Stories by Ene Osang
Abuja
Youths of the Niger Delta have appealed for a comprehensive stakeholders’ dialogue that will cut across all the states to discuss the crises in the region.
President General of the Ibibio Youth Council Mr. Imoh Okoko, made the appeal while fielding questions from Journalists in Abuja. He said Avengers and other militants are ready to dialogue with the federal government.
According to him, dialogue is important because the Niger Delta people have been cheated, marginalised and oppressed.
“We are totally neglected and we feel not belonging to Nigeria because of the way we are treated even after having over 90% of the resources coming to Nigeria.
“The opportunity for government to talk and discuss the way forward for the Niger Delta is what we want.”
Okoko appealed for continuation of the amnesty granted to the region by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, stressing that there is supposed to be follow-up.
Expressing disappointment on the collapse of the programme, he noted that President Yar’Adua set up the amnesty programme to develop the communities and empower youths recalling that there was five standing committees to look into the issue of Niger Delta.
“Late President Yar’Adua also created the Niger Delta Ministry prepared to fund it very well to develop the region but after his death nothing goes on again and every concentration is to pay the N65,000 stipend.
“Anybody would prefer to work and earn N200,000 or N300,000 monthly than be idle and accept N65,000 stipend. There are even graduates willing to do menial jobs for these companies but they cannot get it.
“I am from a community that Total has the biggest plant in Nigeria but we don’t have up to five people working with Total.
“We are calling for a comprehensive stakeholders dialogue where youths would be involved in the dialogue because the government, senators and paramount rulers use the youths,” he appealed.
He lauded moves by federal government to clean up Ogoni land, saying though, that this does not make much impact as Ogoni is just a single community in Rivers state.
He stressed the need for oil companies to engage the indigenes especially the youth in employment, award contracts, and provide them basic amenities like roads, hospitals, good water.
He said further that the issue with the region is more than the Avengers, adding that their concern is based on the crises of the entire Niger Delta and not just the avengers.
“Immediately after the amnesty by former president there was peace and government forgot about going into the root of the crises which is to develop the region. We feel the government should make a good statement concerning the crises.
“It is not about using force because it makes things worse instead of resolving the issue, so we are appealing to the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to carefully look into the Niger Delta issues and resolve it for the interest of peace in Nigeria and the whole world because Niger Delta is where you have so many international communities present,” he said.
