A former ex-militant leader, Osaanya B. Osaanya, has traced the sponsors of campaigns of calumny against the Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, to persons promoting core Ijaw agenda in Ijaw land.
Osaanya, a prominent youth leader in the Niger Delta, said the promoters of core Ijaw agenda, especially in Bayelsa State, were not happy that Ogbuku, who hails from Ogbia, a local government area in the state they considered as non-core Ijaw, was appointed by President Bola Tinubu to manage the commission.
He said such enemies of Bayelsa State and Niger Delta became more livid with anger that Ogbuku was delivering the president’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the commission beyond expectations.
Osaanya in a statement at the weekend said the sponsors were wondering why an individual from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s local government area would be given such juicy appointment ahead of others from core Ijaw councils.
He said: “This parochial and primitive mentality has kept Bayelsa State redundant in terms of development. The core Ijaw promoters have been pushing the evil and anti-social agenda that some persons born in some local government areas are the real Ijaw while others in other local government areas in the same state are less of Ijaw.
“The promoters of the so-called core Ijaw want to dominate and lord it over others they consider as non-core Ijaw from the same state.
“This backward thinking is what they brought into NDDC and that is why they are sponsoring campaigns of calumny to pull down the Managing Director of the commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. They are even angrier that Dr Ogbuku has won the admiration of the President through his performance,” he stated.
Osaanya told those warring against the NDDC boss to sheathe their swords, insisting that any attempt to truncate the current leadership of the NDDC would have far-reaching negative consequences in the Niger Delta.
He said Ogbuku and the current board of the commission has reposition the NDDC making it an all-inclusive interventionist agency with its unique stakeholders’ engagements.
Osaanya observed that the Ogbuku’s leadership has reawaken the dead beliefs and trust in the commission by the people of the region especially with its Midas touch in the infrastructural development of the Niger Delta.
He said the youths, men, women, traditional rulers and all stakeholders apart from a few enemies of the region, were happy that for the first time the current leadership of the commission was able to complete many abandoned landmark projects, initiated and completed new ones within a short period of time.
“Let the evil core Ijaw promoters in Bayelsa State and others who consider Ogbuku a threat to their governorship ambition in Bayelsa leave the NDDC boss alone to focus on his job.
“Almost all the stakeholders in the region are happy with Ogbuku and President Tinubu is also happy with his performance in the region. The interest of few greedy and self-centered individuals cannot override public interest and the general wellbeing of the Niger Delta,” he said.
Blessing Ibunge -PH @ThisDay
