BEVERLY HILLS, January 13, (THEWILL) – The umbrella body of Ijaw Youths in the nine states of the Niger Delta region, the Ijaw Youths Council Worldwide, IYC, on Friday explained that it is against the continued investigation of the Malibu Oil deal by the foreign countries of United Kingdom and Italy because the probe is a sustained persecution of Ijaw indigenes.
It stated that although Ijaw people have come to terms with alleged persecution under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in the lopsided fight against corruption, the use of governments of the United Kingdom and Italy to single out the Malabo oil deal for probe is disheartening and provocative.
The IYC President, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, who made this known in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, while interacting with newsmen, said while the other oil blocks awarded at the same time and through the same process were left untouched, the Malabo oil deal has been subjected to sustained probe because it is owned by a Niger Deltan.
He then cautioned the Federal Government and foreign countries involved in the probe to hands-off the matter for the sake of peace in the region, asserting that every other person who has been awarded oil blocks in the country should also be investigated if Malabo must be probed.
Eradiri said, “Malabo probe is designed to witch hunt the Niger Delta people, the federal government should hands off the Malabo issue because you cannot be probing Malabo and others are enjoying the same process.
“This is a country where oil blocks were awarded to and allocated to cronies in this cronies yet nobody is saying anything about them but Malabo because it is owned by a Niger Deltan and Ijaw man, everyday Malabo is being probed for no reason. If they want to investigate Malabo, they should investigate every other person that has been awarded oil blocks in this country. They awarded it to their friends, cronies and their brothers.
“OPL 244, OPL245 and OPL 246 which were awarded the same day through the same process owned by Danjuma were awarded the same day, other OML, uncountable were awarded to people from the north, they are enjoying their largesse but everyday Malabo is subjected to probe.
“Meanwhile the same process for the Malabo was the same process for others but because Malabo is owned by a Niger delta. The signature Bonus in this country is $20million but Malabo paid $210 million as Signature Bonus and yet nobody is talking but we the Niger Delta people will not be quiet.
“This is how they brought down All States Trust Bank, Oceanic Bank, Diezani Allison, and Jonathan administration, dragging him in the mud every day. This is how this administration sacked Ijaw people in the NNPC. The federal government and the foreign countries should hands off Malabo.”
The IYC President went on to slam the federal government over the continued delay in negotiation with the Niger Delta leaders, stressing that the action of the government is an indication that the present administration was not ready to bring peace and development to the region, and pointed out that military action will not work in the region.
“Look at the negotiation in the Niger Delta, everyday they are neither here nor there. We are not expecting PMB to solve all the Niger Delta problems but he should give us his plans on how he will ensure that oil flows in the region, because military action will not work. IYC will continue to speak against the injustice in the Niger Delta,” he said.
