A Niger Delta Activist and Youth Leader, Richard Akinaka, has urged the Federal Government to build on the successes of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s recent peace building visits to the region.
Akinaka observed that the current peace achieved through consultations that Osinbajo spearheaded had proved effective, hence the need to sustain the moves.
Akinaka told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Tuesday that some `mischievous militant groups’ were making frantic efforts to derail the peace so far achieved in the region.
He advised the government not to succumb to blackmail by such militant groups desperate for attention for ulterior motives.
Akinaka, who presented the position of the Youths in Rivers during Osinbajo’s visit to the state, noted that the peace tour was a significant step towards the peaceful resolution of the contending issues of the region.
“The visit must be holistic enough to address the fundamental developmental challenges of the region and not be geared towards satisfying the yearnings of a few individuals in the region.
“It is therefore evident that consultation and dialogue have prevailed over force that was deployed in the first instance and which did not achieve desired results.
“The dialogue option has no doubt returned peace to the once troubled region.
Akinaka, however, said time had come for government to move beyond meetings and discussions.
“Government must set its priorities right and do the right thing to ensure that peace prevails; equity prevails to ensure that the region that lays the golden egg is given priority.
Akinaka also dismissed the claims that pipeline vandalism was as a result of Niger Delta agitations.
“I can say, as my personal opinion, that what is going on in Niger Delta right now as regards the bursting of pipelines should not be linked with the region’s agitation, because it is not.
“The collective will of the people is not to blow up pipelines for any reason.
“The agitation of the people is based on the issues of under development over the years. There is evident lack of development and unfair treatment to the people.
“What is going on, for me clearly is not a regional agitation agenda, but a blackmail tool to arm twist government for personal reasons,’’ he claimed.
Akinaka lauded the Federal Government on its recent directive to Multinational Oil Companies to relocate their operational headquarters to the Niger Delta, describing the decision as a welcome development.
“This will bring the contractors and service providers closer; add value people’s lives and reduce pipelines sabotage because youths will be gainfully employed,” he said.
He also commended the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu for providing the enabling environment to drive the peace process.
The youth leader equally applauded the newly unveiled 20-point agenda to formalise illegal refinery operators and transform them into owners of Modular refineries in the region.
According to him, legalising local refineries will boost the economy by making products available where the country’s refineries fail to meet the demand for refined petroleum products.
Akinaka advised government to set the right standards through enabling laws and direct the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to ensure compliance.
