The Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Third Phase, Presidential Amnesty Programme, has kicked against alleged non-inclusion in the capacity building activities organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, widely referred to as the Local Content Board.
The group accused the NCDMB Executive Secretary, Felix Ogbe, of alleged ethnic bias.
This was contained in a statement signed by the National Chairman of the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Third Phase, Presidential Amnesty Programme, ‘General’ Preye Ekpebide, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri on Friday.
The statement alleged that the NCDMB boss has been engaging in “gross marginalisation of the Ijaw people, a core oil-producing ethnic group in the Niger Delta, by deliberately excluding them from critical capacity-building, training, and employment opportunities provided under the NCDMB mandate.”
It added that “His pattern of operation is an unacceptable breach of the principles of fairness, equity, and federal character.”
While warning that continued exclusion of the Ijaw people from strategic national agencies like the NCDMB could rekindle grievances and destabilise the peace currently enjoyed in the oil-rich region, the group called on President Bola Tinubu, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, and all relevant authorities to “take immediate corrective action by relieving Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe of his position and appointing a leader who embodies competence, integrity, and inclusivity in line with the vision of the Nigerian Content Development initiative.”
“The Niger Delta cannot afford a return to the days of exclusion, marginalisation, and unrest”, the group declared.
“Our people demand fairness. Our people deserve equity. And our development must reflect the collective aspirations of every community in the Niger Delta, not just the interests of a select few”, it insisted.
The statement partly reads, “The Executive Secretary has been running a covert agenda that focuses primarily on the training and empowerment of his own Itsekiri kinsmen, as if the office exists solely for the benefit of one ethnic group.
“This ethnic bias not only undermines the spirit of the Nigerian Content Act, which was designed to create inclusive economic opportunities for all Niger Delta communities, but also threatens the fragile peace that the federal government and stakeholders have painstakingly built in the region since the inception of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in 2009.”
The group contrasted Ogbe’s leadership with what they described as the inclusive and visionary approach of Chief Dr. Dennis Burutu Otuaro, the current Sole Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme.
Also, the group commended Otuaro “for fully integrating all ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta, including the Itsekiri, Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, and others, into PAP’s training, education, and empowerment initiatives”.
“This is the hallmark of effective leadership: prioritising unity, shared growth, and sustainable development over narrow tribal interests”, the group stated, adding that “true leadership in the Niger Delta must reflect the diversity of the region, ensuring that no ethnic group is left behind.”
Efforts by our correspondent to reach Ogbe, or other management staff of the Board, for comments on the allegations were not fruitful as of the time of filing this report.
