By Emma Arubi
Warri- The President of the Human Security Initiative Pathfinder for Security, Peace and Development (HUSIPED), a non-governmental organization based in Delta State, Comrade David Reje today (Tuesday) warned against further bombing and destruction of oil and gas facilities by militants in the Niger Delta region, saying that the move is counter-productive as it inflicts more suffering and pains on the people they want to liberate.
Comrade Reje who spoke in Warri against the background by militants to re-strategize for another round of bombing and destruction, following what they termed Government insincerity over their promise to develop the region stated that “the government is only interested in getting oil revenue from the region that feeds the whole nation and better the lot of other regions outside the Niger Delta with social amenities”.
According to him, “The treasury looters are daily busy looting the money from the oil of the region. It’s too painful to bear in any democratic society. On daily basis the people of region gets more and more frustrated and aggressive. We are being denied and deprived of our God given natural endowments meant for our development as it is being taken away forcefully by the Nigerian state”, he explained.
“But my advice to the avengers is that resume attack on oil facilities and platform will further pollute the environment that will in the future badly affect the lives of the people without any remedy. Let’s not destroy ourselves by polluting the environment by bombing oil installations. You don’t liberate your people by putting them into suffering. Let’s patiently wait and plan creatively well to effect a change through the ballot with all it takes and we can to just do that”, he cautioned.
While expressing regret that long after the Vice-President tour of the riverine oil bearing communities the Federal Government have failed to put up a dialogue team to discuss with the leadership of the region, saying that “it shows insincerity on the path of government to be sensitive to human security issues being faced by people of the region. People may make reference to the granting of amnesty which is commendable but has that changed the situation that is so perennial, ravaging and dehumanizing of the people. It still remains no portable water, accessible roads, continuous degradation and pollution of the environment, near absence of health care facilities even as lack of conducive learning atmosphere is still common place in the region.
‘‘We are aware of the avoidance and denial approach of the federal government to the burning issues of the Niger Delta that brought about the re-emergence of militancy by the Avengers at the inscription of this government. The vice president toured the region and made promises but nothing has been done to fulfilling his promises. PANDEF took it upon itself to put pressure on the boys to sheat their sword and stop the bombing of oil’’ he said.
