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| President Buhari met with elders and stakeholders from the Niger Delta region |
Speaking
at the end of the meeting, Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum, said
they had a frank conversation with the president.
The
16 points which the elders presented to the federal government, as part of efforts
to restore peace to the troubled region are as follows:
1.
The presidential amnesty Programme:
the decry that out of the five components of the disarmament and retrieval of
weapons from the ex-militants, only the disarmament and demobilization
component is being implemented. Tensions over the fate of the Niger Delta
Amnesty Programme is as a result of lack of genuine exit strategy. They want
the Programme reviewed to reappraise its core mandate to provide a robust exist
strategy, in order to transit recipients into jobs, effectively integrate them
and few the of dependency on stipends, so that their new-found skills would be
of benefit to themselves and larger community.
2.
Law and Justice issues: in view of
the insecurity situation in the Niger delta, a number of pending law and
justice issues regarding some aggrieved groups and individuals are yet to be
resolved. It is important to address these issues urgently as a step towards
lasting peace.
3. The effect of increased military
presence in the Niger Delta: the increased in military presence has resulted in
invasion of communities, displacement of persons, harassment and other firms of
human rights abuse. They want government to halt the the escalation of tension
in the region.
4.
Plights of internally displaced
persons: they want relevant government agencies to take urgent measures to meet
their immediate needs of those displaced by upsurge of insecurity in the
region.
5. The Ogoni clean-up and environmental
remediation: they want government to speed up the exercise. They want
government to enforce zero gas flare deadline. They want the devastating
effects of coastal erosion and lack of an effective shoreline protection for
the coastal communities tackled urgently. They ask federal government to
commission a region-wide credible assessment of the impacts of crude oil
pollution of the environment in the region and undertake to enforce
environmental laws.
6.
The Maritime University Issue: want
prompt take off of the Niger Delta university
7.
Key regional critical
infrastructure: they want completion of of East-West road, full implementation
of the rail project that is designated to run through the Niger Delta region to
Lagos.
8. Security surveillance and protection
of oil and gas infrastructure. They want pipeline surveillance contracts given
to the communities rather than individuals in a manner that is some benefits to
their responsibility. Communities would the see their responsibility over the
pipelines as protection of what belongs to them.
9. Relocation of Administrative and
Operational Headquarters of IOCs: the headquarters of most oil companies are
not located in the Niger Delta Region. As a result the region is denies all the
developmental and associated benefits that would have accrued to the region
from their presence. It has therefore become imperative for the IOCs to
relocate to their areas of operation. This move old create a mutually
beneficial relationship wi he host communities.
10. Power supply: they advocate a power
plan that strongly ties power supply in the region to gas supplies, thereby
giving all sides a stake in proved stability.
11. Economic development and
empowerment: they want Brass LNG and fertiliser plant project including the
Train 7 implemented, reviewing and updating the national gas master plan to
integrate the economic interests and industrialization of the region, creating
a Niger Dekta industrial corridor that would process some portions of the bat
hydrocarbon natural resources, expediting work on the export processing zones,
harnessing the huge rain-fed agricultural potentials of the area through the
development of farms estates, fishery development projects and Agro-Allied
industrial clusters etc.
12. Inclusive participation in oil
industry and ownership of oil blocs. They want the federal government to
enunciate policies and actions that will address the lack of participation as
well as imbalance in the ownership of oil and gas assets.
13.Restructuring and funding of the
NDDC: The restructuring will ensure it refocuses as a true interventionist
agency to respond swiftly to the yearnings of the grassroots of the Niger
Delta. Communities must be able to have a say in what projects come to them and
also want full implementation of the funding provisions of the NDDC Act.
14.Strengthening the Niger Delta
Ministry: they say the era of abysmal funding should end. The ministry should
be adequately funded and strengthen to fulfill the purpose for which it was
created.
15.The Bakassi Question, recommend a
comprehensive resettlement plan including development for the host communities
and displaced population to reduce the risk of making the into a stateless
people.
16.Fiscal federalism, the region
supports the call for true federalism and urged that federal government should
treat the matter expeditiously.
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