ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
A coalition of Niger Delta ex-militant leaders has faulted the threat by a group, Niger Delta Youths Council (NDYC), to embark on a protest against the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) if it fails to include more states of the region in the N621 billion road rehabilitation plan.
The NDYC had reportedly threatened to mobilise its members to occupy the National Assembly Complex and the NNPC headquarters in Abuja within the next 48 hours if the relevant authorities failed to reverse the exclusion of states in the region in NNPC road rehab.
But the coalition, consisting of the Niger Delta APC Youth Vanguard (NDAYV), the Niger Delta Advocate for Peace and Good Governance (NDAPGG) and the Coalition of Concerned Ex-Agitators for President Muhammadu Buhari Support Group (CCEPMB), in a statement on Monday via electronic mail described the threat of occupying the NNPC as misplaced, outrageous, myopic and unthinkable.
The ex-militants’ coalition cautioned that the threat could incite violence in the Federal Capital Territory and the Niger Delta states if not properly handled.
The ex-militants warned that they would not fold their arms and allow some group of persons, allegedly sponsored by some corrupt minded politicians in the region, to cause mayhem that was capable of destroying the oil and gas sector of the nation’s economy that is being consolidated by the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mele Kyari.
The ex-militants warned: “We will not accept such threats from non-existing group to foment crisis in the region which could impede the existing relative peace in the Niger Delta.
“The development may lead to destruction of oil exploration activities in the Niger Delta if they decide to follow this fictitious group with kid-glove treatment.
“However, we condemn in totality the purported threat suspected to be sponsored by some corrupt minded politicians who are trying every means to foment trouble and incite crisis in the region to give a bad name to President Muhammadu Buhari and his government.
“We call on such vicious group to desist and retrace its footsteps from the proposed plan to protest and block the NNPC Tower gate in Abuja. We believe the protest is sponsored and targeted to blackmail and rubbish the good image of the GMD, NNPC, Mele Kyari, and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.”
“Therefore, we call on the Inspector-General of Police, the Director General of Department of State Services (DSS) and the security agencies to take note and put drastic measures not to allow such nefarious and illegal activities to take place.
“We urge the security agencies to be on the red alert. On our side as law abiding groups and core believers in President Muhammadu Buhari and the laudable job being done by Mele Kyari to transform the nation’s oil sector, we will not fold our arms or close our eyes and allow such miscreants to carry out the sponsored planned protest.”