Ijaw youth organization, the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, has rejected the proposal by the National Conference to increase the derivation fund for the oil producing states by five per cent from 13 per cent.
The IYC also condemned the proposal to allocate five per cent of the country’s resources to the Northern states affected by the Boko Haram insurgency.
The group said that if the proposal scales through, then the conference must have succeeded in tearing the country
According to the IYC, the proposal is an open invitation to war.
The IYC, in a statement by its spokesman, Eric Omare, a lawyer, said that it was very provocative, disgusting and insulting to the Niger Delta people for the conference to recommend only five per cent increase to the derivation percentage from resources produced in the Niger Delta region on the condition that five per cent of the nation’s revenue would be allocated to ‘fund’ and ‘encourage’ Boko Haram activities.
The IYC said: “If we may ask, where would the Boko Haram 5% revenue come from? Is it from the oil and gas revenue of the Niger-Delta region and taxes mainly collected from southern parts of Nigeria or 5% of revenue generated from the Boko Haram sponsored states?”
The group said that it had become obvious that Ijaw and Niger Delta delegates to the National Confab “have run out of steam to resist the arrogance of their Northern counterparts and the IYC calls on them to return home honourably”.
According to the Ijaw youth group, the delegates representing the region have failed woefully at the conference, saying: “To increase derivation by 5% and allocate 5% to fund Boko Haram to kill more innocent children, women and Nigerians is the worst decision that any person on earth would be party to.
“They have failed to achieve anything for the Niger-Delta and have further endangered the people of the region.
“The Niger-Delta delegates had a mandate to demand for 100% derivation and if there must be any concession, concede to nothing less than 50% derivation and if this is not accepted by other parts of Nigeria, then return home with honour and not to sell their birth right to Northerners.
“The youths and people of the Niger-Delta reject and would continue to resist the second class mentality being displayed by most Niger-Delta delegates at the Confab.
“The Niger-Delta has given up everything to sustain the unity of Nigeria and we are not ready to sacrifice anymore.
“The proposal to increase derivation by only 5% and allocate 5% to ‘fund’ and ‘encourage’ Boko Haram activities is an invitation to war and the IYC wish to state clearly that the Niger-Delta people would not under any circumstance accept this provocative proposal by the National Conference.
“The National Conference is strongly advised to jettison this devilish proposal and if the oppressors decide to use their fraudulent majority to force this proposal through our throats, then they would hear from the Niger-Delta people. Enough is Enough!”
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