Fresh
troubles are currently looming in Niger Delta region as youths on Sunday
threatened a showdown with oil facilities over the alleged exclusion of youths
from Isoko ethnic nationality in the ongoing presidential amnesty programme for
non-violent youths in the region.
The youths
under the aegis of Isoko National Youth Assembly (INYA), the umbrella body for
Isoko youths worldwide, said the federal government and the amnesty office were
taking the peaceful disposition of Isoko youths in the region for granted as
they can no longer guarantee the safety of oil facilities in their domains.
Speaking at
a press conference, President of INYA, Mr. Ovie Umuakpo accused the Federal and
the Delta State governments of marginalising the people of Isoko Nation both in
appointment and citing of federal government projects in their communities
despite producing 25 per cent of the total crude oil production in the country.
Umuakpo also
condemned in strong terms the recent oil spillage at Ogini flow station in
Isoko North Council Area of the state, and called on Nigerian Petroleum
Development Company (NPDC) to immediately carry out also lamented the poor
maintenance of oil facilities in Isoko Nation.
According to
them, “It beats our imagination to think that Isoko youths will be
conspicuously excluded from the non violent phase of the program with regards
to on-going scholarship program for those who wish to further their education
at Masters level whereas youths from sister ethnic groups are already
benefiting same.
“As the
biggest onshore producer of crude oil in Nigeria the Isoko communities are
littered with oil and gas facilities. While our youths did not take to
vandalism as our neighbors did, our crude oil flowed freely and financed an
economy that was battered by vandalism.
“We opted to
be peaceful and took steps to protect these facilities. We have observed with
utter dismay how the government of Nigeria has rewarded violence and undermine
peaceful Isoko youths.”
On the
incessant clashes between farmers and Fulani herdsmen, Umuakpo called on the
federal government to urgently create grazing reserve in the northern part of
the country as they would not continue to tolerate invasion of Isoko
communities by herdsmen.
The Isoko
youths also urged President Muhammadu Buhari-led government to rescind the
recent shake-up in the board of the NNPC saying that the southern part of the
country was marginalised thus such appointments should be revisited by the
government.
“The
continuous invasion of Isoko communities of Ofagbe, Umeh, Ellu, Aradhe, Enwhe
and the recent attack on Iyede by Fulani herdsmen is threatening to turn the
ordinarily peaceful Isoko region into a volatile zone. More worrisome is the
inability of the security agencies to bring to book even one of the criminals,
which has heightened fear amongst our people.
“We call on
the Federal Government to take urgent steps to create grazing reserves in
Northern Nigeria to prevent further migration of the rampaging herdsmen who are
wreaking havoc across Isoko communities and the whole of Southern Nigeria.
“The
government in a recent massive shake-up which was not only supposed to
strengthen the NNPC but also fill gaps created due to statutory retirements of
staff was done in total disregard of the Isoko nation, the Niger-Delta region
and the entire minorities of Southern Nigeria. The said appointments offend the
principle of federal character upon which our federalism is founded”, they
further stated.
Answering
questions from newsmen, Umuakpo said “The dire need of Federal presence in the
region has become an embarrassment and an insult on the sensibilities of the
Isoko Nation. It is very improper that one of the major producers of oil which
is the livewire of our economy, would lack federal touch except Army
checkpoints and Police Stations, whereas the federal government would find it
difficult to survive without the contribution of Isoko nation.
“The FG
needs to urgently open talks with Isoko elders and youth leaders with a view to
enrolling into the amnesty program. The FG must act urgently to dissuade the
overtly peaceful and patient youths of Isoko extraction from the growing notion
that development of our region can only become feasible by violent agitation.
“Any peace
process which excludes and undermines the Isoko nation cannot be said to be
all-inclusive and may after all be futile. We are therefore calling on
government to declare an affirmative action to support the peace loving youth
and people of Isoko. As a youth group we have embarked on massive and extensive
campaign aimed at dissuading our youth from resorting to vandalism since
according to the narrative it pays better than remaining peaceful.”
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