NIGER DELTA YOUTH LEADER SPEAKS ON OIL SURVEILLANCE CONTRACT
NIGER DELTA YOUTH LEADER SPEAKS ON OIL SURVEILLANCE CONTRACT
Ijaws should refrain from the ungodly practice of sabotaging the genuine enterprise of their own brothers for whatever reasons.
This was handed down by the Bayelsa State Coordinator of the Niger Delta Self Determination Movement, NDSDM, Comrade Oki Tony, while addressing some executive members of the group who visited him in his Yenagoa residence yesterday.
Comrade Oki, who in his opening remarks, thanked the Amazon Queen of Niger Delta and Mother of the Dragon Brothers, who happens to be the National Coordinator of the group, Mrs Ann-Kio Briggs, for lending her strong voice of advocacy to the Niger Delta course, said it is disappointing to note that, Ijaws in the oil and gas sector, had out of greed and envy for one another, been fighting themselves and sabotaging each others works.
He said considering the obnoxious laws that are being enacted by the federal government to strangulate the Niger Deltans, there is no better time the Ijaws had needed greater love and unity amongst themselves than now, noting that our continous disunity will only enable our oppressors to increase the sweltering heat they have made us to suffer over the years.
He therefore called on Ijaws who have issues with the recently awarded pipeline contract, to sheath their swords and discuss as brothers, saying it is the height embarrassment to see Ijaws who bear all the devastating brunt of oil exploration and exploitation activities, fighting themselves over a peanut, while a cabal which has no idea of the location of these oil instalations, enjoys the lion shares.
Oki Tony, also called on social media influencers in Ijaw Nation, not to use their Facebook pages to fan the embers of war by responding to comments of some aggrieved leaders, but rather use them to build solid bonds of unity and brotherhood amongst Ijaws.
The Coordinator, who also used the opportunity to commend the NNPC Limited for awarding the surveillance job to a competent security firm owned by High Chief Oweizide Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, also said lots of factors have exercerbated the activities of crude oil theft in the Niger Delta, insisting that for government to promptly and successfully stamp out illegal bunkering activities, there has to be an upward review of the contract, more security jobs too has to be given to Niger Deltans to check the waterways and other areas, while an attractive program be set up to meaningfully engaged those leaving the illegal refining business.
Calling on those in the illegal refining business to discontinue and restore our delicate marine ecosystem that has been completely destroyed by their activities, Oki Tony, also expressed confidence in the capacity of Tompolo, to effectively execute the job if adequately mobilised, while calling on him to in his usual magnanimity, reach out to all stakeholders of the Niger Delta struggle for the success of the job.
