Skip to main content

Rethinking the Ijaw Nation’s agenda: Obasanjo made grave mistake to include Imo, Abia, Ondo in Niger Delta region – INDS Director, Etekpe

Rethinking the Ijaw Nation’s agenda: Obasanjo made grave mistake to include Imo, Abia, Ondo in Niger Delta region – INDS Director, Etekpe

The Director, Institute for Niger Delta Studies (INDS) of the Niger Delta University, Prof. Ambily Etekpe, has said former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, made grave mistake when he included Imo, Abia and Ondo States as member states when he created the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

Prof. Etekpe explained further that it is an unarguable fact that Imo, Abia and Ondo States are crude oil producing states but that they do not fall into the geographic region referred to as Niger Delta, and therefore, should not be benefiting from funds specifically earmarked for the development of the region.

Etekpe stated this while presenting a paper entitled “Towards good governance: rethinking the Ijaw Nation’s agenda in the past in Nigeria” during a one day Intra media workshop organized by the Oloibiri Youngstars Foundation in partnership with the Environmental Rights Action (ERA), in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital.

He averred that if the intention of the Obasanjo led administration was to create an Oil Producing States Development Commission, Imo, Abia and Ondo States would have been legitimate members but that since the commission was established with the aim to provide extra funds for the development of the Niger Delta as a result of its peculiar and difficult terrain, capturing the three states in the NDDC was a misplaced priority.

He further urged the umbrella bodies of the Ijaw ethnic nationality, Ijaw National Congress (INC) and Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC) to look beyond the struggle for resource control for wealth generation and seek political restructuring for the people of the Niger Delta region in order to engender sustainable growth and development.

He said “There is a generic term when you talk about a Delta region. And from my research, there are about ten Deltas across the world, with three in Africa. They are the Nile Delta in Egypt, Okavango Delta in Botswana and the Niger Delta in Nigeria. And out of the ten Delta regions across the world, the Pearl Delta in China does not produce oil but it has similar environmental features and challenges like the Niger Delta.

“So, Obasanjo while creating the NDDC, equated the Delta as an oil producing area and this is wrong. I say so because Saudi Arabia for example produces oil but is not a Delta. So if you are creating a commission to cater for the special needs of a people in the Delta, why add states that do not have the features of a Delta? We need to distinguish these facts when we are talking about how we sincerely want to develop an area and the people that inhabit it.”

Speaking on behalf of the organizers, Mr. Bright Igrubia, said the gathering was strategically planned to Ijaw leaders of thought together to dialogue and highlight some of the contemporary issues facing the people of the Niger Delta and engage the media on how better to report them.

He said “we, as a foundation, felt it is a matter of responsibility for us to retrospect the past and prospect what the future holds for the Ijaw Nation and engage the media to help us highlight some of the challenges bedeviling us as a people. We see this as a lacuna that needs to be addressed, so that the struggle of the Ijaws can be adequately promoted.

Also presenting a paper entitled “The environmental perspective to the contemporary Ijaw struggle”, the Project Officer of the ERA Niger Delta Resource Center, Comrade Alagoa Morris, advocated for the establishment of a Niger Delta Environment Forensic Investigation Center, saying it would aide in bringing perpetrators of crude oil spills to justice.

He said “one of the main reasons for the absence of genuine peace and development in the Niger Delta is the absence of Environmental Justice. We lack system that could bring oil companies and their partners that play double standards each time there is a case crude oil spill in the Niger Delta region.

“Every day, our people witness what prefer to call environmental terrorism perpetrated by oil and gas companies with protection from our government. In many cases, oil companies refuse to admit that the spill is caused by equipment failure even when it is clear because we don’t have the technology to prove them wrong, thereby leaving many Communities to suffer without proper cleanup and compensation.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Steer Clear from Tompolo's Pipeline Surveillance Job, Face Your Olu's Contract... Activist Warn Itsekiri Leaders

Steer Clear from Tompolo's  Pipeline Surveillance Job, Face Your Olu's Contract... Activist Warn Itsekiri Leaders  Niger Delta Human Rights Activist, comrade Daniel Ezekiel has berated ltsekiri leaders for calling on  the Federal Government to decentralize the pipeline security contract awarded to the Niger Delta living legend, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo alias Tompolo. The activist in a statement to FocalPoint Reports, on Thursday, reacted with displeasure and strongly condemned Itsekiri leaders Who were led by Hon. Michael Diden to call for the decentralization of Tompolo's Surveillance contract, during a visit to High Chief Bibopere Ajube (Shoot-at-sight) at his Agadagba-Obon, residence in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State,  Ezekiel Daniel described those who visited Bibopere Ajube as self-proclaimed Itsekiri leaders and their voices are nothing good but mere distractions and should not be taken seriously. He added that the statements made by

NMU Governing Council chairman seeks solutions to challenges facing varsity

NMU Governing Council chairman seeks solutions to challenges facing varsity The Acting Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State,  Adewale Adeogun, has appealed for immediate action to address the pressing challenges facing the institution.   Adeogun, who spoke during the council meeting  in Warri, expressed deep concern over the university’s underdevelopment despite its six-year existence. Highlighting the urgent need for government intervention, Adeogun emphasised the importance of establishing a permanent campus and ensuring adequate funding.  He pointed out that the university’s progress has been hindered by the suspension of projects initiated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). “It is disheartening to see that despite being a specialised university, Nigerian Maritime University is still struggling to find its footing,” Adeogun stated. “We must work tirelessly to secure government support, philant

Retired police officers protest over unpaid pensions

Some retired police officers under the contributory pension scheme on Tuesday, May 21, protested at the National Assembly over alleged several months of unpaid pensions with a call on President Bola Tinubu to remove them from the scheme. The protesters decried the extreme challenges they endure, saying that the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) has failed to pay their entitlements for several months causing them and their families untold hardship. The aggrieved retired police officers also wrote a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, calling for an urgent intervention. Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Chairman of the retirees, Christopher Effiong said many of their members have developed terminal illnesses and heart attacks as a result of the frustration associated with the scheme. In a letter dated May 21 and addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the retirees said many of their colleagues have lost their lives due to the prevai