ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Aggrieved leaders and elders of different ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta have protested against alleged Federal Government’s marginalisation and maltreatment of the region.
The peaceful protesters, under the auspices of Presidents-General of Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities (CPG-NDEN), on Wednesday, marched kilometres to the Bayelsa State Government House gate to ventilate their anger on what they described as the Federal Government’s insensitivity to the plight of the people of the region.
The protesting ethnic groups comprised the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Isoko Progressive Union (IPU), Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Itsekiri Leaders of Thoughts (ILT), Ndokwa Progressive Union, Ibibio Union, Ikwere Ethnic Group, among others.
The protesting leaders were received at the Government House gate by Secretary to the State Government, Dr Konbowei Benson and many members of the state executive council.
President, CPG-NDEN, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, who led other leaders in the protest march, alleged that many of the Federal Government’s policies and programmes were against the people of the Niger Delta.
Okaba, who appreciated the governors of the region on their stance on anti-open grazing policy, reiterated that cattle rearing was an individual business and must not be done at the expense of other people’s livelihood.
He supported the governors in their demand for a minimum of 50 per cent as derivation, wondering why the derivation that was 100 per cent in 1946 and 50 per cent in 1960 was brought down to 13 per cent because it is oil revenue.
Okaba, who is also the President, INC, said: “As a people, we have watched over the years how the Nigerian state has maltreated us to the extent of making poverty part of our lifestyles. We produce the oil and gas that sustain this country. Since 1958, oil and gas produced in our communities have been the mainstay of the Nigerian economy yet we are underdeveloped.
“Paradoxically, we are visited with anger, hunger, frustration, disillusionment and marginalisation. In fact, we are the negative end of what we produce in this nation. We have met several groups, we have written petitions, we have read out communiqués but it is like all of these are falling on deaf ears.
“The ethnic nationalities of Niger Delta have decided today to come on a protest march to register our displeasure over the perpetual maltreatment of our people. As we speak, the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) that has a paltry three per cent to our people and a whopping 30 per cent for exploration of resources outside the region has been passed despite the cries of our people.”
He said the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) that was established to bring about succour and development to the people had now become the property of an individual.Â
He said that for the past six years, the board of the NDDC had not been inaugurated, noting that from one stage to the other, the commission had been having interim administrations thereby leaving it as a private property of an individual.
He said the sad development had denied the people of the region representation and that even as the commission had no board, it had been awarding contracts, employing people and doing all manner of things.
He stated: “In fact, we were all witnesses to the drama in the Senate whereby large amounts of money was spent during the Covid-19 era, where people fainted, not able to defend the budget and there was a drama of ‘off the mic’.
“Government’s excuse was that there was a forensic audit. The audit report had been presented four months ago. We are telling the government that they have spent public resources to undertake the audit, let us see the result of the exercise, let us know the persons that spent the N6 trillion, let us know the faces behind the over 3,000 abandoned projects.
“They said the NDDC was bedevilled by corruption; now that they have taken the responsibility of unveiling the corruption, let us know the people that were involved. We are demanding the constitution of the board. The board must be put in place without further delay!
“We say no to the NNPC road projects. Everything about NNPC is about oil and gas and we produce the oil and gas. We cannot therefore accept the Federal Government awarding over a thousand kilometres of roads and a paltry 81 kilometres is allocated to the Southsouth.
“NNPC is awarding roads, none to Bayelsa, none to Rivers, none to Delta, none to Edo State, none to Akwa Ibom, it is unacceptable. You cannot use our oil and build roads elsewhere. We are already angry that our resources are used to build railways to Niger Republic, we are already angry that our resources are used to put up heavy structures elsewhere, to build refineries elsewhere while the refineries within our land are not working. Enough is enough!
“We consider this as an abomination. The iniquities of the Federal Government against the Niger Delta is getting too much. The time has come for us to move beyond rhetoric, the time has come for us to take action and we are taking this protest as a note of warning to the Federal Government that enough is enough. What we are demanding is our right, what we are demanding is what is due us. We cannot have the places by God and be suffered by men.”
He said the protest march was starting in Bayelsa and would be taken to all the Niger Delta states.
Receiving the protest letter from Okaba, Bayelsa SSG, Konbowei Benson, promised the protesting Niger Delta leaders that the state government would do justice and due deligence to what they had presented.
Benson said: “The deputy governor is in town. We will pass the message on to the deputy governor who will in turn deliver it to Governor Douye Diri for onward passage to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We assure you that the governor, who has always been part of the struggle, will pass on this message without fear or favour. With the mind that he has been working with for the development of the Niger Delta and Ijaw people, we will give you feedback. Thank you for the peaceful protest. We are with you in the struggle for the development of the Niger Delta.”