Niger Delta Group commends Yar'Adua over PPPRA job

A group, Niger Delta Proactive Coalition (NDPC), has commended President Umaru Yar'Adua for giving nod to the emergence of one Moses Moses Mbaba as the in-coming Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

According to a press statement issued by the National Co-ordinator of the NDPC, Comrade Daniel Udugba, the appointment of Moses Moses Mbaba is a clear demonstration of the desire of Mr.President to redress the injustice suffered by the people of the Niger Delta region in appointments in the oil and gas sector.

"We are indeed very happy when we read about the endorsement of one of our sons as the next Executive Secretary of the PPPRA and we want to sincerely appreciate our dear President Yar'Adua for listening to the cries of our people who have been shut out in key positions in the oil and gas sector", the NDPC leader said.

Moses Moses Mbaba, an indigene of Andoni local government Area of Rivers state is the incumbent PPPRA Acting General Manager Finance and Administration.

The NDPC further noted that the conflicts in the Niger Delta Region would have been nipped in the bud if previous administrations have taken proactive measures beyond lip service to give the people what is due to them.

"The Obasanjo administrations was only interested in organising jamborees presumably to brainstorm on Niger Delta problems in Abuja where he imports selected few and only used the forum to deepen his mastery of theatrics and comedy, using our people he invited as rehearsal audience. Nothing came out of his Abuja jamborees.

"But when President Yar'Adua took over he saw reason in our people's demand for a master plan to develop the long neglected region and he promptly established the Ministry of Niger Delta to effect the development of the region.  When some major appointments were made by the federal government in the oil and gas sector people of the Niger delta were totally omitted for whatever reason.

"This grave omission was pointed out to President Yar'Adua by the respected leaders of our region led by Elder statesman, Edwin Clark. It was such a happy moment for us when we read of the endorsement of one of our sons, Moses Mbaba, as the in-coming Executive Secretary of the PPPRA.

"We commend the President for doing the right thing at the right time and we want to assure him that we shall continue to support his efforts to restore peace and sanity to our region. These conflicts have their root in the long neglect of our region and our people who were hitherto treated as alien natives in their own land.

"Now that Mr. President is treating us as equals in the Nigerian enterprise we shall reciprocate by renewing our support to the government to rid our region of strange elements that have recently hijacked the legitimate struggle of genuine Niger Deltans to lift our region from the shackles of underdevelopment", he said.