PROMINENT South-South leaders have warned Ondo and Bayelsa youths against campaigning for the chairman and managing director’s positions of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to avoid deepening the crisis in the Niger Delta Region.

“These demands are capable of crippling the progress of the region,” the leaders said in a statement on Thursday.

According to the statement issued at the end of the meeting and signed by the National Chairman of South-South Front, John Harry, the leaders urged the youths to stop insulting the sensitivities of the generality of Nigerians by demanding for the chairman and managing director’s positions in the Commission.

“The demonstrations by some misguided youths in Port-Harcourt, Akure and Abuja should be seen as one of the diversionary tactics by the enemies of the Niger Delta Region to shift President Muhammadu Buhari’s attention from the NDDC ACT,” the leaders said.

The leaders cautioned the youths against anything that could scuttle the bond among the nine oil producing states.

“What is the legal backing or power for demanding the positions? The youths and indeed their sponsors in Abuja, Port-Harcourt and Akure are blind to the fact,” they noted.

The leaders called on the youths to support the genuine demand of Delta State for the positions.

They also urged President Buhari to purge the region of selfish manipulations and outright illegalities.

“We, however, call on President Muhammadu Buhari to look at the NDDC ACT and appoint Deltans as Chairman and Managing Director,” the statement added.

– July 12, 2019 @ 11:35 GMT |