President Muhammadu Buhari has been pleaded with to prevail on International Oil and Gas Companies in the Niger Delta region to commit funds for the accelerated human and physical development of the region.
The group made the call against the backdrop of the Federal Government’s directive compelling multinational oil companies to send funds to the Internally Displaced Persons in the North East.
The government had reportedly directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, National Petroleum Investment Management Service and
The spokesman, IYC, Mr Daniel Dasimake, therefore, urged President Buhari to extend the same gesture to the Niger Delta people.
Dasimaka in a statement on Saturday said while Ijaw youths were not opposed to the development of any region in Nigeria, it was only fair and just that the Federal Government direct the oil companies to contribute more to the development of the Niger Delta.
According to him, the Niger Delta region is most negatively impacted by the activities of the international oil companies.
According to him, the Niger Delta region is most negatively impacted by the activities of the international oil companies.
He said, “Although the North-East is a victim of its own destruction, Ijaws have nothing against any plans to help IDPs and to develop the region.
”However, we find it quite traumatic that the government and its agencies that have never considered for over 60 years, to instruct the
”However, we find it quite traumatic that the government and its agencies that have never considered for over 60 years, to instruct the oil companies ‘devastating’ our once very fertile lands and rivers thereby dislocating our local economies, are today instructing IOCs to contribute to the development of the North East which was destroyed by its own homegrown terrorism.
”But at the same time, the Federal Government has remained mute about the development of the Niger Delta where the oil companies get the resources that are being directed to be siphoned to the North East. It is a known historical truth that the Niger Delta has suffered far worse than the IDPs in the North East.
“We are therefore calling on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachukwu, Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and the heads of all relevant agencies overseeing the oil and gas as well as maritime industry in Nigeria to instruct all operators in these sectors to contribute to the development of the Niger Delta.
”Although, we are aware that the NNPC/NAPIMS’s directive is another wealth transfer scheme, given that the Federal Government will share in the contributions based on its equity stake in the joint venture operations, we are therefore calling on the Federal Government to also compel the oil companies to extend such intervention to settle and rehabilitate the IDPs in many Ijaw communities that have been devastated by reprisals from the Nigerian military.
”Also, the gesture should be extended to the people of Bakassi, who are Nigeria’s first IDPs as well as IDPs in the Middle Belt who have
”Also, the gesture should be extended to the people of Bakassi, who are Nigeria’s first IDPs as well as IDPs in the Middle Belt who have been displaced by the Fulani herdsmen menace. We are aware that the NNPC is the Federal Government’s concessionaire in the oil ventures, and would inevitably pay from its share as part of the operating costfor the year.”
He said as the Federal Government is planning to transfer the region’s oil wealth to develop the North East, it should also do well to spend more in the Niger Delta in order to maintain the peace caused by the marginalisation of the region.
To this end, Dasimaka said the youth were still waiting on the Presidency to enforce its directive to oil companies to relocate their operational headquarters in the country to the Niger Delta.
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