Hold Buhari Responsible For Any Violence In Niger Delta – Ijaw Group
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The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), has said President Muhammadu Buhari should be held responsible for any violent outburst in the oil-rich Niger Delta region as his deliberate policies of emasculation of the zone based on vindictiveness was capable of stoking conflict.
President-General of the, IYC Worldwide, Udens Eradiri, alleged that the 2016 budget proposal by the Federal Government for the amnesty programme was deliberately trimmed down for the exploration of oil in the Chad basin area where nobody is living because of the insurgency in the North East.
According to Eradiri, “the budget for Amnesty programme was about N40 billion but has been reduced to about N20 billion. It has been cut to be used to fund the exploration of in Chad basin where nobody is living because of insurgency. This is a calculated attempt to create conflict in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria in the coming year.”
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He also further alleged: “If you cut the amnesty budget it shows clearly that you don’t want to engage the people of the region. How much is the allocation to the Niger Delta Development Agency, NDDC?
“What is the budget of the Ministry of Niger Delta? He has forgotten that cost of running government is hinged on a peaceful Niger Delta region. And the amnesty programme is the reason Nigeria has the peace and revenue it has been enjoying and all is an attempt to cause conflict that would deny the government from realising the N6 Trillion Budget the government is expecting in the 2015 budget.”
According to Eradiri, the Buhari administration is rolling out anti-Ijaw policies aimed at improveshing the region, which he warned will not be accepted.
