Prof. Brambaifa Sues For Peace As Niger Delta Groups Protest Against The Sealing Of NDDC Headquarters

It was a show of anger as thousands of Niger Delta men, women, and youth protested round the streets of Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, calling on the Rivers State government to immediately discontinue its antagonism against the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The protesters who trooped in from all corners of the region, to express what they term as “the general disappointment of people of the region” as regards the sealing of the NDDC headquarters building on claims of the Commission’s tax evasion. The protesters were seen carrying various banners and placards expressing the grievances that informed the peaceful protest.

Following a brief stop at the sealed premises of the Commission by the protesting groups, the Special Assistant to the Acting MD/CEO on Media/Publicity, Barr.Igbeta Ayebakuro, who addressed newsmen on behalf of the MD/CEO, sued for calm from all persons of the region, and called on the protesters to exercise restraints even though their course is just and in the best interest of the region, which is of course in dare need of meaningful development which the Commission under Prof. Brambaifa’s stewardship is poised to inspire, hence the distraction occasioned by the sealing is most regrettable.

Barr. Igbeta assured that even though, since his appointment, Brambaifa has made it explicitly clear that the Commission under his watch would never be partisan at any issue as he intends to act strictly in line with the tenets, norms and principles behind the Act establishing the Commission, amidst all attempt by some self seeking person’s who have tried to pull him down and taint the Commission’s image with their unnecessarily politics.

Reacting further to question on the allegation that the NDDC owed Rivers State government a whooping sum of N50billion, Igbeta stated that while the Commission’s records shows no such indebtedness, these are questions pending before a Court of Law and it would amount to contempt of Court and prejudice to discuss the veracity or otherwise of these rather outrageous claims, when the Court is yet to make pronouncements on the issue. “I’m however concerned by the hurry with which the RIRS pursued it’s purported claims, even though the NDDC being a Federal Government parastatal is within the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court and not a State High Court as provided in S.251 (1) & 252 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, the RIRS not only procured it’s order from a State High Court sitting at Omoku, but also did that by an exparte order issued on a Saturday, that was never served on the Commission before the sealing of its premises. While, the legal concerns are currently being handled by the Commission’s Legal department, the MD/CEO together with his team of Management is working round the clock to find an amicable settlement of the issue and ensure the opening of the Commission for normal activities”, Igbeta added.

In the meantime, the MD/CEO through his media aide called on all Development partners, Contractors and Staff of the Commission to exercise patience as the Premises would be opened at the soonest possible time, and assured Niger Deltans that the goal remains to bring about all round development to the region in terms of qualitative people oriented social infrastructure, and human capital development, therefore urged all stakeholders and the general public to try as much as possible to respect the political neutrality of the Commission by not dragging it into any tribal or partisan political conflicts that do not benefit the common and general interest of the Niger Delta people.