By Matthias Ogbagah
DELTA – THE Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the apex socio-political body for the people of the South-South has denounced the marginalisation and impoverishment of the Niger Delta region.
The position of PANDEF was contained in a press statement on Friday signed by its National Spokesman, Chief (Dr.) Obiuwevbi Christopher Ominimini, Call on the Federal Government to give a legal framework to the Artisanal miners to function.
The press release noted that the region’s resources feed the nation while the resources from other geopolitical zones including the North are purely for themselves and the individual pockets.
The statement in full, “The gold deposits in Northern Nigeria and other parts of the country have not been considered good enough for the entire country but for the indigenes and top individual business cabal including foreign nationals like the Chinese and Lebanese all for individual benefits.
“These applies to other solid minerals in Northern Nigeria and other parts of Nigeria, why others mine and control their resources while the oil and gas from Niger Delta are for the Nigerian state, pointing out that it’s the root of injustice in Nigeria.
“These attempts to treat Niger Deltans as second class citizens in Nigeria shall continue to hurt the progress of Nigeria because selective injustice or justice in a nation will always backfire.
“The insurgence in Northern Nigeria has a relationship with the stealing of the solid minerals including the underground raw gold.
“Is it not a shame that while the Nigerian state destroys the local petroleum product refiners machineries, the Artisanal refineries in Niger Delta but at the same time pays deaf ears to local gold and other solid mineral miners in Northern Nigeria and other parts of the country?
“We call on the Federal Government to give a legal framework to the Artisanal miners to function, more so in the midst of importing refined products from foreign nations. It’ll not only create jobs, but reduce waste of the nation’s resources, boost technological knowhow and reduce corruption.
“We the people of Niger Delta do not know the volume of oil and gas taken from our soil. All attempts to either meter the oil flow stations or meter the sales point at the export terminal have proved abortive.
“In fact the Nigerian state is wicked to the Niger Delta region. The leaders prefer collecting penalties from the International Oil Companies (IOCs) for flaring the gas instead of avoiding the disaster being caused by the gas flaring and even convert it for domestic consumption and other economic industrial use
“We cannot fish or farm as our eco system has been destroyed by oil exploitation. Our life span is shortened. We received the blunt of the oil exploitation alone. Nobody in government at the federal level cares whether we exist. But we know what we tolerate today in Nigeria, if things don’t change, God will come to our rescue.
“In spite of the oil being found in Niger Delta, the oil block owners are mostly domiciled in other regions of Nigeria. This is another evil. However there are zero or poor community social responsibilities from the settlers or IOCs and the Federal Government does nothing about it.
“Our people have been excluded from participation in the oil industries. It’s as if it’s a well-planned and calculated scheme against the people of Niger Delta. How do you explain that the only two executive positions on the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Board are occupied by Northerners? What a shame.
“In all of these oppressions against the people of Niger Delta, where are those complaining now when they’re also party to the oppression of the people of Niger Delta even when their people were in position of authority?
“PANDEF believes that justice must be holistic. The people of Niger Delta remain the most impoverished in Nigeria. This should be looked into without delay.”
