NDDC Saga: Don’t vote corrupt IYC Exco members to power in next election -Ozobo warns Ijaw youths

By Sola Omoniyi, Lagos

Niger Delta Super Activist, Comrade Ozobo Austin has warned against voting corrupt members of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, into the incoming administration of the council.

This was asserted in a statement signed by himself of which a copy was sent to a Congress correspondent on Sunday.

The activist said those current IYC Exco members who were involved in Senator Godwin Akpabio NDDC cash-out should not be elected to the incoming new administration of the council.

He emphasized that IYC will be given final burial if such shameless and corrupt current Exco members are elected into the affairs of the council in the next administration.

Ozobo said all Exco members of the current administration who betrayed the Ijaw nation should be given automatic disqualification from the race of the next administration.

He, however, described the corrupt IYC members as enemies of the Niger Delta region, adding that people with no integrity and with questionable characters should not be entrusted with IYC’s next administration.

He cautioned delegates of the council to vote out any such shameless current members who may be shortlisted as candidates for the next election from the backdoors.

It would be recalled that IYC -led by Peter Igbifa had on April 26, 2021, issued a 30days ultimatum to shut down the NDDC secretariat in Port-Harcourt on May 26, 2021, over delay in inaugurating the substantive board of the commission.

While on May 17, 2021, IYC repeated a warning, asking multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to evacuate their workers and shut down their oil platforms before the expiration of the ultimatum on May 26, 2021.

However, the IYC president was allegedly kidnapped on the Omagwa-Port Harcourt International Airport Road in Rivers State a few hours before the expiration of the 30 days ultimatum given to President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint a substantive board of the NDDC.

But drama later played out after the IYC current council members were engaged by the Niger Delta minister, Godwin Akpabio to stop the proposed protest at the NDDC headquarters in Port-Harcourt.

It was gathered that the president of Council Igbifa and others Exco members allegedly collected bribes to back out from the proposed NDDC protest, and went into self-exile, alleging he was kidnapped to cover up the reported cash out.

This was one development that collapsed the current IYC administration led by Peter Igbifa.