The Isoko Nation in Delta State has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to appoint an Isoko man or woman as the managing director of the newly established South South Development Commission (SSDC).
The Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC)secretary, Peter Akarogbe, who appealed to Lagos on behalf of the Isoko Nation, said that the appointment would erase the people’s feeling of alienation.
Akarogbe expressed his concerns that the Isoko Nation has not benefited from any state or federal appointments since the start of this democratic dispensation in 1999.
He also stated that appointing an Isoko individual as the managing director of the SSDC would significantly reassure the people, especially considering that their region produces a daily oil output of 383,478.9 barrels.
The APC chieftain further claimed that the gesture would demonstrate that the Tinubu administration has not forgotten the Isoko Nation.
Other Isoko Indigene present at the media briefing are APC Delta Youth Leader Hyacinth Ewariezi, APC State Welfare Secretary Hoplyn Akpottu-Ayu, and APC Isoko South Local Government Chairman Vincent Egbegbo.
Akarogbe said, “We feel marginalised and neglected. Our people are marginalised all around. In Delta South, of the three major groups, Ijaw occupies the position of Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Itsekiri occupies the Local Content Board and Maritime University. We, the Isoko, have nothing.
“Mind you, Isoko gave the APC so much vote in Delta State in 2023. We are the only ethnic group that produced a senator. It makes selling the party to our people difficult because it looks like ‘Monkey Dey Work, Baboon dey Chop.’
“We are appealing to our President Tinubu to look in the direction of Isoko. We know it is an oversight, and we want to draw Tinubu’s attention to this development because we feel he does not know.
“The SSDC chairman has been appointed, so we are only begging Tinubu to consider an Isoko person as the MD of the commission. Our president should look in our direction by appointing an Isoko person, MD of SSDC.We have eminently qualified sons who have served meritoriously at different levels and will perform well if given the position.’’
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