Obi: FG has been unfair to Niger Delta

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, says the Federal Government has been unfair to the people of Niger Delta region.

Obi, however, promised to use funds generated from oil to rebuild the region if elected as Nigeria’s President in the 2023 general election.

The LP presidential candidate said this while
speaking to Niger Delta stakeholders that comprised traditional rulers, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), and youths, among others in Yenogoa, the Bayelsa State capital on Friday.

“Going round the entire Niger Delta and Bayelsa State in particular, I stand here to say that Nigeria has not been fair to the Niger Delta region,” the two-term former governor of Anambra State said.

On the increasing case of crude oil theft in the region, Obi said: “The oil theft in the Niger Delta is done by the government officials and their collaborators. Common people don’t own vessels, you don’t put oil in your pocket. But all these things will stop when you put the right people, people with competence and commitment in government.”

The governor, who also spoke on the East-West Road, said: “The East-West Road was flagged of since 1970 by the Federal Government and after 52 years they can’t complete it. I am coming to rebuild Bayelsa and the entire Niger Delta.”

He added that Nigeria with a population of over 200 million, has the largest number of people living in extreme poverty, highest youth unemployment, and out-of-school children in the world, amongst others.

Obi vowed that he and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed would secure and protect Nigeria if elected in 2023.

“We must unite this country because we are too divided. We want to ensure that there is a rule of law. We will fight corruption because it is destroying our society. We want to ensure that we remove the country from consumption to production because the country is not producing anything. What they do is sharing.

“Bayelsa State is a riverine area, Bayelsa, including all the waters is about 10.7 million square meters of land. Borno State is 70.9. So it is 7 times size of Bayelsa State. So is Niger State, which has more fertile land. But they depend on resources from Bayelsa State,” the LP presidential flag-bearer added.

Obi said his administration will make states contribute to the federal purse, “because when they contribute we can make more money for the Nigeria than we make from oil.”

“Land in Niger State is more than the land in Belgium and Netherlands combined. This two countries last year exported agricultural products that is over 10 billion dollars.

“Niger State can’t feed itself, it can’t export anything. If they will only do they have zero per cent of what these two countries did. They will earn 15 billion dollars. And that is more than the money they would have gotten from oil.

“The same in Borno State and so many other states in the North. But they are not doing anything, they are waiting to share from the oil. In Taraba, you can grow flower, coffee and tea. Kenya grow over half a bilion from flower. Ethiopia did over a billion from coffee. Taraba is waiting to share money from Bayelsa.

“The Federal Government does not know that by cleaning the waters of Bayelsa, putting money in infrastructure in Bayelsa, we can get money out of them, because we would have been making money out of oil and from fish. It is a win-win. We want to change the country. We want to make it productive.

“This election shouldn’t be by turn. It is nobody’s turn. It is the turn of Nigerians to take back our country. If anybody wants to talk about turn, I have the right to talk about turn, but I am not running on turn. I am an Igbo man. I am proud to be an Igbo man but am in this race as a Nigerian carrying a pan Nigeria ticket,” Obi stated.

The Star

Segun Ojo