By Amos Okioma
Niger Delta youth leaders have urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to implement the palliatives pledged by Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, during his tour to the region.
The youths made the appeal when the leadership of the Niger Delta Ex-Agitators Forum and Niger Delta Non-Violent Youth Leaders Assembly paid a courtesy visit to Mr Kennedy Tonjo-West in Yenagoa.
Tonjo-West is the Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa State Governor on
Niger Delta Youth Matters.
Prince Amaibi Horny, who spoke for the ex-agitators under the amnesty
Scheme, noted that the region was awaiting the implementation of the promises made during the acting president’s visit.
Horny pointed out that most of the palliatives aimed at stabilising the Niger Delta region and consolidating the peace process lied within the purview of the NNPC.
According to him, after several months of conclusion of the tour, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Maikente Baru, was yet to take steps to move forward.
“It is shocking to know that since Maikente Baru assumed office at NNPC he has not initiated or implemented any project or programme that will deepen the existing peace painstakingly put in place by the president.
“The current peace is due to extensive consultative engagement by the Acting President’s dialogue with stakeholders during his tour of the region.
“Instead of commencing some of the projects and issues narrated by youths and people of the region in this period of peace to upgrade his score card, the GMD feels very unconcern about the plight of the region.
“His only interest is to waste the scare resources in the white elephant
project of search for oil in the North East, we challenge Baru to come out clean and show the public the companies benefiting from seismic activities in the North.
“It is unfair to be taking resources from the Niger Delta and neglecting
the region,” Horny said.
Mr. Tonye Jeminimiema, who spoke for Niger Delta Non Violent Youth Leaders Assembly, noted that Dr Ibe Kachikwu had traversed the region, promising that President Buhari administration was committed to developing the Niger Delta. Jeminimiema urged the Acting President to prevail on NNPC to step up its
activities to redeem federal government’s pledge to the region during his tour which includes the establishment of modular refineries.
He said that it was evident that the peace deal had resulted in the increase of crude output from 1.2 million barrels to 2 million barrels after the peace deal but regretted that the NNPC was yet to fulfil its part of the accord.
In his response, Tonjo-West appealed to the youths in the region to exercise patience, adding that plans were ongoing to open a window for discuss with the stakeholders. According to him, Chief of Defence Staff, National Assembly, Minister of State, Petroleum and the Group Managing Director of NNPC himself to look the issues objectively and iron out the grey areas.
“My fear is that If the government pays deaf ear to these complains,
crisis is inevitable and one can imagine where that will lead us to, more especially when the country is passing through a difficult phase in its nationhood,” he said.
Tonjo-West commended the Bayelsa governor for the establishment of the state vigilante group, the Bayelsa state volunteer, to strengthen security in the
State.
He also applauded the Rivers State government for empowerment of youth-based land and water way surveillance to boost security in the state and the security agencies in the region for their dogged approach to curbing crime. He said that there was a need for the federal government to team up with governors in Niger Delta states for a holistic development of the region.
