Ijaw Youths Blame FG Over Suspension Of Ceasefire By Niger Delta Avengers

The President of IYC, Pereotubo Oweilaemi made this known on Saturday in a statement released to newsmen. He explained that though the Federal Government has the opportunity to permanently address the issue of the Niger Delta, it has chosen to play politics with them hence the threat of renewed hostility.

The statement read in full;

"The Government took the ample opportunities it had for granted thereby making the Niger Delta people to believe that Buhari like his predecessors is only interested in tapping the oil, using one fake peace initiative to deceive the people. Even if I the IYC President said the youths should exercise patient, I cannot control the anger of the entire Ijaw Youths not to talk of the whole Niger Delta region with different ethnic groups.

I don’t know what the Nigerian state considered the threat but to us in the Niger Delta, it is a response to the high handedness of the present Government. At heat of the crisis last year, the elders of the region under PANDEF intervened by appealing to the militants to sheave their swords. Their intervention resulted in a period of lull which was accompanied with by several promises by the Federal Government. As we speak, none of the promises has been implemented.

The Government promised to order the oil companies to relocate their head offices to the region but the House of Representatives through the South West and the Northern majorities voted against it. The Maritime University at Okerenkoko which is very dear to us, was promised to commence academic session in October last month but nothing has happened up till date. What the Government does is to scrap the already existing Maritime College of Science and Technology at Okoloba in Bomadi Local Government Area.

Again, the Government also promised to engage the artesanal refinery operators through the establishment of modular refineries but what we hear was that the Government has given 50 operational licenses to people outside the region to operate the refineries. Is this Government really care for the people? Instead of the Federal Government to commence the process of development in the region, it sent battalion of the Nigerian armed forces to carry out provocative military drills which have inflicted pains on our communities.

Several Ijaw communities, especially in Edo and Ondo States were reduced to rubble, while innocent people lost their lives to the invasions by the military. The whole thing looks like the region is under military siege which may lead to genocide. Nobody is happy with the way the Government is treating the people since the militants have declared a unilateral seize fire in September last year. IYC has already alerted the world that the atrocities the Buhari led-military is committing in the creeks at a time the region is peaceful is an invitation to anarchy. We are not surprised if militants threatened to resume bombing of oil facilities.

The last straw that seems to have broken the camel’s back is the humiliation the elders are facing in the hands of the present Government. Buhari allowed miscreants to infiltrate his Government who are using the institutions of the Government to frustrate the efforts of the elders under PANDEF in bringing peace to the region.

The recent invasion of PANDEF’s meeting in Port Harcourt by some overbearing Nigeria Police force ought to have been promptly queried by the President but he kept mute because he perhaps, have endorsed their actions. Considering the recovery of the economy from its comatose state, I appeal to the Federal Government to implement all its promises to the region in order to avert the looming economic Holocaust. The militants’ threat should not be taken lightly.

However, I advice that the Government should not think of using force on the militants. That will be the greatest undoing of President Buhari. The only way to halt the impending hostilities in the region is for the Government to address issues headlong.”