The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Central Zone, has appealed to the Federal Government and the National Assembly to increase the budgetary allocation to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Perekosifa Iniefe, chairman of IYC Central Zone, made the appeal on Wednesday when he led other exco members, stakeholders including the Deputy Speaker of the 6th Mobile Parliament, Comrade Collins Okpako, to visit some completed and ongoing projects embarked upon by the Dr. Samuel Ogbuku led NDDC.
He said the budget increment will enable the commission to carry out its ever increasing mandate in the region.
He pointed out that this is the first time in history that all the Niger Delta communities are feeling the impact of the Commission.
He noted that no community in the region has been left behind while incidences of abandoned projects is now becoming a thing of the past.
He said, “I can categorically say with facts judging by our assessment of the projects being carried out in our zone today that the current leadership of the NDDC led by Ogbuku has done well.
“Previously we have had so much of abandoned NDDC projects, but what we can see in all the various ongoing projects embarked upon by this current NDDC board is that the narrative is changing.
“We can say that Ogbuku knows and understands the vision and mandate of the NDDC and he is running it speedily.
“Our position is that while he is doing this, he should also do more. We understand the challenges of the board.
“From our tour we can see that all the interior communities in the Niger Delta region are feeling the impact of the present NDDC board which is first of its kind.
“We want to assure him that the IYC is in support and in solidarity with him, and we commend President Tinubu for appointing a man who understands the challenges of the people and is delivering in his mandate.
“However, we are appealing to the federal government and the national assembly to continue to support the NDDC by increasing the budgetary allocation of the Commission.
“This will enable it meet the ever increasing developmental challenges of the nine states of the board.
“We want to urge the Bayelsa State government to partner with the NDDC to ensure development across boards and also call on other ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta to support.”
Miss Marvelous Ifunaya, a National Youth Service Corp member serving in Agbura Community in Yenagoa Local Government, thanked the NDDC for providing a conducive and befitting accommodation.
Some of the project site visited were the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp, roads, class room blocks, ICT Centres, NYSC Corp members lodges, all in Bayelsa
