By: Felix Ikpotor
A group, the South South Youths Initiative , SSYI, has called on the Rivers State Governor, Siminialayi Fubara to remove Ambassador Desmond Akawor as chairman of the Palliatives Sharing Committee.
Fubara had Thursday, acknowledged the receipt of N2Billion and 16,800 bags of rice as subsidy palliatives from the federal government.
He had subsequently, appointed a sharing committee headed by the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Desmond Akawor.
But the South South Youths Initiative said the decision to appointment Akawor to chair the committee is not in the interest of the entire state.
Fubara while inaugurating the committee said the N2bn came from the federal government while the rice was put together and shared among states by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF).
On why he appointed Amb Desmond Akawor, Chairman, Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to chair the Palliative Distribution Committee, the governor said, “It is not because he is PDP Chairman, but because he is quite knowledgeable in handling this kind of assignments and he does them very well. I have also taken the time to bring members of the EXCO in on this team.
“This is a call to service. Take it as a very serious assignment, as whatever you are doing will definitely rub off on us as a government”.
SSYI in a statement by its National President, comrade Saviour Imeabe Oscar said they are worried that in spite the trust that the Governor Siminialaye Fubara would represent conscience and understanding, he has resumed the path politicians are known for.
He said: “We condemn in totality the appointment of the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Amb. Desmond Akawor, to chair the Palliative Sharing Committee set up by the State Government to share the N2 billion and th2 16,000 bags of rice released for the poorest of the poor in the state.
“From the outline of the federal government, it is clear that the palliative is far way from politics, so we wonder the reason the governor of Rivers State would play around known politicians in the state in the process of making these palliatives available to the right people.
“The appointment of Desmond Akawor is not welcomed in the state because it will breach the principle of fair play. Akawor is the chairman of PDP. There is no way he will not bring party into this mandate given to him; there is no way Akawor will perform beyond party affinity,” he said.
“If he is allowed to carrying on with this responsibility, what will be the fate of those in opposition to his party?
“The Local Government chairmen, appointed to take care of the local government sharing are also chieftains of the PDP. How is it possible that they will share this palliative without recourse to party affiliations?, the group querried.
The group demanded the immediate removal of Akawor as chairman of the committee and in his stead, a person without any known poitical affiliation be appointed.
“ We are calling on Governor Fubara to with immediate effect remove Amb. Desmond Akawor as the chairman of the palliative distribution in the state because, the people of the state lack confidence that he can do the job without shutting out those who are to benefit, but are members of other political parties.
“We think that Fubara should be the governor of Rivers State and not a PDP representative in that office. If he wants to serve the state then he should not start by bringing those who represent party to handle sensitive public responsibilities like this palliative distribution.
“The governor should stop considering politics in his dealings with Rivers people. He is thinking politics before governance and this will be the point of his administration’s failure.
“The Leadership of South South Youths Initiative wants to be involved in the distribution of these palliatives. We want to know those that will benefit and those that will not benefit. We want Gov. Fubara to involve interested persons that are willing to be part of the process in order for there to be transparency in the sharing. We want to ensure that the palliatives get to the right persons that need them and that it is not used as a political gift to party members”.
“We urge Gov. Fubara to purge himself of this seeming bias by immediately removing Amb. Desmond Akawor as the Chairman of the Palliative Sharing Committee and replacing him with some who is not a card-carrying member of any political party, to ensure that people of the state get this dividend of democracy,” the group said.
