By Amgbare Ekaunkumor, Yenagoa
The umbrella body of all Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youths Council Worldwide has faulted as “provocation and u justifiable” the comment credited to the National Security Adviser(NSA), Babagana Monguno over the alleged N712 Billion wastage on the presidential amnesty program.
The Ijaw Youth Council through its spokesman Comr. Ebilade Ekerefe said the NSA has no justifiable reason to discredit a program that has sustained peace and stabilized oil production in the once hostile and volatile Niger Delta region.
According to Erekefe, “While we agree that corruption was one of the factors which derailed the PAP like every other federal government agency or parastatals, the fact still remains that the program has never been a priority under the Buhar’s government and so therefore, the NSA is trying to justify the intended plans to abruptly terminate the amnesty program which has failed to address its comprehensive mandate, which includes the aggressive development of the Niger Delta region.”
“If the NSA is alluding that the federal government has wasted N712 billion on the amnesty program in the last 11years, he should be hold to account also because that program has been under his direct supervision in the last five years and he has unilaterally recommended his associates from the region for appointment to the president without the inputs of stakeholders”
Ekerefe, pointed out that at the peak of the crisis in the Niger delta before the amnesty deal, oil production was an all time low. The production capacity was less than 1.2 million barrel per day. Today, the production capacity of Nigeria has increased to 2.5 million barrrel of crude oil per day. A differential of 1.3 million barrels per day; making Nigeria the largest producer of oil in Africa and 6th in the world. Can the federal government account for all these billions of dollars? With this statistics, stakeholders from the region are suppose to be commended by the NSA for the concerted efforts put in place to ensuring that there is sustained peace and security in the region.
“We know the stupendous amount of petrodollar money which has accrued the coffers of the federal government within this 11years period and there’s absolutely nothing to show in our region, while all the ongoing gigantic infrastructural developments going on in the north are proceeds from our crude”
“There’s no tangible development in our region that you can point to this government. This government has disappointed the people of the Niger Delta and it is gradually getting to a crescendo level. This government promised to cleanup Ogboni with nothing to show up till this moment. This government directed IOC’s to relocate to the Niger Delta and that presidential directive was not obeyed. This government promised to build modular refineries for our jobless and restive youths to be engaged but yet, no implementation of that policy. Even the East-west road which approval of N20 billion was made for its completion, yet, nothing to show. Everything about this government to the people of the Niger Delta are all on the realm of fake promises and these are some of the factors that breeds endemic agitations from the region”
“Again, nobody is saying that the amnesty program should stay forever, the program has a specific timeline and it’s not the fault of the ex agitators that they’ve not been fully reintegrated back to the society. What the federal government should do now is to call for a critical stakeholders meeting of the region with a view of discussing the current realities and come up with a consensus position. With the look of things, the federal government will just wake up one morning and terminate PAP which may perhaps do more arm than good”
