By Bode Olagoke
Abuja
Stakeholders from Ijaw extraction, under the aegis of Core Ijaw Leaders of Thought, (CILT) have come down hard on the President Goodluck Jonathan- led government, saying the administration has not benefited the Ijaw people despite the enormous resources from the region.
The group with a quest for the development of the Niger Delta region, especially the Ijaw communities, insisted that the pipeline surveillance which has been withdrawn was the cause of the present unrest in the region.
A statement signed by group’s chairman, Dr. Ebikeme Jones, Bright Williams, Secretary, Tare-ere Stevens Publicity Secretary, yesterday lamented total neglect by their own kinsman as Nigeria President.
“What have our Ijaw brother done for us? All we have is a Minister, who does not really care about the people, because she feels that, she is untouchable. How do we vote for Jonathan again, if we do, we suffer for another four years? We cannot continue to live in abject poverty.
“No significant project in our region, all we have now was given to us by non Ijaw leaders, for instance the creation of Bayelsa state, was done by Late Gen. Sani Abacha, from Kano, NDDC, east- west road, Olusegun Obasanjo, from Ogun state, DFRRI, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, from Niger state. Amnesty Programme and creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta, by Late Umaru Yardua, from Katsina,”
The group also noted that, “We do not want ministers that are not accessible to the people; these are the kind of ministers you find in the Jonathan’s administration. The Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison Madueke, does not accept proposal that will create employment, and she is not even concerned about youth unemployment, which prompted her advice against the renewal of the Pipeline Surveillance Contract, which hitherto reduced pipeline vandalism to its barest minimum, employing over 12,000 youths, thereby making our youths vulnerable.
“Now piracy have returned to our waterways, kidnapping, also has returned to the region. She cannot be promoting local content when majority of our youths are jobless.”
“We have embarked on the sensitization of our people that the northerners have benefited us more than the southerners, that they should start thinking beyond ethnic lines, but should face the realities on ground to decide who their leaders will be come 2015,” the group said.
