By Idongesit Ashameri / Correspondent, Uyo
Aggrieved by protracted cases of project abandonment in the region by contractors of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), repentant militants in the region have risen against contractors, who collected money for projects but did not execute them to specifications or abandoned the projects completely.
The former militants under the auspices of the Leadership, Peace and Cultural Development Initiative met in Oron, Akwa Ibom State recently to deliberate on issues of concern to the region, reviewed cases of abandoned NDDC projects and decided to constitute themselves into a monitoring team to call the contractors to order.
Addressing the gathering, the President of the group, Gen. Reuben Wilson, said the former freedom fighters decided to take the step because the contractors were running down the NDDC, while denying the Niger Delta people the right to enjoy the development initiatives of the Federal Government.
He therefore advised all contractors who failed to execute NDDC jobs to get ready to make refunds or return to site to do the proper thing.
“The same way we were able to fight the Federal Government and force them to remember the Niger Delta, that same way, we will go after fraudulent NDDC contractors and force them to execute every job faithfully. We will not use guns because we have surrendered them but we will device our own way of peacefully compelling all NDDC contractors to do what is right.
“Let this serve as a warning to all of them who may have abandoned NDDC projects in any of the nine states. We are completing the various projects and will soon publish names of the contractors who have failed to execute the projects after they had been paid. The party is over. We will force them to vomit their loot.
“Their actions are viewed by us as an attempt to discredit the NDDC and by extension, the good efforts of Mr. President. They are the people who have given people the room to call Mr. President names. Never again.
“We have come so that we can cross-fertilise ideas and have a check on those who are supposed to be handling development projects for the benefit of our people. We have come to brainstorm on how we can work together with the NDDC to encourage and support them in their efforts to achieve our dream of total development of the Niger Delta region.
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