A South south group, the Mangrove People Leadership Initiative (MAPLI), has called on the incoming administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure it reviews the three percent allocated for a trust fund for oil producing communities in the region, as contained in the Petroleum Industry Act.
Rising from a stakeholders forum in Calabar, Wednesday, the group, which described itself as nongovernmental, non-profit oriented and non-violent, said Tinubu should “correct the wrongs done to the people of the South South.”
President General of the group, Chief Dick K Harry, said: “Our people, who have been marginalised for many years despite being the helm of affairs that lays the golden eggs, deserve to have their fair share of the resources that come from their lands and waters.
“Few months ago, we made a declaration in Yenegoa, Bayelsa state, on issues concerning the South south and Nigeria. We took a position against the three percent allocated in the Petroleum Industry Bill as it were then, said to be a Trust Fund for oil producing host communities.
“We are saying again that the people of the South South will not accept that 3 percent. We will fight for it, and if they feel that they can treat us like trash, we are also letting them know that we own Nigeria too.
“The PIA, as we have, has not defined the difference between the host communities where the oil is drilled from and those communities where pipelines pass through. They are telling us that the people, whose land the oil you drilled from my place passes through, will have equal share with me.
“You mean with the complete destruction of our sources of livelihood which is fishing and farming, and total pollution of our streams and farmlands with oil spillages, we should accept such injustice, we will not. There is a popular saying that when you push a man to the wall, he would naturally react.”
Chief Harry added that: “We will channel our grievances appropriately and we strongly believe this injustice will be looked into. I implore the incoming administration to correct the wrongs done to our people in the South South.
“Let the new administration not limit its renewed hope mantra to people from its political party but consider all Nigerians, no matter the political divides, as constituents whose lives should improve and if it does so, it would endear itself to all Nigerians. We believe Asiwaju Tinubu has the capacity to address the anomaly and make people of the South South happy for the first time.”