A Niger Delta based group, Niger
Delta Association for Peace and Unity (NDAPU) has asked the Acting
President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to relieve the Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Pastor Uguru Usani of his position.
It alleged that the Minister has become a
problem instead of a solution to the challenges confronting the Niger
Delta region. Specifically , the group claimed that Usani had become
insufferable to the staff and officials of the ministry and the Niger
Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
NDAPU in an open letter to Osinbajo
dated July 25, 2017 and signed by Comrade Godswill Pakribo (Chairman)
and Jonas Opubo (Secretary) implored the Acting President to quickly
save the region from further degeneration by sacking the Minister and
replacing him with somebody who would be ready to work for the growth
of the region.
A call to the Minister by Saturday Sun on
the matter was not answered. Similarly, a call and a text message to
the Director of Press of the ministry, Mr Marshall Gundu were not
replied also . The text message which was sent at 3:52pm by the reporter
to Marshal reads “ Good afternoon Mr Marshall , my name is Iheanacho
Nwosu, Bureau Chief, Nation’s Capital, Sun Newspapers. I called to get
your reaction to a petition against the Honourable Minister by a group
from the Niger Delta, accusing him of high handedness in his dealing
with NDDC and Ministry staff and executives”
Justifying its demand for the removal of
the minister , the group alleged that Usani was mismanaging his
ministerial portfolio and indulging in actions capable of frustrating
the smooth running of government business.
The petition reads in part “With all due
respect, this minister has displayed gross incapacity to work with
others.
It is on record that since he was appointed as Minister of Niger
Delta barely two years ago, the ministry has witnessed an unprecedented
turnover at the top echelon of its personnel. At least, three
Permanent Secretaries who were appointed to work with him ,left in quick
succession due largely to his high-handedness.
“It is either he does not know the job of
a minister or he has deliberately been working towards an agenda of
making himself a Sole Administrator”.
The group further claimed that the
minister has become a thorn in the flesh of the new management of the
NDDC as he had been issuing queries randomly to members of the
executive board and other officials of the agency.
The petitioners wrote “We believe that
the NDDC is an agency under the Presidency whose day to day running
rests with the Managing Director and the Executive Directors. It is
also a fact that the management is answerable to the board of the NDDC
which is also appointed by the President. It is however, baffling that
the current minister does not seem to realise these facts in order to
respect the boundaries.
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