Ijaw Youths ask Buhari to tackle Resource Control in Niger Delta
Comrade Eric Omare, Warri-based legal practitioner,
is the spokesperson of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide spoke on resource control as a major factor facing the region. Read Details
Excerpts from
his interview:
How will you rate this present government and what’s your take on its
policies?
After more than a year in office,
I think one can give a preliminary assessment of the performance of the Buhari
administration vis a vis its campaign promises. Generally I think the
government has failed to fulfill most of its campaign promises especially in
the area of economy. Even in the fight against corruption, as Rev. Father Kukah
rightly said, the anti-corruption fight is targeted at individuals instead of
empowering the relevant institutions to fight corruption and also address the
factors responsible for corruption in our system. On policies, from what we
have seen wrong economic policies beyond the issue of reduced global oil price
is responsible for the present poor economic situation. Also we can’t really
point to clear cut policies and direction of the Buhari administration. The
government lacks direction. Even in the area of electoral reform which has
suffered so much set back under Buhari. Elections now are hardly conclusive.
Inconclusive elections are now the order of the day.
Do you agree with the notion that some regions are being marginalized by
this government? It
depends on the issues involved. Nigerian politics is ethnic based but as
President you have to make conscious efforts to balance it and give all parts
of the country a sense of belonging. However, in the case of Buhari he is
surrounded by only relatives and people from a particular section of the
country hence most of his appointments are from the northern part of the
country in violation of the federal character principle. The distribution and
execution of developmental projects would also follow this pattern. So to that
extent some sections of the country are marginalized especially the south-south
and south eastern parts.
What is your take on the current agitation in the Niger Delta region?
The current agitation in the
Niger Delta region is not new to me. This is so because I know that without
addressing the fundamental issue of resource ownership and control, there would
continue to be agitation in the Niger Delta region. The solution therefore is for
the government to summon the courage and address the resource question in
Nigeria once and for all.
Do you think the Niger Delta region is being marginalized?
I think it is better to address
the Niger Delta question from the perspective of resource ownership rather than
the general term marginalization. Every part of the country can lay claim to
marginalization. But what distinguishes the Niger Delta region from other parts
of the country is that we carry the burden of producing the resources that
sustains the entire country without commiserate return. This is where the cry
of underdevelopment, marginalization or whatever you call it comes from.
Comments
Post a Comment