Modular refineries by Federal Govt. not permanent solution to Niger Delta agitations

CHINEDU WOSU YENAGOA

New President the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, IYC,  has told the federal government that introducing modular refineries to the people of the Niger Delta region would not create permanent solutions to its agitations.
The newly-elected President of IYC, Mr. Eric Omare, made the clarification on Tuesday at a news conference in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital.

Omare, who held his maiden conference with journalists in Yenagoa, declared that the ultimate solution to the Niger Delta agitation lies in addressing the question of resource control and management.

”Let me clarify here that the fact that we adopt the concept of modular refinery is not  an end in itself. In other words, the idea of modular refineries does not address the demands of the Niger Delta people. It is just one of the temporary palliatives and we accept this palliative because it addresses one of the fundamental issues affecting the region today.

”If you go to our creeks now, you will observe that our environment has been totally damaged, partly because of the idea of this local refinery that is not controlled. So, we believe that this idea of modular refinery that will incorporate those people that were formerly involved in illegal refineries as it is called, will address the environmental problem. ”Also, it will enable most of our people to be gainfully employed, acquire skills and other associated benefits. But the question of resource control and   ownership must be addressed for the Niger Delta to have permanent peace.

”So, the concept of modular refineries  and other palliatives are just means to an end. The end is for the government to have a negotiation team with the Niger Delta people to address the issue of resource ownership and control.”

The IYC President also said that the IYC was averse to the idea of the government sourcing for people to operate the modular refineries, stressing that the Niger Delta people had the capacity to source for investors to operate the modular refineries
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He rationalized that if the government was allowed to source for investors, the modular refineries would take the line of oil and gas industry, alleging that people from other parts of the world were the ones dominating the industry to the detriment of the Niger Delta people.

Omare added, ”A classical example that our people have the capacity to source for investors is the case of Gbaramatu people. As we speak now, the people of Gbaramatu have secured more than $200m investment by foreign people who are ready to invest in the Gbaramatu modular refinery that is underway.

”What they did in Gbaramatu was that they agreed with the Delta State Oil Producing  Development Commission that no other projects would be executed in Gbaramatu and that the money should be channeled towards the building of modular refineries and they have been able to secure foreign investment to build that refinery.

”That is the concept that the IYC believes that should be followed all over the Niger Delta region and not government sourcing for investors because if government sources for investors, politicians and people from other parts of the country will hijack the concept to the detriment of the Niger Delta people.

”Now, closely related to the reason we are advocating that our people should be allowed to source for investors is that if you observe very well, through the amnesty programme, a lot of people that became the beneficiaries of the programme have never seen guns before in their lives.

”Today, we have people that are called oil thieves and all sort of names, this programme is targeted at them. The moment you allow government to source for investors, those people will not benefit from the programme.”

Omare said the IYC on its part had been approached by a lot of people for them to see a means of sourcing for investors.

He said the IYC had set up a high powered technical managerial committee of distinguished Ijaw people that would source for investors, noting that the committee members were people with requisite technical and managerial capacity to source for investors, both locally and internationally.

”In the days ahead, we also intend to interface with notable  other ethnic leaders. You know that part of the demands of the Kaiama Declaration is for us to  extend hands of friendship to other ethnic nationalities.

” The Ijaw people alone cannot do it. We believe we must work together as Niger Delta people.”