SAN FRANCISCO, April 10, (THEWILL) – Foremost Ijaw Youth Organisation, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), has urged the President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, not to tamper with the Amnesty Programme designed by the late President Musa Yar’Adua for restive Niger Delta youths for the sake of peace in the region.
Rising from its enlarged stakeholders meeting held at Tuomo community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, IYC said sustenance of the programme would not only boost the nation’s oil resources but would continue to engender peace in the Niger Delta region.
In a communique signed IYC’s President, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, the group also deliberated on last Saturday’s presidential election and resolved that the outcome of the exercise has further polarised the Nigerian state into regional and ethnic lines, hence there is nothing to celebrate in the victory.
The communique read in part: “That we note with sadness the deliberate efforts by the core North and a section of the South West to frustrate the administration of President Jonathan and force him out of power through false media propaganda and insurgency in the North in connivance with some foreign countries who displayed obvious bias during the electoral process.
“Congress notes the goodwill and felicitations of President Jonathan and Nigerians in general towards General Buhari on his victory, but note with sadness that General Buhari refused to congratulate the victors in 2003, 2007 and 2011 when he contested and failed.
“This act of statesmanship by President Jonathan shows the level of patriotism of Niger-Deltans towards the survival and unity of Nigeria.
“The events leading to the elections clearly show that the electoral process was deliberately planned to rig out President Jonathan from the onset.
“The desperate scheming by the core North and South western part of the country to take back power is to enable them have access to the oil resources of the Niger-Delta.
“We note with satisfaction the achievements of President Jonathan in his years in office despite the fact that he worked in the most difficult environment.
“Congress observed that President Jonathan carried out a lot of reforms and achieved great feats in the areas of agriculture, power, transportation, electoral process, economy, oil and gas sector, maritime sector, peace and security in the Niger-Delta etc. Nigerians would soon derive maximum benefit from the achievements of President Jonathan in the power sector.
“President Jonathan’s extra-ordinary peace building efforts ensured and is responsible for the existing peace in the Niger-Delta region and the resultant increase in oil production and increased oil revenue.
“That Ijaw and Niger-Delta youths should be calm, peaceful and maintain the existing peace in the Niger-Delta region.
“Congress expressed profound appreciation to Nigerians especially the people of the South-east who supported President Jonathan during the elections.
“The Ijaw nation, satisfied with the performance and conduct of President Jonathan in office, would warmly welcome him back home from national service.
“The Presidential Amnesty programme for ex-agitators in the Niger-Delta region which has greatly contributed to the sustenance of peace in the Niger-Delta region be sustained by the incoming administration to maintain peace in the region;
“The existing federal structures set up to develop the Niger-Delta region such as the Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Niger-Delta Ministry and other schemes should be strengthened and properly funded to rapidly develop the region by the incoming administration; address problems of environmental degradation in the Niger-Delta region including implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoni and general environmental remediation in other parts of the region which are affected by environmental degradation.
“The recommendations of the National Confab should be implemented by the incoming government to deepen our federal system of government where the federating units would develop at their own pace.
“This would address some of the imbalances responsible for political instability in Nigeria and the desperation to control government at the centre.
“Congress called on the incoming Federal Government to start the process of national integration and run an all-inclusive government to address the polarisation and disunity arising from the outcome of the Presidential elections.”
