Francis Sadhere
The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide, has called on Southern Nigerian delegates and all delegates who wish Nigeria well, to reject the recommendation of the Sub-Committee on devolution of power with regards to resource control, and demand for total resource control.
The IYC stated this recently in a press statement signed by its Spokesman, Barrister Eric Omare, and made available to journalists in Warri.
According to the group; “The Co-Chairman of the National Confab Committee on Devolution of Power, Obong Victor Attah and former Governor of Akwa Ibom, Southern and Northern delegates to the ongoing National Confab have agreed and resolved the contentious issue of Resource Control by retaining item 39 of the Exclusive Legislative List which relates to mines, minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological surveys and natural gas. According to Obong Attah, the committee added a modification to the item that the federal government in exploring for petroleum resources in any part of the country would involve the states where the resources are deposited.”
Barrister Omare stated that the resolution arrived at by the Committee and its recommendation raises more questions than answers and does not address the aged long demand of the Niger Delta people for the control of their resources.
“If the federal government would retain the right to ownership of petroleum resources, then in what manner would the states where oil deposits are found be involved or participate? What is the nature of the participation? Would the participation be at the whims and caprices of the federal government or it would be defined in an act of parliament? Can a state where resources are deposited initiate the process of exploration and exploitation? By the modification, is the federal government obliged to consult with a state before embarking on granting licences or entering into Joint Venture Agreement,” the group queried.
The IYC Spokesman said the demand of the Niger Delta people for the control of their resource entails having control of the way, manner and rate at which the petroleum resources or any other resources found in their land, are explored and exploited.
He said total control of resources cannot be achieved by the Niger Delta people, communities and states being ordinarily participants in the process of petroleum or resource exploration without having control.
The IYC therefore, maintained that as far as the struggle for resource control was concerned it was not “yet uhuru” for the people of Niger Delta, stressing that IYC would continue with the demand for total resource control in Nigeria.
The group stated that; “The IYC would continue with the demand for total resource control in Nigeria. This is the only way the future of the Niger Delta people can be guaranteed. We therefore call on Southern Nigeria delegates and all delegates who wish Nigeria well to reject the Sub-Committee’s recommendation and demand for total resource control during the debate on the report of the Sub-Committee on devolution of power. The recommendations of the sub-committee on Devolution of power with regards to resource control are obviously not far reaching enough and should be out rightly rejected.
