Rivers State news
Massive Youth Protest in Port Harcourt
Oct 3rd, 2011 – Traffic along Aba Road in Port Harcourt was held up for hours on Saturday as hundreds of youths blocked the road in protest at what is to them, the incapacitation of the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Osato Iyasere.
The youths, claiming to be members of the Watchdog of Niger Delta and Niger Delta Peace Movement, carried placards charging the federal government to adequately empower the acting Managing Director by investing her with authority to award contracts and perform other executive functions.
“Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Pius Anyim has a sinister motive and is anti-Niger Delta. His lukewarm attitude made the past Board to exhibit their corrupt tendencies,” said a statement signed by Sam Ebiye and John Walter, Secretary and President of the respective groups.
“If he was proactive to the development of our region, he would have called the members of the previous Board to order and directed them to concentrate on development of our region,” the barrage on the SGF continued.
They argued that genuine initiatives for uplifting living standards in the Niger Delta are often thwarted by crisis of leadership on the part of those who administer them, such as the SGF.
“Many contractors are worried over their payment as they have taken loans to execute projects, which are generating interests from banks, and they have not been paid by the Commission because the protem managing director has not been allowed to properly take charge of its affairs(Daily times).