Tag Archives: IYC

Ijaw Youths Want ‘Unfair Allocation’ Of Oil Blocks Probed

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The Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide on Monday warned that there would be more hostilities in the Niger Delta region unless President Muhammadu Buhari probes unfair allocation of oil blocks in the country.

The IYC President, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, gave the warning at a news conference at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, as part of activities to celebrate this year’s Isaac Boro Day.

Many shops in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, were shut on Monday following a directive by the IYC that shop owners should not open for business as a mark of honour for Boro.

Eradiri’s warning came barely five days after the Niger Delta Avengers listed some oil blocks allegedly owned by former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; a former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilus Danjuma; ex-Minister of Petroleum, Alhaji Riwalnu Lukman; and other northerners and south-westerners in the region.

The NDA had among others issued them a two-week ultimatum to shut down operations at the oil blocks and evacuate their workers from the locations or have them attacked.

Eradiri said that the indiscriminate sharing of oil blocks were allegedly carried out when Buhari served as Petroleum minister or Head of State.

He accused the President of denying Niger Delta people ownership of oil blocks at the time while allegedly allocating same to his kinsmen and their cronies like a bazaar.

He said, “One of the most salient issues that if not addressed will lead to more crisis is the issue of the oil blocks.

“President Buhari was a one-time Petroleum minister and Head of State in this country. Let us go and do an assessment of that time. The time when criminally they shared our oil blocks was under his watch either as Petroleum minister or as Head of State. It is in one of those times.

“Oil blocks were shared to one group. Look at it, either the person (owner of oil bloc) was a former military president or a relative of the military president or an in-law to a military president.”

Eradiri insisted that the allocation of the oil blocks did not follow due process as outlined by the government.

He called for a review of the oil blocks to redress injustice that such a manipulated process had brought against oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.

“And that is one of the biggest issues that if not addressed, there will be more Niger Delta Avengers, you will see groups and groups that will spring up until the issue is addressed,” he warned.

 

Credit: Punch

‘Other Governors Have Stolen Before, Leave Dieziani Alone’ – Ijaw Youth Council Says

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President of the Ijaw Youth Council IYC, Udengs Eradiri has asked the antigraft agencies to leave embattled former petroleum minister, Dieziani Alison Madueke alone and focus on other governors who have been accused of stealing from their state treasuries.
Dieziani is facing money laundering charges in the UK. In a media parley over the weekend, Udeng said that the recent arrest of Dieziani by the British police has shown that president Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign is targeted at the Ijaws. 

“The UK government should stay away from Diezani. This was how they muscled up and now (Diepreiye) Alamieyeseigha is dead. Now they have started with Diezani. They should leave Ijaw People alone. Are there no other governors that have stolen? Go to UK, almost all the streets are owned by northerners who stole Nigeria money. As far as we are concerned, the anti-corruption fight is a fight against the Ijaw people. So why are they just on Goodluck Jonathan’s men, just to demonise Goodluck. As far as we are concerned, the anti-corruption fight is a fight against the Ijaw people. Goodluck should have won Nobel Prize for peace. Goodluck deserves a Nobel peace prize, Goodluck deserves respect from Nigerians,” he said
He also accused the relevant security agencies of turning a blind eye on illegal mining in the north which according to him, is mostly operated by retired generals
“They say oil theft is economic sabotage, what of the illegal mining that are going on in the north? Is that not worst economic sabotage?. At a point there was lead poisoning as a result of illegal mining. The monies that they realize from illegal mining is huge, why do we not have the JTF policing illegal miners, knowing full well that the money realised from gold illegally mined is far much more than money realized from stolen oil. Retired generals have mines of their own in the north, the statistics are there. Why are we not talking about those minerals in the north that are illegally mined to the pockets of individuals? Why is it that only Niger Delta oil that is in the pages of newspapers,” he asked.