From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has warned that it will no longer condone incessant gas flaring and insensitive practices of International Oil Companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta region.
House of Representatives recently threatened to recover the sum of over $9 billion gas flaring fines imposed by the federal government on erring local and foreign oil and gas companies.
Reacting on the issue, President of the Council, Alaye Theophilus, made the disclosure in his inaugural speech in Port Harcourt when he took over from Deacon Peter Igbifa as the President.
Theophilus, in statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, described gas flaring and venting as significant environmental, economic, health and social concern for the people of the region for many years.
He said his mandate as the 9th president of the Ijaw nation will be to promote, defend and demand justice for the people.
“We are in an era where policies of the government are anti-Ijaw and undermines our collective contribution to national sustainable development. As president of the council, I will agitate for resource control beyond oil and gas. We have been undermined for too long.
“It is abysmal when our rich water bodies are abandoned, and we see ship berths in Lagos, when we have the best seaport in West Africa. What we keep hearing is that our environment is not safe enough, this must stop under my watch as president of council as we demand activation of our seaport.
“I must state it clearly that we will no longer condone incessant gas flaring and lackadaisical practices of the IOCs that has cost us a lot as a people. We shall strive to maintain the stability in council and the Ijaw nation under my leadership,” the President noted.
He urged government to explore areas where the region has competitive advantage in order to ameliorate the uncontrollable suffering of the people.
“In my government, political players in the Niger Delta region must up their game in the discharge of their political duties to project the concerns of the region as we shall be asking questions of stewardship and contributions to the development of the region,” Theophilus stated.
The statement further noted that the immediate past President, Igbifa, earlier charged Theophilus to be steadfast and avoid unnecessary distraction in his commitment to set the Council on the right path.