The Leadership of Peace Development Security and Humanitarian Rights Association of Niger Deltans has condemned and challenged in strong terms the rationale behind the proposed twenty one billion NNPC Medical Facility to be built in Kaduna when there is no such facility in the Niger Delta region that produces the oil money for the nation.
The Niger Delta Humanitarian Group stated in their protest letter that, it is absurd for NNPC as the Head, power House and Regulating Government Agency of all the international Oil Companies Operating in the Niger Delta, to think of such a Project first for Kaduna when they have not thought of sighting such a gigantic project with fabulous amount of money in any of the Niger Delta States that produces the black gold as a Developmental Project to cushion the adverse negative effect of exploration and exploitation on the Niger Delta people facing the inherent danger of Oil Production.
Comrade Mike Tiemo the Group President who addressed a Press Conference in Warri Delta State after the National Executive Meeting Of the body made their point clear when he said: “indeed this proposed NNPC Project in Kaduna is a clear indication of core marginalization and injustice of the highest order manipulated against the Niger Delta People.”
Comrade Mike Tiemo who was poised and resolute referred to the shoddy deals in the issue of” Oil Blocs Allocation” which was also manipulated by the the powers that be to give eighty five percent to Northerners while only fifteen percent was left for the other regions, adding that such arrangement does not reflect the so called federal character that we claim to be practicing in Nigeria.
Comrade Tiemo who vowed to tackle the proposal headlong , remembered Isaac Boro who declared ” the twelve day Niger Delta Republic” , explaining that this kind of glaring marginalisation that is done to spite the Niger Delta region constitutes major reasons that often trigger the people’s inclination towards disintegration and also to fathom other forms of unpatriotic zeal to the detriment of one Nigeria.
Tiemo Who described the Proposal as an avoidable evil said: “I advise governments at all levels to eschew anything that can abort Nigeria’s journey to true greatness”.
Comrade Tiemo the Group President lamented that the incumbent federal government since 2015 in its appointments did not reflect an equity spread for the six geopolitical zones. This practice which is not in tandem with their campaign promises or manifestoes should be corrected, to establish an enduring, authentic and good legacy of governance that will continue to promote Nigeria unity.
Comrade Tiemo said the willingness of the cabal to test the patience of the Niger Delta People by conceiving this skewed idea goes a long way to demonstrate the fact that the NNPC is indeed insensitive about the depth of the plight of the people of the Niger Delta region that are dying daily in quick succession from diseases related to oil exploration.
Tiemo stressed in his protest statement to newsmen that the Group is insisting that if the NNPC Medical project must be done it has to be executed across all the six geopolitical zones preferably to be kick started from the Niger Delta region which produces the wealth of the Nation before going round the other zones in the spirit of one Nigeria without segregation.
Tiemo the Niger Delta Activist remarked that the general public and people in all tiers of government should understand that the Humanitarian Group believes and support the spirit of one Nigeria and brothers keeper, but, he pointed out that the one Nigeria must be practiced with the virtues of equity and justice in fairness to the Niger Delta region which is bearing the brunt in the process of producing the National Cake for all to enjoy.
Comrade Tiemo the Group President further declared that if this request to relocate the proposed NNPC Medical Facility from Kaduna to Niger Delta is not looked into, the Group shall exploit all legal measures and , protest rally to ensure that justice is done because we will not support any vacuum that will lead to crises in the Niger Delta.
However, he stated alternatively that the proposed NNPC N21 billion Medical Facility in Kaduna should be executed across the six geopolitical zones at the same time for justice to prevail.
Comrade Mike Tiemo maintained that Mallam Melle Kyari ,the NNPC Group Managing Director GMD should as a .matter of urgent importance, direct that project to be sited in the Niger Delta to uphold the existing peace and tranquility that is prevailing in the Niger Delta in particular and Nigeria in general.
Comrade Mike Tiemo retrospected that the first refinery was built in the Niger Delta before Kaduna refinery. He therefore wondered why such priority should be given to Kaduna were there is no raw materials especially crude oil.
Bishop Godwin Pinawei the Group Vice President who also made keynote contribution, during the press briefing spoke against the bogus NNPC Medical Facility in Kaduna saying that People in government need to avoid this kind of pitfalls because the past Niger Delta crises he recalled was triggered by the outburst of accumulated grievances of marginalization, deprivation, ostracization and various degree of abnormalities and injustice of past administrations, which they committed like this blunder of the ill conceived NNPC Kaduna project, to undermine the fundamental interest of the Niger Delta people as critical stakeholders in Project Nigeria.
Speaking further, Bishop Pinawei affirmed that tribalism, Corruption and Nepotism the three major stumbling blocks which have kept Nigeria backward should be jettisoned from our national life so that Nigeria can move forward in the community of nations.
Speaking in the same vein, Comrade Lucky Ovigue Owhawha , the Secretary General and Comrade Durojaiye Ogunsemore, the PRO of the Group in their separate reactions concurred that the NNPC proposal to build a N21 billion naira Medical Facility in Kaduna, with the full knowledge of the fact that there is no Medical Facility like that in the Niger Delta region is a direct way of telling the people of the region that their destiny will be decided by the Northerners as we appear not to matter in the game of the calculus of power.
Mr Owhawha the Group Scribe and Comrade Ogunsemore the PRO who described the scenario as a new bug that is bound to sting like a snake caught by the tail , warned that it is better for Aso Rock to do the needful by directing NNPC to kick start their medical project from the Niger Delta region before going across the other geopolitical zones in fairness to the goose that lays the golden egg.
According to them, the only germane thing left for NNPC to do now is to revert that Kaduna proposal and site the Medical Project in the Niger Delta being the first of its kind then subsequently other geopolitical zones can be covered.
Mr Patrick Okpomu the National Mobilisation Officer l and Comrade Sunny Anireto the Assistant Publicity Secretary in their own contributions stated that the Group ideally want the Medical Facility Project to be executed in all the geopolitical zones for the actualization of standard medical facilities in Nigeria without bias not to promote the ceesport of hate but the starting point should be the Niger Delta but not Kaduna at first.
However, the prominent social crusaders noted that common sense tells any one who cares to listen to the voice of reason that NNPC lacks the locus standi to think of starting such a novel project in Kaduna instead of the Niger Delta region the very source of NNPC existence.
Patrick Okpomu and Sunny Anireto the Humanitarian Ambassadors, posited that the idea is a policy somersault and indeed hollow , adding that for a pilot project of this nature to be muted by NNPC , it is proper to consider the immediate environment where the oil is produced first, because that is the foundation of the NNPC as a Corporation.
While giving more insight to the reasons for their demands Okpomu and Anireto said: ” there is no region that needs medical facilities from NNPC more than the Niger Delta region where people are exposed to all kinds of pollution from cradle to grave.
Continuing they added: “lt is not good for the prince to trek when the beggar is riding on a horse or to work like an elephant only to eat like an ant.”
Okpomu and Anireto who spoke further to share more light on the ills of the proposal, stressed that anything outside the relocation of the project that Mallam Melle Kyari and his men are plotting to site in Kaduna id definitely unacceptable.
While emphasizing the Group’s readiness to challenge the Project with everything legally possible at their disposal, they asserted without any reservation that the proposed N21 billion NNPC Medical facility in Kaduna is a clear policy blunder deliberately orchestrated by the Northern cabals to achieve regional interest against the spirit of one Nigeria.
The Group leadership stressed that the call to relocate the project became paramount and imperative due to the devastating effect, hazardous situations and the predicaments the Niger Deltans are exposed to as a result of the Companies operations and activities that prompts persistent air and environmental pollution and the existing oil Companies Gas flaring in the Niger Delta region.
Conclusively, the Group called on President Muhammadu Buhari , the Senate President Senate Lawan , The Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and all relevant Agencies of Government to tackle the issue decisively by directing NNPC proper to do what is rightful and needful in the promotion of unity, justice and peace.
