The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), an umbrella body of the youths of Ijaw origin in the Niger Delta, has blamed former Akwa-Ibom state governor and delegate to the ongoing national conference, Obong Victor Attah, for accepting the 13% oil derivation fund agreed upon by the Power Devolution Committee of the National Conference.
In a statement issued by its spokesman, Eric Omare, the youths said the decision was a betrayal of trust of the Niger Delta people, while describing as unacceptable the position of the former governor.
According to the statement, the youths were as well disappointment in other representatives of the Niger Delta in the committee, for giving away the common position of the people of the oil-rich region on resource control.
They disclosed plans for another meeting of the people of Niger Delta, to discuss penalties for representatives of the region at the ongoing conference who had taken positions contrary to the collective position of Niger Delta people on resource control.
“That Niger Deltans read the said interview with disappointment and regard it as a complete betrayal of trust. Obong Victor Attah and other South-South Delegates who served in the Committee on devolution of power and agreed to retain the 13 per cent derivation did so on their own and not on behalf of Niger Deltans.
“The Niger Delta people have a common position on the issue of resource control which cannot be changed unilaterally by Obong Attah and his co-travellers.
“It is disappointing that Obong Attah, a former advocate of resource control could justify retaining 13 per cent derivation considering the fact that the 2005 Obasanjo’s political Reform Conference had recommended an increase in derivation about nine years ago,” the IYC argued.
The youths argued that the excuse of national interest and the threat o f secession given as reasons for accepting the position were not tenable.
“The IYC regards the national interest and threat to secession, which Obong Attah cited as their justifications for retaining 13 per cent as feeble and unjustifiable.
“The legitimate demand of the Niger Delta people to control their resources in line with the tenets of federalism cannot in any way amount to a threat to national interest. In any case, the Niger Delta region has sacrificed enough by bearing the hazards of laying the golden egg that sustains Nigeria,” the youths contended.
