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By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

The 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, 21st CYNDAC, and a coalition of combatants and agitators in the South-South region, on Sunday, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to knock over the newly made-up governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, because the inauguration was against a court order.

The group in a statement by the coordinator, Izon Ebi, said, “The 21st CYNDAC and a consortium of well-informed combatants and agitators that cut across the South-South states strongly condemn the hasty inauguration of the governing board of NDDC, and call on the President to respect the rule of law.”

“We call on Mr. President to obey the rule of law by abiding by the proclamation of the Federal High Court concerning the inauguration of the governing board of NDDC by reversing his inauguration for peace to reign in the oil-rich, but impoverished people of the Niger Delta region.

“We denounce in its totality the pseudo and hastily inaugurated governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC by President Muhammadu Buhari in less than 48 days to the General election that will usher in a new administration.

“We have observed with utmost displeasure how the NDDC created to tackle underdevelopment in the oil-producing states of the Niger Delta region has become a cash cow by politicians and the government at the centre to fund their presidential aspirants and elections.

“The newly made up NDDC board is a calculated plot at mischievously robbing the people of Niger Delta of their resources by the loyalists of Mr President, who do not mean well for the people of the Niger Delta region.

“We, therefore, call on well-meaning Niger Deltans to stand up and reject this pseudo board because it is a huge slap on the faces of the good, peaceful, and law-abiding people of the Niger Delta,” the group stated.