The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has commended the Federal Government for reorganising the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

The Federal Government recently announced appointment of an Acting Managing Director of the Commission, Mrs Ibim Seminatari, as part of the reorganisation.

Mr Udengs Eradiri, President of the (IYC), who gave the commendation on Tuesday in Yenagoa, regretted the role played by Niger Delta people in the mismanagement of intervention agencies for development of the region.

He noted that President Muhammadu Buhari has begun the process of reorganising Nigeria, saying that the NDDC is key to restructuring the country.

The IYC President urged President Buhari not to allow the NDDC to be used as a tool for political battles, calling on the new Acting Managing Director of the commission to ensure the NDDC is properly managed.

“I want to commend President Buhari for beginning the process of reorganising the NDDC, one of our biggest problem in the Niger Delta is the institutions run by Niger Deltans to empower the people.

“Rather than develop the region is now a conduit pipe for stealing money by Niger Delta people, we are our biggest problem, we have NDDC is becoming a problem for us in the region.

“Since the President has began the process of reorganising Nigeria, the NDDC is key to restructuring the Niger Delta, so if the appointment is geared towards reorganising the commission we commend the President for it,” Eradiri said.

The IYC also proposed for the decentralisation of the NDDC to the states for efficient productivity and better management of resources.

Said Eradiri: “The NDDC should be decentralised to the states, this one everybody is coming to the centre has destroyed the NDDC, when they get their budget, it should be according to your production quota.

“So projects in your states must be in line with your production quota, so if you are destroying your pipeline and you are not producing it is your projects that will reduce.

“In that way you will see that states will begin to protect facilities to optimised production.”

Eradiri called for the rehabilitation of the prisons and also set up skills acquisition programmes for the inmates.

Eradiri called on NDDC and the Presidential Amnesty office to start the process of building facilities for the rehabilitation of inmates in the region.

His words: “You go to a prison yard, a prison that is supposed to be a rehabilitation centre is now a place where hardened criminals are bred.

“I went to the Okaka prisons in Yenagoa it was so disappointing for a prison that is less than five years, no sports facilities, no training facilities, bad water, no mattresses, no conducive environment to the inmates to live.

“I feel that the NDDC that is an intervention agency should build skills acquisition centers in the prisons, the IYC has contributed our own quota, we have given them foods, materials we are donating sports facilities, table tennis, football, we will equip barbers shops.”

•Photo shows NNDC Acting MD, Ibim Seminatari.

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