The Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria and Orashi National Congress, ONC, have expressed their displeasure that as critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta, the NDDC has excluded them from the ongoing Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit.
In a statement signed by the General Secretary on behalf of the groups, they said, “While we commend the Chief Dr Samuel Ogbuku led management of the NDDC for the noble initiative of convening a stakeholders summit to address issues of development in the region, we wish to express our displeasure for exclusion in the ongoing summit”.
“As critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta region, we strongly believe that we deserve to be part of the summit in order to contribute our quota as we have always done in the past years on issues concerning the region.”
“Our leader, the President General of the Orashi National Congress, ONC, Most Snr Comrade Amb Emeni Ibe, who doubles as the National President of the Southern Youth Foundation of Nigeria, is also the Leader of the Union of Niger Delta Contractors/Stakeholders. He deserves to be at the summit not just as our leader but as a notable critical stakeholder in the region.”
“At this point, we do not want to view it as deliberate exclusion of critical stakeholders like us in the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit. Our meaningful appeal to the MD/CEO NDDC, Chief Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, which led the SA on Youth to request that we send name, contact and group to him, showed recognition. But surprisingly, up till now we have not been contacted or invitation extended to us.”
“As peace advocates and law abiding stakeholders in the region, we do not wish to take laws into our hands but to peacefully register our position that may be somebody else is trying to corner our deserved slot at the summit.”
“Our outraged position comes as the NDDC hosts the Niger Delta Stakeholders Summit, aimed at addressing the region’s development challenges and promoting participatory democracy, and we are critical stakeholders in the region recognised over the years.”