, however, vowed to resist all forms of injustice by some Northern interests against the Niger Delta region.


President Muhammadu Buhari had nominated and forwarded some names to the Senate for confirmation into the NDDC board but the Red Chamber is yet to do the needful which the South-South forum finds strange.


In a statement released Monday in Abuja, the forum's national coordinator, Barr. Benjamin Kwalowei, said the plot by the unnamed Senators and the minister is "to arrange a 3-month extension for the current acting NDDC Managing Director, pass the budget and raise money through the Commission to prosecute elections in Rivers and Delta states."


According to the statement, the plan is to frustrate the effort of President Muhammadu Buhari and cause confusion in the region for their own selfish interests.


"We have watched with keen interest the evil plot to cause confusion at the NDDC by the leadership of the Senate by unnecessarily delay the confirmation of the NDDC board nominees as forwarded by the President.


"It will interest the world to know that such delay is strange and can not happen to a sister Commission like the North East Development Commission (NEDC) in the region where the Senate President Ahmed Lawan hails from.


"We, therefore ask Senate President Ahmed Lawan what the Niger Delta region has done wrong to deserve this kind of injustice whenever it has to do with the development of our region and its people?"


The forum, comprises of various professionals from the region, however, called on the presidency to keep tap of the development and not allow "few selfish individuals to destroy the legacy of peace and tranquility President Muhammadu Buhari planned to leave behind in the Niger Delta."


The statement also urged leaders and elders from the South-south region, irrespective of their political parties, to speak up against the delay by the Senate to confirm the nominees of the President into the NDDC board.


"We are also using this medium to alert all the anti-corruption agencies to keep tap on the NDDC accounts between now and after the general elections and do everything possible to prevent selfish few from using the money meant for development of the Niger Delta to prosecute their elections.


"As for us, we are mobilising all other prominent groups, civil society organisations and all the youths of the region to resist the plot to further cause confusion in the NDDC and setback the development of the oil-producing region for their self interest, "the statement said.