A former militant leader and prominent Niger Delta youth activist, Osaanya B. Osaanya, has accused certain individuals pushing a “core Ijaw agenda” of orchestrating attacks against the managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku.
According to Osaanya, these individuals, particularly from Bayelsa State, are displeased with Ogbuku’s appointment because he hails from Ogbia, a local government area they do not consider part of their so-called “core Ijaw” stronghold.
In a statement yesterday, Osaanya said the real motive behind the smear campaign against Ogbuku was a deep-seated resentment over his appointment by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He claimed these detractors were angered that someone from former President Goodluck Jonathan’s local government was given such a high-profile position, especially as Ogbuku has been excelling in delivering the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the NDDC.
He said: “This parochial and primitive mentality has kept Bayelsa redundant in terms of development. The core Ijaw promoters have been pushing the evil and anti-social agenda that some persons born in some local government areas are the real Ijaw while others in other local government areas in the same state are less of Ijaw. The promoters of the so-called core Ijaw want to dominate and lord it over others they consider as non-core Ijaw from the same state.
“This backward thinking is what they brought into NDDC and that is why they are sponsoring campaigns of calumny to pull down the Managing Director of the commission, Dr Samuel Ogbuku. They are even angrier that Dr Ogbuku has won the admiration of the President through his performance”.
He warned those behind the attacks to desist, insisting that any attempt to destabilize the NDDC leadership would have serious repercussions for the entire Niger Delta.
Osaanya commended Ogbuku and the current NDDC board for repositioning the commission into an all-inclusive interventionist agency, engaging stakeholders across the region.
According to Osaanya, Ogbuku’s leadership has revived faith in the commission, particularly with its remarkable strides in infrastructure development.
He noted that under the current administration, numerous abandoned projects have been completed, while new ones have been initiated and delivered within a short time.
Calling on critics to abandon their selfish ambitions, Osaanya urged them to allow Ogbuku to focus on his job. “Almost all stakeholders in the region are happy with Ogbuku’s leadership, and even President Tinubu is pleased with his achievements. A handful of greedy and self-serving individuals cannot be allowed to sabotage the collective progress of the Niger Delta,” he warned.
