The Niger Delta Development Agenda (NDDA) has called for reconciliation between Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan for the sake of the region’s progress.
At a press briefing in Abuja, NDDA convener Iteveh Nur’ Ekpokpobe explained that the controversy stemmed from the reshuffling of Senate committee leadership, which resulted in Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan from Kogi State being replaced as the chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content by Senator Joel Onowakpo Thomas from Delta State. This change has been the source of much of the recent tension in the Senate.
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The group emphasized that both Akpabio, a Niger Deltan, and Natasha, a wife and daughter-in-law of the region, must put their differences aside to work together for the betterment and development of the Niger Delta.
The statement added, “First, the Niger Delta Development Agenda commends Senate President Akpabio for his leadership and role in safeguarding the interests of the region. We also acknowledge that Senator Natasha’s position as chair of the Local Content Committee was due to her marital ties to the Niger Delta. If the Senate leadership decides to remove her, then that’s their decision.”
The NDDA further stressed that the Niger Delta’s contribution to the country’s economic growth is invaluable and that the chairmanship of the Local Content Committee should remain within the Niger Delta region, given the importance of the oil sector to the region’s development.
