Niger Delta militants on Sunday warned all multinational oil companies operating in the region to cease operations in the region forthwith in their own interest. According to the militants, the oil companies should stop operations until matters affecting the Niger Delta region are addressed.
A statement by ‘General’ Edmos Ayayeibo, ‘General’ Woi Izon-Ebi, ‘General’ Christ Etarotu and ‘General Akpaingolo Yins’, spokespersons of Adaka Boro Avengers, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, Niger Delta Creek Warriors and Ogunuma Camp of Niger Delta, respectively, said: “The Federal Government of Nigeria has taken the people of the Niger Delta region as blind people and has continued to see us as blind people, until we take the bull by the horns. The Niger Delta has been ripped off.”
Continuing, they said, “Up till now none of the demands of the Niger Delta people that were made known to the presidency has been implemented. The vice president who toured the Niger Delta region has not implemented any tangible thing he has said. Our resources are still being used to finance projects in the north and west. Up till now our boys are still in the custody of the Federal Government without trial; several Niger Delta activists and agitators like Alex Odogu, Ebiware, Aboy Muturu, Bounanaowei Smith, Ezekiel Daniel, Monday Ebimene and Churchill Oghoneye are still in custody of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
“The acting president who toured the Niger Delta region on a political jamboree turned a blind eye to the plights of the people such that he didn’t see areas that need to be developed in the Niger Delta region. To us the vice president tour was just a mere political jamboree; a tour that was arranged by governors to bring their own people to speak for their own political interests and careers in the various states. Why didn’t the acting president tour around the oil producing communities for even a second to see how the people are suffering? This people need good roads, railway, water, good hospital and job.”
The militants are also worried that the Federal Government has not done anything to address the black carbon emissions which have been released on the oil bearing communities through the operations of the companies in the exploitation of hydrocarbons and burning of mini refineries by the security agencies in the Niger Delta and especially in Rivers State.
“Up till now the Federal Government has no plans to set up any meaningful dialogue process since the ceasefire agreement reached by the various agitators in the Niger Delta and government on the ground that the government will set up a dialogue committee. On this notice we hereby call on all the multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to cease operations in the region for now in their own interest.
“They should cease operations forthwith until matters of the Niger Delta region are addressed. We also use this medium to call on the PANDEF to desist from its involvement in matters affecting the Niger Delta region because we are not seeing any reasonable thing the PANDEF has done in the process of mediating between the Niger Delta region and the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
