NDDC inaugurates national executive members of N’Delta ethnic youth leaders

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has inaugurated an 11-man newly elected national executive members of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum.

Members of the executive were drawn from the nine states of the Niger Delta region to head the youth affairs of the state in NDDC.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Samuel Ogbuku, during the inauguration of the team in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, yesterday, advised the newly elected leaders to be accountable and transparent during their service.

The nine ethnic nationalities include, Abia,  Akwa Ibom,  Bayelsa, Cross River,  Delta,  Edo,  Imo, Ondo and Rivers states.

He urged the youth leaders to unite in one voice and achieve success in their common challenges as a region.

Ogbuku said that the Federal Government would partner with genuine organisations with the intention and interest of maintaining peace and achieving community development for the people.

He said: “This will give the government the platform to be able to address the challenges of the youths in these regions.”

Ogbuku said working with the youths of the ethnic nationalities would help the government to interface with the youth leaders of the region and be able to identify the impostors.

He advised them to respect and give support to their political and traditional leaders, and not cast aspersions on them, or criticise their efforts to present them at the national levels.

The NDDC Managing Director advised the youth leaders to support the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and the initiatives of the commission to alleviate poverty in the country.

Ogbuku restated that the NDDC would partner with the group to achieve more development in the region.

He urged other stakeholders to support the group to achieve development in the region.

Earlier, the Chairman of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum, Mr. Jonathan Lokpobiri, said that the leaders were elected from the nine states in Niger Delta region to represent each state at the NDDC.

Lokpobiri stated that the group’s leadership was formulated due to the numerous challenges faced by the region, including environmental pollution, unemployment and poverty despite  its economic importance.

The chairman, who holds the position of the President of the Ijaw Youth Council, said that the group would be committed to addressing the challenges through youth empowerment and development programmes.

He also said that the group would work tirelessly to promote peace, growth and sustainable development in the region.

He pledged the group’s commitment to support the vision of President Tinubu, and the NDDC initiatives to achieve development in the region.

He called on international oil companies, agencies and other stakeholders in the region to support youth empowerment programmes through the forum.