Politics

Revisit 2014 National Conference Report, South-South leaders tell Tinubu, NASS

South-South leaders, represented by the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), have called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to revisit the 2014 National Conference Report for possible implementation of its recommendations.

Following an extraordinary emergency meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday, the forum reiterated its commitment to a stable, united, and peaceful Nigeria, based on the principles of equity, fairness, and justice through comprehensive restructuring of the country.

While acknowledging some positive steps taken by the Tinubu administration, PANDEF insisted that more urgent actions are needed to alleviate the economic burdens faced by ordinary citizens of the country.

The communiqué issued at the end of the meeting noted the appointment of some Niger Delta representatives to statutory positions by Tinubu. However, it expressed concern that the Niger Delta region remains largely underrepresented and called on the president to address this disparity.

PANDEF specifically called for the appointment of someone from any of the six South-South states as the next Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), emphasizing that failing to do so would be a disservice to the Niger Delta people.

The forum condemned the perceived marginalization of Niger Delta indigenes in key management positions at NNPC and cited recent “Pipeline Maintenance Contracts” awarded by NNPC Ltd., excluding qualified firms from the Niger Delta.

PANDEF also urged the federal government to support and encourage artisanal refineries and stop criminalizing them. This support is seen as a means to provide gainful employment to the region’s youths, considering the government’s plans to legalize illegal mining of solid minerals.

The leaders expressed concern over the state of infrastructure in the Niger Delta and demanded immediate reconstruction of various road networks, including the East-West Road, Eleme-Onne, Ahoada-Mbiama-Kaiama, Benin-Sapale-Warri Road, and others. They also called for the extension of the Warri-Itakpe Railway to Abuja and the acceleration of work on the Port Harcourt-Enugu-Maiduguri Rail line.

PANDEF encouraged South-South governors to work together for the region’s benefit and to revive the activities of the BRACED (Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo, and Delta) Commission.

The forum commended the efforts of the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, General Barry Ndiomu (rtd), and expressed satisfaction with the recent appointment of a new Board and Management for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by President Tinubu’s administration.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Edwin Clark, PANDEF’s National Leader, and attended by PANDEF National Chairman, Emmanuel Ibok Essien, members of the PANDEF Board of Trustees, national and state officers, former national and state legislators, governors, ministers, and other key stakeholders.

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