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Tag: Niger Delta youths

  • Niger Delta Youths to Kanu: Count us out of your struggle

    Niger Delta youths from the six South-South States at the weekend dealt a blow to Nnamdi Kanu and his Independent People of Biafra, in their struggle to break away from Nigeria.

    The youths, under the Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC), said the region would never support or be a part of the struggle for Biafra.

    The NDYC, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Israel Uwejeyan, said the group took the decision at its emergency meeting in Warri, Delta State.

    The group called for the immediate removal of the six south-south states from the map of Biafra as it is an act of gross disrespect and provocation.

    The group said youths from the region would resist all attempts by members of IPOB and MASSOB groups to extend the war drums to the region.

    It also urged those who reside in the region and calling for Biafra to desist from doing so if they must continue to enjoy the support of the South-south.

    The statement reads: “We the Youths in the Niger Delta region from the six South-south States  will never be a part nor lend our active or passive support for the so called for Biafra, we vehemently disassociate ourselves from the agitation for Biafra secession by some of our Igbo neighbors.

    “We demand all Biafra supporters resident in the South-south to immediately desist from faking as indigenes of the South-south in voicing support for Biafra if they want to continue to enjoy our hospitality as a people.

    “This has been observed in statements by nonexistent groups in the Niger Delta region declaring support for Biafra and in the recent visit of some Igbo traders from Rivers and Bayelsa State to Nnamdi Kanu in his home town dressed in Niger Delta attires, posing as Niger Deltans and chanting Niger Delta songs in declaring support for Biafra.

    “The south-south people are not Biafrans so we therefore demand the immediate removal of the six South-south states from the so called map of Biafra as it is an act of gross disrespect and provocation.”

    The group said it supports the recent comments by Rivers state Governor, Nyesome Wike, that the state is not part of Biafra.

    It condemned what it described as hypocritical and selfish roles being played by some political leaders in the South-east on the treasonous agitation for Biafra by their kinsmen.

    “We strongly align with the statement of the Rivers State Governor Nyesome Wike recently in Sokoto, stating that Rivers state is not a part of Biafra and we strongly urge all other Governors and lawmakers in the South-south region to publicly disown the agitation for Biafra as their nonchalant attitude towards the inclusion of the South-south States in the map and struggle for Biafra will no longer be overlooked.

    “We also condemn in strong terms, the hypocritical and selfish roles being played by some political leaders in the South-east on the treasonous agitation for Biafra by their kinsmen. Be informed that Presidency does not come by agitation for secession or hate speeches but by uniting amongst yourselves and aligning with other regions. Democracy is a game of numbers.

    “We strongly declare our total allegiance for a united and indivisible Nigeria whose unity has been paid for through the blood and sacrifices of millions of Nigerians in time past and we refuse to sit down and watch a repeat of this sad history by some ill-advised trouble makers chanting for Biafra or death.

    “Lastly we declare our support to the call for the restructuring of the Nation’s political arrangement and urge Youths across the Nation to rise up from mediocrity and shun ethno-religious sentiment and unify our strength by aligning in the struggle for a better Nation,” the statement added.

  • Niger Delta youths mourn Obua, Jonathan’s former CSO

    Niger Delta Youth Coalition for Peace and Progress (NDYCPP) on Sunday expressed grief over the death of Mr Gordon Obua, former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Obua, who hailed from Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa, reportedly died of heart attack on Thursday at the National Hospital, Abuja.

    Mr Fred Obua, a family member to the late CSO, confirmed the death on telephone to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Coordinator of NDYCPP, Mr Kenedy West, said that the sudden demise of Obua was a sad loss to the Niger Delta.

    “It is a sad one; we lost a very big person in Obua, the former Chief Security Officer to Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan; the news of his death has thrown us all into mourning.

    “We have always relied on his wealth of experience and hoped that his expertise and knowledge could be deployed in ensuring and preserving peace in the Niger Delta region.

    “He was an asset and his untimely death is shocking to us; we pray for the repose of his soul,” West said.

    The group condoled with the family of the late CSO, the Ogbia kingdom and the people and government of Bayelsa.

  • Govt to establish chamber of commerce for Niger Delta youths

    Govt to establish chamber of commerce for Niger Delta youths

    •Buhari ‘ll sustain anti-graft fight, says Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said the Federal Government will establish a chamber of commerce for Niger Delta youths.
    He spoke at a meeting with a delegation of Niger Delta Expatriate Mentorship Committee, an initiative led by the Minister of Niger Delta, Mr. Uguru Usani Uguru, in his office.
    Osinbajo restated that the Federal Government was keen in its desire to support the establishment of a chamber of commerce for young people in the Niger Delta region to drive creativity and entrepreneurship.
    The Vice President hailed the initiative and noted that the expatriate mentorship scheme, which is in partnership with UNESCO, aligns with the commitment of the Buhari Presidency for the region and was capable of catalysing development in the region.
    He observed that the international mentorship/internship would expose beneficiaries to international standard, best business practice and technology.
    The leader of the organisation and Chief Mentorship Officer, Mr. Chika Olejeme, said under the National Expatriate Mentorship Strategy, selected youths would be sent abroad for international mentorship and internship.
    Thirty countries in Europe and the United States of America have already signed up to the programme.
    Speaking at another meeting with a delegation of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers at the the State House, Abuja, Osinbajo said the President Muhammadu Buhari administration was committed to sustaining the anti-corruption fight.
    He also said the government would ensure that the system was cleaned up and government business was done the right way.
    In a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said: “If we are not able to sustain the trouble against corruption, we will end up in a very, very bad way as a nation.”
    The Vice President noted that the Defence contract of $15 billion, which was frittered away by a few people, was half of the country’s foreign reserves.
    Stressing that the fight against corruption is a difficult fight, he said: “We have seen it in so many different ways that at almost every state, corruption fights back and fights very fiercely.”
    “We should be able to examine our priorities because for us corruption is not a moral issue, it is an existential issue. To a large extent it will determine whether we will survive as a corporate whole because of the way people feel that when I get into an office I will go after the resources of the state, and I will go after it in the most vicious and the most reckless manner that is possible.”
    In response to the malaise of corruption, he said the intellectual elites, whether religious, political or academic, must stand up for what is right.
    The leader of the association, Prof. Godwin Nwabueze Okeke, hailed the Vice President for being available for the visit and urged him to declare open the forthcoming 50th Conference of the Association at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka in June, 2017.
    He said the association was solidly in support of the Federal Government and was ready to assist in whichever way needed.

  • Militants unhappy, Niger Delta youths tell NDDC

    Militants unhappy, Niger Delta youths tell NDDC

    A group, Niger Delta Peace Campaign for Development Network (NDPCDN), has urged the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to fix another meeting where genuine militant leaders and former agitators will discuss the region’s issues with the commission.
    The group said the last meeting between the NDDC and militant leaders was a wrong engagement, a waste of time and resources.
    It added that some of those who paraded themselves as militant leaders were not.
    In a meeting yesterday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, which lasted four hours, NDPCDN’s Leader Bussa Fullpower said the militants were unhappy about what transpired during the last meeting with the commission.
    Fullpower said it was because of the trust the group had in the Obong Esima Ekere-led board of the NDDC that spurred it to plead with the militants and ex-agitators to give the board more time to address their grievances.
    The youth leader said his group discovered the board did not examine some of the names of “militants” submitted to it before inviting them to a meeting.
    He noted that when the creek was tough, there were people who spearheaded a ceasefire to give the present administration a chance to develop the region.
    According to him, it will be wrong for the commission to consult the wrong people and abandon those who adhered to the ceasefire.
    Fullpower said: “During the jungle days, there were youths who held the region to ransom. Recently, when restiveness and bombing started, there were youths who the Federal Government bgged to give peace a chance. But today, most of these youths have been abandoned.
    “The last meeting between NDDC and the militant leaders confirmed why the militants are seriously angry. It is because they were not invited to the meeting. As a group of ex-militants seeking for peace in the region, we want NDDC to fix another meeting with this set of militants.
    “To be frank, the militants are confident that the Obong Ekere-led board will fast-track development in the region. It is on this singular reason that this organisation is moving from one state to another in to find a lasting solution.”

  • ‘Militants should not be role model for Niger Delta youths’

    The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), startups and youth entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta have agreed to work together towards changing negative perception about the region, especially its youths.

    Speaking at a ‘Meet the Leader’ session organised by the Port Harcourt chapter of the WEF Global Shapers Community in partnership with PIND’s Niger Delta Link, participants agreed on the need to change the  negative image of the Niger Delta youths as lazy and militants.

    A participant lamented that militant leaders have become role models, stressing that a recent study showed that “80percent of youths said they wanted to become militant because those who own the big houses and drive big, fast cars are militants”.

    Mr. Nsima Ekere, Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, who spoke on ‘How  Youths Can Drive Sustainable Development in Niger Delta’, expressed joy at the caliber of youths in the gathering, stressing that it is at variance with the image of the region.

    ”What people know us (Niger Delta) for is not this (intellectual gathering). They know us for aggression, harassment, kidnapping, violence, blowing up of pipelines etc.

    “The narrative of the Niger Delta over the years has been horrible; it has to change and we are changing that. The ownership mentality of Niger Delta youths needs to stop; we need to do things differently going forward. While challenging those present to strive to change the image, Ekere advised: “You should know that your destiny is in your own hands and you (attendees) give me hope.”

    “My challenge to young people is to look for innovative ways of living their lives; with innovation and drive, you cannot imagine what you can do because people selling ideas are the richest people.”

    Ekere condemned empowerment programmes of the past boards of the commission, which he said was aimed at “appeasing truants and rewarding truancy”.

    The Curator, PH Global Shapers Community, Mr. Ebenezer Wikina,  expressed PH Global Shapers willingness to work with the NDDC and other relevant agencies to turn things around in the region.

  • Allow Fed Govt-PANDEF peace process work, Boroh advises Niger Delta youths

    Allow Fed Govt-PANDEF peace process work, Boroh advises Niger Delta youths

    The Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programmme, Brigadier General Paul Boroh (rtd) has advised   youths in the Niger Delta to allow the on-going peace process between the Federal Government and the people of the Region to work.

    Reacting to a spate of attacks on oil facilities despite the November 1, 2016 commitment to dialogue by both Government and the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) General Boroh said from his experiences in the United Nations, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the peace process can be slow, and even sometimes appear frustrating, but that like the court, it can and will deliver justice. He added that “While dialogue and the peace process can be tasking, exerting and quite expensive, it remains far cheaper compared to violence.”

    He said most of the 16-Point list presented to Government by PANDEF need careful study and painstaking negotiations adding “I therefore advise the youths to give the PANDEF a chance especially when it comprises all the broad sections and interests in the Niger Delta including youths, elders, traditional rulers, intellectuals and professionals. This presents the best opportunity to make the case for the development of the Region rather than a relapse of the peace process which would negatively affect all and scare away investors including those from the Niger Delta who might want to locate businesses in the area. If there are youths who want to contribute to the PANDEF list or have suggestions, they should do so with words not with explosives”

    Gen. Boroh admitted that the vandalism of oil facilities hurt the economy, but added that “It also hurts all Nigerians irrespective of age, gender, religion or region.  In fact, it hurts the Niger Delta more because such destruction is on the area’s soil with negative implications for farming, fishing, the environment and living in peace.”

    He said   the Presidential Amnesty Office apart from the Amnesty beneficiaries, has also made scholarships available to 1,800 youths from impacted communities. Likewise, he said, the Office promises that with better funding, the Programme will extend its agriculture training and empowerment to other Niger Delta youths.

    Gen. Boroh, who is also the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta said the youths are the future of the country and therefore have a stake in building a future of peace, development.

  • Niger Delta youths to Buhari: Probe NDDC

    Niger Delta youths to Buhari: Probe NDDC

    …Threaten to block East-west road and other Federal roads if…

    Niger Delta Youths under the aegis of Aggrieved Niger Delta Youths (ANDY) Thursday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the ongoing fight against corruption campaign to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    The group who described the commission as stinking said the probe, if initiated should be thorough for the interest of the region and the commission.

    In a press briefing yesterday which was organized by the group in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, the National leader, Prince Amatari Bipeledei said the best thing President Buhari could do for the region is to sanitize NDDC to realize the purpose for which it was created.

    Bipeledei who claimed that his group has already carried out a preliminary investigation on the commission said they are backing the decision of the Senate Committee on public account.

    He further claimed that the Senate committee on public account led by Sen. Andy Uba on Wednesday 26th October, 2016 directed NDDC within 7 days to submit all approved evidences of 1,691 contacts it’s awarded between 2014 -2016.

    The youths who are already in court with NDDC over diversion of fund meant for the empowerment of Niger Delta youths, threatened to block East-West road and other Federal roads in the region if Mr. President fail to probe the commission.

    He said: “On the 12th of August 2015, the Auditor General of the federation Mr. Samuel Akura submitted an audit report of 183.7b missing at NDDC from 2008 to 2016 and the breakdown of that report submitted to the national assembly includes 70.4b unaccounted  from the mobilization of various contractors that never reported to site.

    “5.8b paid to contractors for projects not executed or abandoned, 90.5b spent on extra budgetary expenditure without approval by legal authorities. 1.2b un-deducted taxes from contractors, 10.07b to be refunded as tax deduction made without remittance to FIRS.

    “While 3.1b was transferred to unauthorized account and unaccountable staff advances of 1.7b. And response from the then board led by Dan Abia was that no money was missing. Our demand is that President Buhari must help this region to sanitize the commission.”

  • Niger Delta youth leaders give Buhari condition for peace

    Niger Delta youth leaders give Buhari condition for peace

    Youth leaders from 19 ethnic nationalities from the Niger Delta region, Saturday, demanded their inclusion in the ongoing dialogue between President Muhammadu Buhari and stakeholders for peace to reign in the region.

    In a communique after their meeting in Warri, Delta State, the youths insisted that any dialogue without them would be an exercise in futility.

    The youths maintained that they remained a critical factor in the desired solution to the contentious issues of the region.

    The youths, who gathered for the meeting were the President, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri (IYC), Comrade Egbo (Isoko Youths Council), Mathew Dighi (Ogoni Youths Council), Edward Odum (Ikwerre Youth Council) and Esimaje Awani (Itsekiri Youth Council).

    Others were Imoh Stephen Okiko (Ibibio Youth Council), Mazi Okechukwu (Ohaneze Ndigbo Youth Council), Damige Pharry (Kalabari Youth Foundation) and Capt. Bassey Henshew (Efik Youth Council).

    Also in attendance were Okodugha Aluyah (Edo Youth Council), Etemma Effiong (EFUT Youth President), Idemudia Daniel Nosakhare (Benin Youth Progressive Forum), Victor Uyot (Oro Ethnic Nationality), Ahanmisi Edeki (Owan Youth Council), Prince Ndiyo Ndiyo (Ukwe Ebunitu), Ebhotemen Innocent (Esan Youth Council), Ezekiel Alfred Ekpeikot (Eket Youth Council), Eric Oluwole (Yoruba Youth Council) and Terry Obieh (Urhobo Youth Council).

    They described the proposed dialogue with the Niger Delta elders as commendable.

    But they said: “The youths are the most vulnerable stakeholder in the economic, security and political issues affecting the region.

    “We commend the present move by Mr. President and the leaders of the Niger Delta region to dialogue, in quest to address critical issue affecting the good people of the region.

    “There should be an inclusion of all the ethnic nationality youth leaders in the proposed dialogue process.

    “The Federal Government should ensure a high degree of transparency and sincerity in the process of dialogue and negotiations. And we call on the agitating groups to shield their swords and give peace a chance.”

    The youths at the meeting reviewed the proposed economic, security and political solutions to the problems of the region.

    They called on Buhari and the government to develop an economic engagement for the youths through the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Delta and Cross Rivers states, the Maritime University in Delta and the Brass Fertilizer project in Bayelsa State.

    They said: “There should also be the reactivation of the Calabar, Warri and Port Harcourt Sea Ports, the construction of the Lagos/Calabar Railway, the completion of the East-West road, Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene, Aba-Ikot Ekpene,Owerri-Port Harcourt, Isoko-Onitsha, Benin-Abuja and Calabar-Itu expressways.

    “The government should adequately fund the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme(PAP) and the Niger Delta Ministry.

    “We believe this project will generate well over five hundred thousand jobs opportunity for the youths of the region”.

    The youths further commended the Federal Government for securing the release of some of the Chibok girls but demanded the release of other leaders in detention in the spirits of true reconciliation.

    “We request that in the spirit of genuine reconciliation and national unity, the IPOB Leader, Nnamdi Kanu, the Shiite Leader, El Zakzaky should be released.

    “The Federal Government should nominate and work with young persons of the ethnic nationalities.

    “We call for political inclusion of youths in governance and we request that the Federal Character as stipulated by the constitution be adhered to in all employment and appointments in the face of socio-economic, financial, political and ethno-religious crisis that continue to plague our country with disastrous impact on our nation’s economy, social lives and which have also posed grave danger to the peaceful co-existence of our region and country.

    “This will ultimately resolve all issues plaguing the region and allowing greater participation of people in governance.”

  • IYC to military: fish out killers of Niger Delta youths

    IYC to military: fish out killers of Niger Delta youths

    The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has exprressed shock and sadness at the killing of a footballer, Joseph Izu, and  Oko Osuekina, by soldiers at Okarki in Ahoada West of Rivers State.

    In a statement yesterday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, by its spokesman Eric Omare, IYC asked the military to fish out the soldiers who killed Izu, a Shooting Stars of Ibadan Football Club’s defence player, and Osuekina.

    The statement said: “This murder is highly condemnable and brings to the fore the disdain with which the military treat Niger Deltans.

    “The body of Oko Osuekina, who was shot by military officers on his forehead at the same time with Joseph Izu, was found floating on the Okarki River a few hours ago.”

    IYC claimed there was tension in Okarki community because soldiers intimidated residents in the night by shooting into the area.

    It said: “The IYC is at a loss on the justification for the military impunity at Okarki community. The military is behaving as if the Ijaw of Okarki were not human beings. Our people are being treated like animals that must be killed with impunity.

    “The IYC has always known the unprofessional attitude of the military, hence we have been advocating against military action in Niger Delta.

    “From our experience, innocent people, like the victims in this case, are always at the receiving end of any military action, instead of the supposed criminals that the military ought to go after.

    “We strongly condemn this barbaric and criminal conduct of officers of the Nigerian military and call on all lovers of humanity to join in condemning it. We also demand that the military officers who carried out this extra judicial murder be brought to justice.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari’s government’s claim to the rule of law is on trial. The IYC sympathises with the Izu and Osuekina families, who lost their loved ones, the people of Okarki Community and Ediro/Ogbologolo Clan.

    “We shall stand with them in these trying times and ensure that those who killed Joseph Izu and Oko Osuekina are brought to justice.”

     

  • Stop causing more harm to N’Delta, Ateke warns Avengers

    Stop causing more harm to N’Delta, Ateke warns Avengers

    The former Niger Delta war lord, Ateke Tom has warned the faceless newly formed Niger Delta Avengers to stop causing more harm to the region through their criminal activities, saying that attack on oil installations would only bring pains and suffering to the people of the region.

    Ateke, while condemning the activities of the Avengers whom he described as desperate criminals said no Niger Delta youths would support any criminal act in the region.

    The Okrika High Chief spoke Monday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital while reacting on the activities of the Avengers and the effect on the people of Niger Delta.

    He regretted that if the group continues with their criminal activities it would once again expose women and children in the region to serious hardship, adding that he is ready and willing to offer assistance to the Federal government to negotiate with the Avengers if the group is ready for peace.

    He called on the security agencies to fish out the criminals and prosecute them in line with the law if they refused to lay down their arms and unmasked themselves as responsible citizens.

    Ateke said: “As one of the peace ambassadors in this region, I want to state it clear that any responsible Niger Delta youths would not support the criminal act being perpetrated by the so-called Niger Delta Avengers. I   condemned in totality the activities of this frustrated,   faceless and desperate masked group called the Avengers.

    “I am also pleading with the ex-war lords not to use the issue of the avengers to hit up the  polity by causing trouble in the  region, either by name calling or by insulting our elders and chiefs. Bombing and destroying our oil installations and government properties in the region is only exposing children and women to another hardship.

    “I want to call on the elders and chiefs in this region to talk to their children; there is no gain in violence and trouble making. We must see ourselves as one and learn how to support the government at the centre whether we are in support of it or not. In my state I have since started sensitization campaign against kidnapping and vandalism.”