By Chuks Onuoha
The President of Niger Delta Youth Peace Builders, Comrade Chibuike Emmanuel has said that the call by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, for expansion of the Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprises Program in the Niger Delta, LIFE-ND is a welcome development. Comrade Emmanuel, who was elated about the call described the Acting Managing Director as a round peg in a round hole .Elated Emmanuel , who has not been happy about the way the programme was being piloted urged the Acting Managing Director to use his good office to ensure that this program, designed to engage Youths and Women in productive activities, relating to commercial Agriculture, is thoroughly implemented and spread out to reach the grassroots and the indigenous farmers of the Niger Delta region.It could be recalled that in his recent statement, the Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Engr Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua called for the expansion of the programme to reach the grassroots and the indigenous farmers of the Niger Delta where the impact will be truly felt.Comrade Emmanuel said that it is in such areas that the impact of such a noble programme will truly be felt.“In the past, such opportunities becomes an avenue for those in charge to fill in their family members and cronies, thereby denying the true beneficiaries, for whom the programme was developed the benefit and objective of the project”.The youth leader, who advised that such attitude should be guarded against, applauded the NDDC for living up to their interventionist status in their current move to provide flood relief fund to the nine State under the commission.According to Emmanuel, it is no longer news that the Niger Delta states were submerged by floods, which destroyed their sources of livelihood, leaving the affected communities and residents in untold hardship.He explained that the flood relief fund provided by NDDC to the nine Niger Delta states and NDDC staff who’s welfare and commitment have been met is the key to the successes of NDDC,that will go a long way to alleviate the hardship of the victims of the flood .He urged the Acting MD to ensure even distribution of the fund to the right people, who have suffered poverty and hardship as a result of the disaster.“There’s no State that is an exception and none should be more favoured than the other,” he advised and thanked the Acting for remembering the staff of NDDC who are both directly and indirectly affected by the menace of the flood, to be included them as beneficiaries of the fund. END
