By: Felix Ikpotor
People of Ogoniland in Rivers State have demonstrated that they are happy with the pronouncement of Chief Derek Mene as Executive Director Designate, Finance and Administration of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, by President Muhammadu Buhari last week.
The people displayed their satisfaction with the move by the president when scores of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, members dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Mogho community Gokana Local Government Area of the state.
Most of the defectors say their intention to move to the party was partly because of the person and character of Derek Mene whom they described as a worthy son of the area, adding that the gesture by the President was first of its kind since the creation of the interventionist agency as no Ogoni son or daughter has ever been appointed to such a high office in the commission.
They also said the recent approval by President Muhammadu Buhari for the setting up of governing council and management board to commence the process of the implementation of UNEP REPORT on Ogoniland was another spur to their decision to dump the PDP for APC in the state.
The over 500 defectors said the present government in Rivers State instead of adding value and bringing development to Ogoni has rather neglected and underdeveloped the people of the area.
They decried the governor’s recent degrading of the only economic source of the people (Bori polytechnic), while also thanking President Buhari for remembering Ogoni for development.
They noted that the coming on board of Derek Mene as Executive Director, Finance and Administration of the agency would bring a lot of good to Ogoni as they said Mene is a known philanthropist and a man with a large heart that has positively touched many lives across party lines in Ogoniland and Rivers State.
While receiving the decampees, APC candidate for the yet to be conducted rerun election for Rivers South East Senatorial District, Magnus Abe and the governorship candidate of the APC, Hon. Asita Honourable assured them of equal opportunities and more benefits in the party, urging them to vote massively for APC in the forthcoming rerun election as they have promised.
