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Niger Delta Youths Tackle NNPC Over Palliatives Osinbajo Promised

Niger Delta youth leaders have urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to implement the palliatives pledged by Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo during his … Continue reading Niger Delta Youths Tackle NNPC Over Palliatives Osinbajo Promised


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France To Invest Over €1bn In Nigeria's Oil, Gas Sector - NNPCNiger Delta youth leaders have urged the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to implement the palliatives pledged by Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo during his tour to the region.

They made the call when the leadership of the Niger Delta Ex-Agitation Forum and Niger Delta Non Violent Youth Leaders Assembly visited the the Senior Special Assistant to Bayelsa State Governor on Niger Delta Youth Matters, Mr Kennedy Tonjo-West in Yenagoa on Tuesday.

Speaking on behalf of the agitators under the amnesty scheme, Prince Amaibi Horny noted that the region was eagerly awaiting for the implementation of promises made during the fact-finding visit by the Acting President.

Horny observed that most of the palliatives aimed at stabilising the Niger Delta region and consolidating the peace process lied within the purview of the
NNPC.

According to him after several months of conclusion of the tour, the Group Managing Director of NNPC Mr Maikanti Baru was yet to take steps to move forward.

“It is shocking to know that since Maikanti Baru assumed office at NNPC,
he has not initiated or implemented any project or program that will deepen the
existing peace painstakingly put in place by the president.

“The current peace is due to extensive consultative engagement by the Acting President’s dialogue with stakeholders during his tour of the region. “Instead of commencing some of the projects and issues narrated by youths and people of the region in this period of peace to upgrade his score card, the GMD feels very unconcern about the plight of the region.

“His only interest is to waste the scare resources in the white elephant project of search for oil in the North East, we challenge Baru to come out clean and show the public the companies benefitting from seismic activities in the North.

“It is unfair to be taking resources from the Niger Delta and neglect the region,” Horny added.

Another agitator, Mr Tonye Jeminimiema noted that Dr Ibe Kachikwu had traversed the region promising that President Buhari’s administration was committed to developing the Niger Delta.

Jeminimiema urged the Acting President to prevail on NNPC to step up its activities to redeem the Federal Government’s pledge to the region during his tour which includes the establishment of modular refineries.

He said that it was evident that the peace deal had resulted in the increase of crude output from 1.2 million barrels to two million barrels after the peace deal but regretted that the NNPC was yet to fulfill its part of the accord.

In response, Tonjo-West appealed to the youths in the region to exercise patience, adding that plans are ongoing to open a window for discuss with the stakeholders.

“My fear is that if the government pays deaf ear to these complains, crises is inevitable and one can imagine where that will lead us to, more especially when the country is passing through a difficult phase in its nationhood,” he said.

Tonjo-West then commended the Bayelsa governor for the establishment of the state vigilante group ‘the Bayelsa state volunteers’ to strengthen security in the state.

He also applauded the Rivers State Government for empowerment of youth based land and water way surveillance to boost security in the state and the security agencies in the region for their dogged approach to curbing crime