Following minor cabinet reshuffling in Federal Executive Council, Niger Delta youth under the auspices of Niger Delta APC Youth Vanguard, ND-APC YV, hailed President Muhammadu Buhari, over the appointment of Umana Umana, as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.
This was contained in a statement signed by the President/National Coordinator, ND-APC YV, Gen, Fiawei Pathfinder and the National Secretary Sir Ak Peters in Abuja at the leadership emergency meeting.
Pathfinder who recalled the impact of Umana as Managing Director of Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, OGFZA, described him as astute administrator, a development expert a technocrat and a transparent focused and disciplined financial expert.
According to the group, the hard work and determination of Umana to transform and reorganize the OGFZ, employments were created for young people in the Niger Delta region, hence reduction in criminality youth restiveness and militancy.
“We commend and appreciate Mr President for his wise wisdom for appointing a man of service and a game changer a financial expert and development expert to head a sensitive Ministry such as the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, especially, at this point the people of the region are yearning and Agitating for the inauguration of the Niger Delta Development Commission which is a regional development federal agency, if constituted the board will as well fastrack development to the people of the region, with Umana’s appointment it is a new dawn in the Niger Delta region because we as a people have so much confidence in the intelectual capacity of Umana’s choice of appointment to oversee the Affairs of the Ministry and that of the NDDC.
“We know his pedigree and antecedents over the years even before he was appointed Director General of Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority, OGFZA, who did marvellously well to transform and generate employment for the teeming youths in the region, His leadership reduced youth restiveness and militancy to a great extent, which led to increased revenue generation of the Buhari-led administration. Your expertise and experience have brought you this recognition, which is well deserved and acceptable by all Niger Deltans.
The APC Youth Group also expressed optimism that the new Minister would drastically change the narrative in the region with massive construction and rehabilitation of infrastructure including human capacity development and youth empowerment programs within the period he will oversee affairs of the region via the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.
‘‘To this end we want to Congratulate the new Minister Of Niger Delta Ministry, Obong Umana Okon Umana for a well deserved appointment, we also assure the Minister that the leadership of Niger Delta APC Youth Vanguard will always throw our full weight behind him and will mobilize all youth groups in the region fully in support of him for a smooth operations in the region’’
