By Timothy Elerewe
A group known as Coalition of APC Support Groups and Presidential Support Committee South, South Zone has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the next Director of Project of the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) from Rivers State.
Specifically, the group wants the Chairman of the Coalition in Rivers State, Engr. Ineye Jack to be the beneficiary of the appointment
Addressing a press conference in Abuja Saturday, the Convener of the group, Mr Elijah Ettah argued that the appointment would only buoy their support for the government APC in the zone.
Ettah dispelled the allegation making the rounds that the Commission had awarded a contract worth #5.47billion for the procurement of specialised medical Personnel Protective Equipment(PPE) in the nine States of the Niger Delta Region by the Interim Committee describing the allegation as the handiwork of some individuals in the region who he alleged, had vowed not to allowed any meaningful development in the zone.
“We wish to categorically state that such contract was never awarded as claimed”, he added. He described those individuals as distractors.
Ettah dismissed the allegation as “merely orchestrated to disrupt the on-going forensic audit embark upon by the NDDC interim committee”.
However, the group disclosed that President Buhari had graciously approved the sum of #5.9billion for NDDC to use for the procurement of PPE to support the region in its fight against COVID-19 pandemic, the gesture which they said was well appreciated.
The group praised the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen Godswill Obot Akpabio for what it called, “his doggedness in threading where others failed and turned blind eyes on the corruption in the NDDC that has ravaged the region over the years by carrying out a forensic audit as authorised by President Muhammadu Buhari.
