197 
The Coalition For Restoration of Legality in the NDDC, CFRLN, Monday, attacked the leadership of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Landlords Association of Nigeria, OMPALAN for requesting for the constitution of a new Board for the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC whereas the board appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari and confirmed by the Senate has been awaiting inauguration.
The group in a statement by its National President, Igonibo Danagogo and National Secretary, Ofem Okang said OMPALAN did not speak for the people of the Niger Delta region but spoke for itself.
CFRLN in the statement said; “Our attention has been drawn to a publication purported to have been made in the media on Sunday, August 15 2021 by a body styling itself as The Oil Mineral Producing Areas Landlords Association of Nigeria, OMPALAN, and signed by one Bishop Udo Azogu requesting Mr President to constitute a new Board for the NDDC rather than inaugurating the NDDC Board which Mr President appointed in October 2019 and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate on November 5, 2019, and has been awaiting inauguration since then.
“The said Bishop Azogu went ahead to state that the “Board that was dissolved by the President on the grounds of incompetence cannot be retained and inaugurated”. This is false.
“The substantive NDDC board has already been screened by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, was, in fact, on the verge of resuming at the commission before its inauguration was put on hold for the now-concluded forensic audit to take place.
“We can state authoritatively that the board of the NDDC was never dissolved by President Buhari because the board had not even been inaugurated in the first place and, even at that, a board that had not been allowed to work for even a single day could not possibly be dissolved on grounds of incompetence as claimed by the said Bishop Azogu of the so-called OMPALAN.
“This publication credited to the so-called OMPALAN, is particularly dreadful in its deviation from fact and truth, even as it was a most toxic cocktail of shameful lies and barefaced falsehoods.
“Even more lamentable is the fact that the so-called OMPALAN is clearly a non-existent organization and obviously an exercise in political hustling being fronted by one Bishop Azogu, a self-styled prophet and man of God who had most ridiculously and highly irresponsibly once prophesied on October 1, 2020, that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would be removed from office before 2023!
“This same Azogu had in that same year 2020 also predicted victory for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu in the last Edo Governorship election, and when Ize-Iyamu lost, he continued to Prophesy that Ize-Iyamu would still become Governor by court decision! We all know how that turned out.
“It is truly sad that the likes of Azogu and phantom associations like OMPALAN are the latest ruses those hellbent on continuing with illegality and mismanagement of the collective property of the Niger Delta people would be turning to in their desperation.
“We find it most unfortunate that these highly vexatious stunts are being pulled for personal aggrandizement and private gain with scant concern for the sustenance of the fragile peace of the Niger Delta region or regard for the feelings and sensibilities of its people who have had to put up with an NDDC they have neither representation in nor, accountability from.
“The much-touted forensic audit, the reason given for the delay in inaugurating the NDDC board has been concluded. Mr President had assured the people of the Niger Delta that the board he had earlier constituted and had already been screened by the Senate, would be inaugurated immediately after the forensic audit was concluded.
“All these truly shameful shenanigans machinated to distract our President from doing the right thing must stop forthwith and the substantive board of the NDDC immediately inaugurated as promised by President Buhari”.
