Niger Delta leaders meet Buhari, demand oil blocs
Chairman, Akwa Ibom Council of Chiefs, Dr. Effiong Archianga (left); Amayanabo of Twom Brass, Alfred Diete-Spiff; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; President Muhammadu Buhari; Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and other Niger Delta leaders, during the meeting of the Niger Delta stakeholder and traditional rulers at the State House, Abuja …yesterday. PHOTO: PHILIP OJISUA
• Want relocation of firms’ offices to region
• Enforcement of gas flaring deadline, action on maritime varsity
• Reduction of military presence
• Creation of industrial corridor
President Muhammadu Buhari and some prominent leaders and stakeholders in the Niger Delta yesterday began to find lasting solutions to the crises in the oil-rich region.
As part of the move, President Buhari hosted the leaders at the Presidential Villa where they demanded that they be considered in the allocation and ownership of oil wells. The Niger Delta leaders specifically outlined a 16-point agenda which they presented to Buhari towards halting militancy in their area.
Among those present at the meeting were traditional rulers, other prominent elders, service chiefs and ministers appointed from the region.
Addressing State House Correspondents after the meeting, former Military Administrator of old Rivers State, King Diete-Spiff, the Amanayabo of Twon-Brass said: “We want the Federal Government to enunciate policies and actions that will address the lack of participation as well as imbalance in the ownership of oil and gas assets.”
Joined at the briefing by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and former Minister of Information and elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark, Diete-Spiff said other demands contained in the document presented to President Buhari were the need for the enforcement of the zero gas flaring deadline, approval for the takeoff of the maritime university in Delta State and award of pipeline surveillance contracts to the communities.
The leaders also demanded the immediate relocation of the administrative and operational headquarters of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to the Niger Delta.Other demands include the resolution of a number of pending laws and justice issues regarding some aggrieved groups and individuals, restructuring and funding of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to ensure they refocus as true interventionist organisations as well as the implementation of a comprehensive resettlement plan to reduce the risk of making the region a stateless people. The Niger Delta leaders said government must improve power supply in the region hence the need for a power plan.
On economic development and empowerment, they want the Brass Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) and the fertiliser plant project, including the Train 7 reviewed with a view to updating the national gas master plan to integrate the economic interests and industrialisation of the region.
According to Diete-Spiff, leaders also want the Federal Government to create a Niger Delta industrial corridor that would process some portions of the hydrocarbon natural resources, expediting work on the export processing zones and harnessing the huge rain-fed agricultural potential of the area through the development of farm estates, fishery development projects and agro-allied industrial clusters.
Also critical in the 16-point demand is the need to reduce military occupation of communities in the region which, according to the leaders, was responsible for the frequent agitation among the youths.
According to Kachikwu, President Buhari assured that his government would study carefully all demands in the document presented by the Niger Delter leaders so as to aid the administration in taking the right steps.
Clark who led the delegation jointly with Diette-Spiff said that all the splinter groups in the region had collapsed into what is now known as the Pan-Niger Delta Forum under his leadership and that of King Diette-Spiff.
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal accompanied the President to the meeting.
The Ministers of Justice, Defence, Petroleum (State), Transportation, Niger Delta, Education (State), the Chief of Defence Staff, the National Security Adviser, the Director-General, Department of State Services, the Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, the representative of the Chief of Air Staff and the Inspector-General of Police were also in attendance.
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8 Comments
Good points if accepted by the federal govt and implemented fully
There is nothing wrong with oil blocks allocation particularly to the region that owns it. However, to whom will the oil block be given. News from the ND region continues to tell us that only a tiny fraction corners all the largess that goes to the region. The poor has never been taken care of. The poor in this country may never smell a good day if they fail to organize and hold these do called leaders to order and demand their share.
Niger delta elders just woke up from a 50 year old narcoleptic slumber. It was a very long sleep spell
Niger Delta leaders aka Little Greedy Vultures. Oil blocs indeed!!! Even Mr Clark, long trapped in the departure lounge, is seeking oil blocs for his grand children. Shame on all of you.
Commendable request…I only fear for deployment if approved…if another set of overnight-non-sensitive-to-the-poor-masses billionaires wont surface again
I wonder why they didn’t raise these demands when one of their own GEJ was in power? Now, they refused to vote for Buhari and they want to be rewarded for their non-support with oil wells which they never invested even a kobo in developing. And if I am to understand it, they never meant that the oil wells be given to the masses of the Niger delta, but be shared out to the Chiefs and elders that came to lunch with PMB?
One last thing, it’s a good demand for the oil companies to bring back their operational and admin HQs back to the Niger Delta – they were there before for decades, but were driven off by the incessant activities of militant kidnappers….so it’s also a good thing for these elders to guarantee that there will be no future kidnappings, unless this is a useless demand.
The so-called Niger Delta leaders should have in mind they are insulting themselves, their forefathers and God who gave the resources etc., by their going to hundreds of kilometers in Abuja to beg to be given a token of their properties, their resources.
The generation that decides and represents have already decided for Republic Of Biafra under which they don’t have to beg to be given a token of their properties, their resources but utilize it to the full for their social and economic well being etc.
Chief Edwin Clark is one of the problems in the so called Niger delta. These gathering of riff- raffs in the name of 6 coastal states in Niger delta lead by Mr Clark and Diette Spiff is an insult to people of Easteren region.Its time for Edwin clark and his brother Diette Spiff to retire and leave the true owners of the land to negotiate their future. Niger delta is not exclusively Ijaws. Besides Edo states , Cross River states and Akwa Ibom has nothing to do with Niger delta. I will suggest that the leaders of Eastern and Mid-Western region be involved this dialogue with this present northern Nigeria government of president Buhari.
We will review and take appropriate action.