At a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari
and other top government officials on Tuesday,
representatives of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria
presented 16 points they believe should be
considered by the government and implemented to
end militancy in the region and boost development.
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 demobilisation 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Maritime University Issue: want prompt take off
of the Niger Delta university
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.
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.
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 will create a mutually
beneficial relationship with the 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Fiscal federalism, the region supports the call for true
federalism and urged that federal government should
treat the matter expeditiously.