A Niger Delta region group, Progressive Grassroots Forum (PGF) has said it would not hesitate to initiate a recall of Hon. Nicholas Ossai, member representing Ndokwa/Ukwani federal constituency in Delta State and Chairman, Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, should he continue to probe the loan facility from China which would be used to construct the Lagos-Calabar railway project.
The group also condemned in totality the move by Hon. Ossai and some leaders in the region serving in the National Assembly to deny the region developmental strides of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.
According to a statement made available to Transport Day in Abuja, PGF berated Hon. Nicholas Ossai for acting in a manner capable of depriving the region of the coastal rail project which connects Lagos to Calabar and other parts of the South-south region.
It also described as uncharitable the way in which Hon. Nicolas Ossai was handling the investigation, noting that any attempt to truncate the realization of the railway project meant for the people of the area would be vehemently rejected.
The group wondered why a lawmaker from the region who ought to have used his position to cooperate with the Minister of Transportation to bring about the success of the railway project to the people would now become a hindrance to the project.
The statement added “We must join hands to condemn the move by some Niger Delta Leaders to deny us our share of the developmental strides of the current administration as deserved.
We are not happy that our own son, Hon. Nicholas Ossai is the one questioning the rationality of the loans for the proposed rail project coming to the South-South.
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“We are particularly disturbed by the development. How on earth would our own brother elected to bring about developments in the region turn against his own people by probing the loan which would bring about overall developments to our people, even when he knows that probing the loan can scare the Chinese from granting Nigeria the loan thereby denying us the project?
“For the avoidance of doubt, let it be made clear that we are not in any way stopping the committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements from performing its job, what we are saying is that the committee chaired by Hon. Ossai should suspend the probe until the loan facility is granted by China.
“The Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has said it repeatedly that should the committee continue with the probe, it may scare the Chinese from granting Nigeria the loan meant for the coastal rail line.
“So it is in this regard that we are calling on the committee Chairman and his members to suspend forthwith, the probe until the loan is granted, to enable the South-south region benefit from the railway project”, it said.
While calling on prominent leaders of the region to call Hon. Ossai to order, the Progressive Grassroots Forum (PGF) warned that any further attempt by Hon. Ossai and his co-travellers to deny the region developments meant for them under the present administration would not be tolerated.
Recall that the Minister of Transportation Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi had in a public hearing of the committee, said the country stand the chance of losing the loan should the National Assembly continue its probe on the project.
The PGF further commended the Transportation Minister for his commitment to job delivery and advised him to continue to push for developments in the South-south region.
