BNC Passes Votes Of Confidence On Gov. Oshiomhole And Sen. Uzamere, Tasks Edo State NDDC Commissioner 18th July 2014

Rising from our quarterly meeting on the state-of-Edo-oil-producing-communities held on Wednesday 16th July, 2014, the Congress unanimously resorted to champion a harmonious working relations between the newly appointed Commissioner for Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Comrade Governor of Edo State towards bettering the lots of oil producing communities, most of whom are in desperate need of basic amenities like pipe borne water, primary health care, motorable farm roads, conducive schools etc.

The meeting also appraised the determination of Sen. Ehigie Uzamere in ensuring that the interests of the Benins were adequately entrenched in the build-up to the NDDC Commissioner's appointment, as well as his dogged efforts at enthroning the first Benin Vice-Chancellor in the University of Benin. Votes of implicit confidence were passed on Sen. Ehigie Uzamere and Adams Oshiomhole for their steadfastness in projecting and defending the collective interests of their constituencies. The new Commissioner should eschew any form of partisanship in his appraisal of germane projects for Edo South people and Edo State at large; as the State has suffered huge setbacks because of the phenomenal delay in appointing Edo representatives since the creation of the Commission.

Given the quality of socio-cultural orientation that the new Commissioner has imbibed, we, our members and trustees expect a lot from his representation, especially in restoring dignity to the Benins as a foremost oil and gas producing ethnic nationality. In the larger interest of the Benins at home and abroad, a harmonious working relationship between the State Government and the NDDC board is critical to our people's transformation, hence this passionate appeal for a less partisan and patriotic inclination at both ends of the divide. We wish to make clear and unequivocally so, that Senator Uzamere's representation of the Benins in the last seven years has helped in lubricating and galvanizing the Benins into critical public offices that we have been hitherto deprived, and we are full of gratitude.

We also wish to reinstate the Congress's acknowledgement of the Governor's patriotic will in steering the affairs of the State in the last six years, and we vehemently detest the pyramid of miscalculated innuendos and distractions being waged by the opposition against his administration whether from within the State or from the Presidency.

As a socio-cultural group, we cannot shy away from taking a position on diabolic scenarios being masterminded to derail a focused and forward-looking Government of this caliber; and we wish to caution Benin politicians engineering this imbroglio to desist forthwith in order to avoid setting a precarious precedent that will affect the smooth running of a Benin-born Governor's administration in the future.

We are not been unnecessarily Prophetic of dooms-day, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed, hence we have resolved to frontally support any progressive idea(s) for Edo people and the Benins in particular, and so far, the Governor has been fantastically committed, so why the legislative cataclysms by a set of minority members of the State's Assembly, who in our view have been desecrating the altar of justice by ridiculing the State's and Federal judiciary.

On the 2015 and 2016 elections, the Congress will inaugurate a Search-and-Select committee this September to study and publicly endorse credible Benins for the various elective offices. Till then, we urge our elected representatives to be up and doing, in the greater interests of our people.

Dr. David Ekomwenrenren - Director of Publicity and Intelligence.