The Niger Delta Development Initiative group has disclosed that the people of Niger Delta would only support a presidential candidate who would embark on restructuring and true federalism and would not pay lip service on its fight against corruption.
In a statement signed by its President and the Secretary respectively, Tom Buma and Ernest Ukpe on Thursday, the group said that Niger Delta people will support a president who will build “our battered economy” and support investment.
The group maintained that the people want a president who will clean up Ogoni land and other Niger Delta Communities affected by the impact of oil exploration and exploitation and develop the Niger Delta region and AkwaIbom in Particular.
They also expressed sadness over Nigeria’s
worsening economic statistics in recent times blaming the policies of President Muhammadu Buhari for the downward trend in the economy.
They further expressed sadness that despite high
expectations of Nigerians following the President’s promises of fighting corruption to a standstill when he was sworn in, in 2015, his party, APC still shields corrupt
politicians they had previously described as very corrupt.
According to them, “We are however surprised that the President is campaigning with
corrupt politicians like the former Senate Minority Leader Chief Godswill Akpabio and the NDDC MD Obong Nsima Ekere who have been enmeshed in misappropriation scandals.
“Senator Akpabio, Muslimu Obianikoro, Orji Uzor Kalu and all the previously “corrupt” PDP big wigs have now been sanctified after their defection to APC. Recall that Akpabio was charged over N180 billion
money laundering.”
The statement also read, “The President’s five point agenda and his economic policies have failed with no return on the country’s debt, the present administration has borrowed more than the Obasanjo,Yaradua and Goodluck Jonathan’s administrations in three years while electricity generation and distribution has worsened.
“Nigeria has become the poverty capital of the world overtaking India
with more than 50% living in extreme poverty, while the UN predicts
that Nigeria needs 11.9 people per minute to escape extreme poverty,
but presently has a deficit of 6.8 people every minute, i.e. 6.8 people enter into poverty every minute.
“According to statistics by NACCIMA, more than 800 companies shut down
within the three years of this current administration further denying
Nigerians of the much needed employment oppurtunities and ruining the
livelihood of many families.
“Under the present administration Nigeria has become the 2nd worst electricity supply nation in the world. The country has not added more than 1,000 MGW to its supply bank while Egypt in less than two years
have added 14,500 MGW of electricity, enough to provide uninterrupted power for over 40 million people.”
The group which sympathized but expressed concern over the President’s health condition also expressed their support for a President who would cope with rigorous demand of his office.
“Though we sympathize with the President as a human for his fragile health, Nigerians will want a very healthy and strong President who can cope with the rigorous demands of the office. We strongly doubt that the current state of health of the President will
let him cope with the demands of his office.
“As we welcome the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Gen Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd.) for the flag off of his Presidential Campaign in Uyo on Friday we will want to remind him that the East/West Road has been abandoned while only N3 billion out of
the more than N130 Billion needed for Calabar/ Itu highway has been released to mobilize the contractor making the people of the region to believe that this could be another political road project.” the group said.
