• info@ijawnation.org
  • Ekise No. 2 Quarters, Patani, Delta State, Nigeria.
 Ijaw Youths Threaten to Resist Exclusion of Niger Delta from N621bn NNPC Road Projects

Ijaw Youths Threaten to Resist Exclusion of Niger Delta from N621bn NNPC Road Projects

THIS DAY

Ijaw youths from the nine states of the Niger Delta region have warned President Muhammadu Buhari not to test the resolve of the people of the region over the ‘deliberate neglect and exclusion’ of the area in infrastructural development by his administration.

The Ijaw youths said despite the fact that the region produces the oil and gas wealth used by the federal government to embark on infrastructural development initiatives in the country, six of the core Niger Delta states were excluded from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) road projects.

The youths under the umbrella of the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide through its National Spokesman, Ebilade Ekerefe, said the resolve of the Ijaw nation on the lopsided sharing pattern of the roads to be constructed by the present administration between northern and southern Nigeria and the exclusion of other vital federal roads particularly in Bayelsa State is the last straw that would break the camel’s back.

The youth body said despite the years of peaceful and intellectual agitations by the Ijaw youths under the administration of President Buhari, the present administration has continued to rob Peter (Niger Delta) to pay Paul (other regions), suggesting that the region may change tactics in order to confront the federal government.

The IYC in the statement issued at the weekend also took a swipe at the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, over his purported lackluster posture, which led to the exclusion of federal roads in Bayelsa State in the proposed 21 roads to be undertaken by the NNPC covering 1804.6km at a cost of N621.2billion tax liabilities.

The group said: “For us in the IYC, it did not make sense for NNPC to spend N621.2billion tax liabilities on road projects, wondering where the money would come from. Is it not from the coastal states, creeks and oil wells of the Niger Delta? What are the benefits of oil exploration if the Niger Delta people are alienated from the benefits of the wealth generated from our backyard?

“We are amazed by the boldness of the Buhari administration to allocate, out of 1804.6 kilometres of road to be constructed by NNPC, only 288.22 km was allocated to the South, while 1,516.38 km of roads was allocated to the North. Shockingly, they announced a mere rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road in Cross River State Section I; Odukpani-Itu head bridge in Cross River/Akwa Ibom States; 21.9km, dualisation of the outstanding portion of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene lot 2. 32km and the dualisation of Oku-Iboku Power Plant Section of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom State 28 km.

“A mere 52.2 kilometre of road rehabilitation and dualisation was allocated to Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom States out of the six states of the Niger Delta. If the National Assembly and the Nigerian must know, ‘President Buhari is robbing Peter to pay Paul’. If the Niger Delta people decide to severe the wealth supply, no one should blame us. We will no longer consult or give an ultimatum, but to shock Nigeria for the injustice and marginalisation meted out on our people. We have been patient enough!”

The IYC also expressed doubt over the promises made by the federal government on the Brass Fertilizer company, the Brass LNG, and the modular refinery, insisting that it may be a fluke if such an important Nembe-Brass road project is not included in the proposed road projects to be undertaken by the NNPC where the Minister of State for Petroleum oversees.

“It is evident that Bayelsa State and other states of the region are no longer an area of interest to the President Buhari administration. And we wonder what the federal ministers from the region, especially Sylva, are still doing in the cabinet of Buhari, who does not mean well for his region. Is Sylva and others claiming not to be aware that they have been incapacitated from making input in the numbers of roads to be constructed by the NNPC?”

“It must be pointed out that when the IYC called for a town hall meeting with the Minister of State, Sylva, over the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), it was not only to listen to rhetoric on the Act but to deliberate on the possible ways the youths will work with cabinet ministers from the region to get results in the President Buhari administration. But now, we have discovered that the ministers from the region and the administration are irredeemable. We, therefore, call on President Buhari to direct NNPC to revisit this injustice and review the approved roads to adequately include substantial federal roads in the Niger Delta that are begging for urgent attention,” the group stated.

On the recent invasion of Justice Mary Odili residence by Nigerian security agents, the IYC joined others to condemn the action, declaring that it is a clear mockery of the country’s democracy and the principle of separation of power.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *