Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa
The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) worldwide, yesterday tasked the federal government and Niger Delta governors on the implementation of the 2014 constitutional conference report, which it said encouraged fiscal federalism.
The ground also urged International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other relevant agencies to immediately begin the relocation of oil companies’ headquarters back to the region.
IYC in a new year message to President Bola Tinubu and Niger Delta governors, also sought the rapid development of the region.
A statement signed by its spokesman, Binebai Princewill, called for sustainable peace in the region and the nation at large, saying that peace remains the panacea for development which the region needs urgently.
It assured that it will continue to do all within its powers to preach peace, believing that the federal government and its allies will be fair and just to the Ijaw people and other minorities in Nigeria in their quest for a decent life.
Among the issues highlighted in the press release, the IYC said it was sad that 25 years after its formation via the Kaiama Declaration on December 11, 1998, there was still no headway in its quest for fiscal federalism.
It said: “The Ijaw people and Niger Delta people cannot continue to be exploited politically and economically in the Nigerian state without justice. As Nigeria is talking about sustainable peace, we should be talking about sustainable justice.
“Today, in Zamfara and other states, they are mining gold and the proceeds from gold are not being shared. The federal government has been mute over this grave injustice while our oil and gas is made public.
“These are some of the anomalies that need to be corrected if we are to really move forward as a country. If our oil and gas can be shared across the country, why can’t the gold be shared?”
The IYC called on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Niger Delta Ministry and other related agencies to begin the physical manifestation of projects in communities in the region.
“There should be no excuse this time around for our places to be developed. Niger Delta development has been stagnated for too long. Council will continue to engage with these authorities frequently in ensuring that the right thing is done for our people.
‘’All roads leading to the Niger Delta are all bad, the federal ministry of works should waste no time in swinging into action by urgently rehabilitating the East-West Road, particularly the Rivers, Bayelsa to Delta portion of the road.
“IYC don’t want to believe that it will get to a point where we will be storming the streets and halting activities before the right thing will be done by fixing our roads and developing our places,” the statement added.
On the IOCs, the body called on the oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to begin to activate plans to relocate their headquarters back to the region as the Ijaw people cannot continue to accept such injustice.
The statement added that three per cent allocated in the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) to host communities was an aberration.
“We will study the PIA again and assemble our team to resist this injustice that is meted out on our people. This to us is one of the most draconian laws in Nigeria since the advent of democracy. We cannot accept this without challenging it. We are calling for increment of the percentage..
“While IYC will continue to work closely with security agencies and other critical stakeholders in the region to foster and sustain peace and unity in Nigeria, we are also tasking the military to always be professional in dealing with the Niger Delta communities as we have witnessed too much bombardment of defenceless communities,” the statement added.
