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Angry Youth groups representing Ijaw Youths worldwide have expressed outrage over the claims by the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno over N712 Billion wastage on the presidential amnesty program and the controversy over the sale of gold bars mined by the Zamfara State Government, declaring that the claims are provocative and a threat to the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region.

While the umbrella body of Ijaw Youths worldwide, the Ijaw Youths Council through its spokesman, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe described as “unjustifiable” the claim by the National Security Adviser that the N712billion spent on the Presidential Amnesty Programme is a waste.

Scores of Ijaw Rights advocates and Ex-militant youths drawn from the Nine States of the Niger Delta region under the Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta (MOSIEND) through its National Secretary, Amb. Winston Cotterel Amain, sent a warning letter to the Governors from the region and the Federal Government over the need to re-negotiate the agreement reached on the peaceful exploration of oil and gas resources in the region.

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) in a statement issued yesterday and signed by its spokesperson, Comrade Ebilade Ekerefe said “the NSA has no justifiable reason to discredit a program that has sustained peace and stabilized oil production in the once hostile and volatile Niger Delta region. While we agree that corruption was one of the factors which derailed the PAP like every other federal government agency or parastatals, the fact still remains that the program has never been a priority under the Buhari’s government and so therefore, the NSA is trying to justify the intended plans to abruptly terminate the amnesty program which has failed to address its comprehensive mandate, which includes the aggressive development of the Niger Delta region.”

“If the NSA is alluding that the federal government has wasted N712 billion on the amnesty program in the last 11years, he should be hold to account also because that program has been under his direct supervision in the last five years and he has unilaterally recommended his associates from the region for appointment to the president without the inputs of stakeholders”

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According to Ebilade Ekerefe, at the peak of the crisis in the Niger delta before the amnesty deal, oil production was an all-time low. The production capacity was less than 1.2 million barrel per day. Today, the production capacity of Nigeria has increased to 2.5 million barrrel of crude oil per day. A differential of 1.3 million barrels per day; making Nigeria the largest producer of oil in Africa and 6th in the world. Can the federal government account for all these billions of dollars? With this statistics, stakeholders from the region are supposed to be commended by the NSA for the concerted efforts put in place to ensuring that there is sustained peace and security in the region.

“We know the stupendous amount of petrodollar money which has accrued the coffers of the federal government within this 11years period and there’s absolutely nothing to show in our region, while all the ongoing gigantic infrastructural developments going on in the north are proceeds from our crude.There’s no tangible development in our region that you can point to this government. This government has disappointed the people of the Niger Delta and it is gradually getting to a crescendo level. This government promised to cleanup Ogboni with nothing to show up till this moment”.

“This government directed IOC’s to relocate to the Niger Delta and that presidential directive was not obeyed. This government promised to build modular refineries for our jobless and restive youths to be engaged but yet, no implementation of that policy. Even the East-west road which approval of N20 billion was made for its completion, yet, nothing to show. Everything about this government to the people of the Niger Delta are all on the realm of fake promises and these are some of the factors that breeds endemic agitations from the region”

“Again, nobody is saying that the amnesty program should stay forever, the program has a specific timeline and it’s not the fault of the ex agitators that they’ve not been fully reintegrated back to the society. What the federal government should do now is to call for a critical stakeholders meeting of the region with a view of discussing the current realities and come up with a consensus position. With the look of things, the federal government will just wake up one morning and terminate PAP which may perhaps do more arm than good”

The MOSIEND, however in a separate statement over the controversy trailing the decision by the Central Bank to buy mined Gold directly from the Zamfara Government, said though there is rising anger in the region over reported issues of Zamfara state free and direct rights to sell mined Gold to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the people of the region have called on the Niger Delta Governors to start negotiating directly with the oil and gas producing companies to pay all royalties to their various states and communities of operations or leave the Niger Delta region.

The National Secretary, Amb. Winston Cotterel Amain, said the State Governors, National Assembly members and the Federal Government should be aware that the oil producing communities have risen to the new challenges in the country and warned that the oil exploration companies should leave the region because their safety can no longer guaranteed.”

According to Amb. Winston Cotterel Amain,”the people in the South-South region and Niger Delta, as a whole, have been called fools for too long by the Nigeria Government. We urge all Niger Delta Governors to start negotiating with oil and gas producing companies to pay all royalties to their various states and communities of operations or leave the Niger Delta region, for safety cannot be guarantee anymore”.

“We can recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, is demanding to buy gold in Zamfara state of five billion naira, as such the MOSIEND scribe wondered why the gold in Zamfara state belongs to Zamfara state and the oil and gas belongs to the federal government”.

The foremost Ijaw Youth Leader and MOSIEND scribe, also call on the Governors of the Niger Delta region, National Assembly and State Assembly Members and opinion leaders, to meet and come up with a strong policy statement to address the present imbalance in the Nation against the people of the Niger Delta.

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