The Civil Society Advocacy Groups for Accountability and Probity has accused Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike of frustrating efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari to sanitise the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
The groups faulted the role played by the governor in shielding the former acting Managing Director of the Commission, Dr. Joy Nunieh from police arrest on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, the Conveners of the group, Comrade Solomon Adodo and Comrade Igwe Ude-umanta said that Wike’s action clearly demonstrated efforts by the opposition to scuttle the ongoing malfeasance in the NDDC.
The group affirmed that efforts by President Buhari to reposition the commission to actualize the vision for its establishment had began to yield fruits but expressed concern over an alleged unpatriotic activitiess of some powerful individuals who had converted the Commission to their private estate.
Accusing the Rivers State governor, the group said, “it becomes more worrisome when Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, shields her (Nunieh) from arrest, claiming that she was being abducted, and that he was protecting a citizen of Rivers State.
“Gov. Wike has always found reasons to obstruct investigations. We are sad that Wike who claims to be the defender of Rivers people only extends that defense to those who have been accused of feeding fat on the country or other crimes.
“No matter how Gov. Wike tries to sugar-coat the obstruction of a lawful arrest, it has simply betrayed the covert attempt by these people who have diverted the resources of the NDDC to collaborate with the opposition to frustrate the determined effort of Mr. President to clean up the NDDC.
“That action by Wike is nothing other than outright and well calculated sabotage of investigation into a crime.”
The group further averred that, “as the group that keeps watch on Society, the media is aware that since President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to sanitize the Niger-Delta Development Committee (NDDC) last year, it has received support by concerned Nigerians, but has also been under heavy politicization by those who know that their hands are soiled.
“They have taken to the media (social and traditional), organized protests, sponsored riots all to no avail. They tried to discredit the wisdom and discretion of Mr. President in taking some administrative decisions such as the setting up of an Interim Management Committee to carry out a thorough forensic audit.
“As we speak today, the probe into the activities of the various previous managements of the NDDC is ongoing and being thoroughly carried out by the Interim Management Committee. The will of the Federal Government to confront the ills in the NDDC is unshaken. So, the politics has increased in order to divert attention.”
The group then appealed to President Buhari to remain resolute in his commitment to sanitise the NDDC for the benefit all of Niger Deltans and assured him of total support to actualize his vision.
It further asked the former NDDC acting managing director, Nunieh to clean of all allegations against her saying “it was the honorable thing to be done”.
