The Ijaw Youth Council has queried if President Muhammadu Buhari is still in charge of Nigeria as Commander-in-Chief.
The group said from all indications, president has lost control of his government.
Dcn. Peter Timothy Igbifa, the 8th President of Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, who made this comment in a statement on Friday, wondered why the president remained adamant despite the persistent calls for inauguration of a substantive board of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
Describing the action as an anomaly, the group noted that the tenure for the NDDC sole administrator expired on December, 31, 2021 stressing, “something is certainly wrong somewhere as to who runs the country as president. The normal Buhari that the common Nigerian knows would have inaugurated the NDDC board at least as a new year gift to the Niger Delta people who gave him the good will of regional peace like no other.”
Speaking on the environmental damages the activities of Multinational Oil Companies have caused states in the Niger Delta region, the council expressed resolve to inaugurate environmental specialists to assess the level of damage on the environment and come up with strategic blueprint that would serve as a basis for their environmental advocacy ahead of the UN Assembly 2022.
The council further expressed plan to address the UN congress on the abandoned Niger Delta wetland, which is the third largest in the world stressing that, they would not relent in advocating and engaging other means to drive the wetland conservation until they receive the 5 billion dollars grant meant for the Niger Delta people.
The Ijaw Youths also said they would take deliberate legal actions both locally and internationally on oil multinationals operating in the region due to their detrimental ways of oil exploration and continuous gas flaring, noting that they would expose all Niger Deltans involved in any form of ground conspiracy against their united course even as they said they would tackle their enemies through the law.
The council also called for the completion of east west road especially the Bayelsa and Eleme Road axis adding that despite the 20billion and 7billion naira released to Niger Delta Ministry, the road remained uncompleted.
On the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, the council said, they would monitor the implementation of the act to the later by demanding for statistical implementation data from every relevant agency and advised the LGAs and communities to be proactive and united in the setting up of the management team with the IOCs.
The council stated that as the conscience of Nigeria’s economy, it shall take drastic but united steps to advocate freedom from their collective challenge of marginalization, constant degradation of environment, prevalent oppressions, blackmailing and undue suffering of the Niger Delta.
While urging the youths to remain calm, the president of the council said he was committed to providing more opportunities and empowerment for them in the region.