Abuja—Niger Delta youths under the aegis of Anioma Youths Forum Worldwide, has said there may be fresh agitation in the Niger Delta following the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill into law.
National president of the forum, Nnamdi Ofonyi, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent to the bill as an aberration to the oil-rich region, Punch newspaper reports.
According to him, the proposals in the PIB, now Act, particularly the 3% royalty to host communities is against the general will of the Niger Delta people.
He lamented that federal lawmakers betrayed the region for failing to bargain a greater percentage of equity shares to the host communities.
“The three percent is still a far cry from what we thought, and this goes to show that our representatives do not take our plight to heart because if the bill that was just signed was presented for the general well-being of the people, it wouldn’t have generated controversy.
“If the generality of the Niger Delta is against the bill, I see no reason why our lawmakers did not stop it at the National Assembly.
“This is what we always get because when we ask for the constituency briefing, they don’t see it as anything but a waste of time.
“We have cried to them about what we want but most of them went to support the bill against the wishes of the people. They have failed us.”
He continued, “The Niger Delta will renew its agitation. In fact, there have been some threats in some quarters. But we, the youth of the Niger Delta, are networking and speaking among ourselves to know what next to do.
“I do not want to preempt any group now, but currently, we are all planning to meet to review the so-called law. So far so good, the law has not gone down well with the youth of the Niger Delta. We will make our position known soon.”
In a related development, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Benjamin Sawyer, has advised anyone aggrieved with the law to seek means other than violence to seek redress.
The defence chief expressed readiness to tackle any issue of insecurity that may follow as a result of the youths threat.
His words,”The military is ready at all times to address the issue of security concerns. We have all it takes to ensure that the peace and stability enjoyed in the Niger Delta remains and keep everyone secured.
“I believe they will resolve whatever their grievances are and it won’t degenerate into any crisis. However, we are always prepared to ensure there is peace in every nook and cranny of the country.” he said.
Two senior military officers from the South-South, who also spoke with a correspondent of Punch Newspaper on condition of anonymity, appealed to the militants to embrace peace.
They warned that the military would not allow anyone to interrupt the peace being enjoyed by the people of the region over the signing of the PIB into law by the President.
One of them said, “Look, we are in a democratic setting. The President did not manufacture the bill. The bill, before it was presented for signing, was debated at the National Assembly.
“Representatives of all the states and communities in the country, South-South inclusive, took part in the debate. The majority of them agreed on the provisions in it before it was presented to the President for signing.
“If the people are not happy, they should rather talk to their people to prepare another bill for the amendment of the one signed.
“But if they say no and want to resort to self-help, we will not open our eyes and allow anyone to take the country back to the time when there was anarchy. The military is equipped enough to handle such a situation.”
The officer equally called on traditional rulers and opinion leaders to call for peace in the region.
