WARRI � IJAW Youth Council (IYC) has warned the multinational oil companies working on the new Federal Government’s Liquefied Natural Gas Project at Olokola, Ogun state to be alert when laying pipelines for the project across Ijaw communities in order not to stoke up fresh crisis in the Niger-Delta.
The Ijaw youth leaders who met in Warri at the weekend, observed in a communique, signed by the IYC spokesman, Mr. Peter Ajube that: “the on-going Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas Project at Olokola, Ogun state, the President’s home state which does not produce a single barrel of oil or gas is an agenda to destroy that of Bonny Liquefied Natural Gas and the proposed Brass River Gas project in Rivers and Bayelsa states respectively.”
Consequently, the IYC advised the Federal Government and the multinational oil companies not to be tempted by laying pipelines for oil and gas in Ijaw land in the interest of peace, they said.
While restating that the Ijaw of the Niger-Delta have credible materials for the Presidency, they asked the Federal Government to, without delay, meet up with the demand of Ijaw people for the unconditional release of the former president of IYC, Alhaji M. Asari-Dokubo and ensure the speedy trial of the former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha.
The youths, however, commended the on-going privatisation programme of the Obasanjo government but cautioned that: “it should not be used as a gang-up to take away the resources of the South-South in the Niger-Delta. Only people of South-South in the Niger-Delta should buy over whatever that is privatised in the region. That is, you can only buy what is in the region. This is because the IYC believes in resource control by the people and shall remain to pursue this objective. Therefore, whosoever buys anything being privatized in the Niger-Delta should be able to identify himself with the region.”
The meeting urged the National Assembly to revisit the constitutional amendment and repeal the various obnoxious laws and Decrees such as the Land Use Decree, Petroleum Act, Local Government and state creation rules in the interest of peace in Nigeria, saying that throwing the entire constitution amendment away because of the third term project was logically indefensible.
“We want to remind Nigerians and the world at large that the eyes of Ijaw people all over the world are still bleeding with blood as result of the continued social, economic and political oppression as well as crime of genocide against innocent, defenseless Ijaw communities.”
They further observed that: “There are some dissidents, infiltrators and betrayers, who are being politically sponsored to cause disunity among the members of IYC. These persons or groups have been going about impersonating as IYC officials in government and companies to collect peanut which is against the guiding ideological principles of the council.”
Consequently, it was decided that: “All zones and clan structures be put in place on or before June 30, 2007 where it is not available. This is to enable the forthcoming national convention to be properly held without conflict.”
Jun62006