The coalition of Niger Delta militants
on Thursday sent a protest letter to President Muhammadu Buhari over his
alleged double standards in the handling of security issues in the
country.
The militants, under the auspices of
the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, slammed the Federal Government for
the controversial proposal to deduct $1bn from the Excess Crude Account
to fight the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East.
They described the plan to withdraw $1bn
from ECA as wicked and insensitive, saying it allegedly disregarded the
peace accord signed with the people of the Niger Delta.
The RNDA, in the open letter made
available to journalists in Yenagoa via electronic email and signed by
‘Major General’ Johnmark Ezonbi, warned the government not to take the
present ceasefire agreement for granted.
The letter partly read, “Through the
ceasefire, the country is enjoying daily crude oil production of between
2.2 and 2.4million barrels of crude production which amount to billions
of naira daily for the Federal Government. It also helped the country
to get out of recession. So, the government should not take our patience
and silence for granted.
“We want to state categorically that the
President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government is insensitive and
practically negating the principles of natural justice by using
resources derived from a neglected region to combat insurgency in the
North-East in the senseless Boko Haram war to the tune of $1bn from ECA.
“Why not access the fund from excess
account from the sale of agriculture products in the northern part of
the country? Why must it be from the creeks of the Niger Delta?
“The Federal Government’s insensitivity
to the Niger Delta development has obviously reached its crescendo. We
will not take this but resist with our might. This broad day light
robbery against the Niger Delta people will not be accepted by us. We
are going to resist this perpetual injustice against our long-neglected
people in the region.”
They, therefore, demanded the Niger Delta’s own share of $1bn from ECA for the development of the Niger Delta within four weeks.
They warned that the region would
witness a massive destruction of oil pipelines and installations if the
government failed to accede to their demand.
The coalition boasted that in a
well-coordinated attack tagged, ‘Cripple the Economy with Zero Crude Oil
Production,’ there would be no more oil funds to finance the 2018
budget.
They added, “We will ensure that
anything that stands in our way will be crushed without mercy. All
foreign nationals are hereby advised to leave the region as all our unit
commanders have been put on the red alert to resume ‘operation zero oil
production’ on the expiration of the four-week ultimatum.
“The governors of the South-South will
not be spared for being part of that decision for the approval of $1bn
to combat insurgency while our region suffers. We are the golden hen
that lays the egg but nothing to show for it. The Federal Government
will hear from us after the expiration of the four-week deadline.
“Mr. President, we the leadership of the
Reformed Niger Delta Avengers RNDA made up of coalition of nine
militant groups in the creeks of the most underdeveloped region in the
world with the most blessed natural and human resources have watched the
activities of the All Progressives Party-led federal government as
regards the development of the region and have reached the conclusion
that it is not yet Uhuru
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