Stakeholders from the Niger Delta region of the country have passed on a set of 16 demands on President Muhammadu Buhari at a crucial meeting in Abuja on Tuesday. One of their demands is that the region be included in the sharing and ownership of the oil blocs in the country.
Other demands made by the shareholders included the review of the presidential amnesty Programme, Relocation of Administrative and Operational Headquarters of IOCs to the area of operation, the approval of Maritime University, Strengthening the Niger Delta Ministry, resuscitation of Key regional critical infrastructures, the resentment of Bakassi indigenes, restructuring and funding of the NNDC.
They also demanded for the introduction of fiscal federalism, economic development and empowerment of Niger delta people, improvement of power supply, security surveillance and protection of oil and gas infrastructure, meeting the immediate needs of the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, attention to the increased military presence in the Niger delta, and implementation of the Ogoni clean-up and environmental remediation.
Rising from the meeting which lasted about 3 hours at the council chambers of the presidential villa, the leaders who were gathered under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum led by chief Edwin Clarke, stated that the issues were critical to finding lasting peace in the Niger Delta.
