Niger Delta Youth Council (NDYC) has said it is mobilising its members to occupy the National Assembly complex and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) headquarters in Abuja withing the next 48 hours until the decision of the federal government to exclude the region in the federal government’s plan to reconstruct more roads in the region is rescinded.
The NNPC recently disclosed that it has taken over the reconstruction of 21 federal roads across the six geopolitical zones of the country.
The approval was given by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
However, the NDYC in a statement signed by its national coordinator, Engr. Jator Abido, accused the federal government of being insensitive to the plight of the people considering the fact that the region produces the wealth of the nation.
“Over the years, there has been this faulty claim that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is responsible for the development of the region forgetting that the commission is just an interventionist body. It is ridiculous that the funds realised from oil and gas activities is used in funding infrastructural development of other regions while the Niger Delta continues to suffer underdevelopment.
“We consider the sharing pattern of the roads to be constructed by the present administration between Northern Nigeria and Southern Nigeria and the exclusion of other vital Federal roads particularly in Bayelsa State, Rivers State and Delta State as been lopsided.
“While we have continued to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, it is sad that we are not given the attention we deserve. Hence, if nothing is done urgently to revert this ugly and unacceptable move by the NNPC, we will be compel to occupy the National Assembly complex and the headquarters of the NNPC.
“We consider as insult on the sensitivity of the Niger Delta people the audacity of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to allocate, out of 1804.6 kilometers of road to be constructed by NNPC, only 288.22 kilometers allocated to the the South. While 1,516.38 kilometers of roads were allocated to the North. Shockingly, they announced a mere Rehabilitation of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene road in Cross River state Section I: Odukpani-Itu Bridge Head in Cross River/Akwa Ibom states, 21.9km, Dualization of outstanding portion of Odukpani-Itu-Ikot Ekpene: lot 2. 32km and the Dualization of Oku-Iboku Power Plant Section of the Odukpani-Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road in Cross River/Akwa Ibom state, 28km.
“A mere 52.2 kilometre of rehabilitation and dualisation was allocated to Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom states out of the six states of the Niger Delta. If the National Assembly and the Nigerian Nation must know,“ the statement noted.
