The umbrella body of all youths of Ijaw
descent, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, on Monday in Yenagoa,
Bayelsa State, warned that unless the ownership structure of oil blocs
in the region was rearranged to ensure fairness, attacks on oil
platforms would continue.
President of the IYC, Udengs Eradiri,
who spoke as part of activities to mark this year’s Isaac Boro Day, told
newsmen at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, that the unfair distribution of oil
wells was a major cause of the instability in the region.
The Ijaw youths had earlier ordered the
shutting down of shops in the Bayelsa State capital as a mark of honour
for the late Isaac Adaka Boro.
“One of the most salient issues that if
not addressed will lead to more crisis is the issue of the oil blocs.
President Buhari was one time Petroleum Minister and Head of State in
this country.
‘’Let us go and do an assessment of that
time. The time when criminally they shared our oil blocs was under his
watch either as Petroleum Minister or as Head of State. It is in one of
those times.
“Oil blocs were shared to one group.
Look at it, either the person (owner of oil bloc) was a former military
president or relative of the military president or an in-law to a
military president”, Eradiri said.
The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the new
face of militancy in the area, had last week Thursday listed some oil
blocs allegedly owned by former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,
Minister of Defence, General Theophilus Danjuma, ex-Minister of
Petroleum, Alhaji Riwalnu Lukman and others.
The new militant group in the region had
among others issued them a two-week ultimatum to shut down operations
at the oil blocs and evacuate the workers from the locations or have
them blown up.
Eradiri said that much of the
indiscriminate sharing of oil blocs were allegedly carried out when
Buhari served as Petroleum Minister or Head of State.
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