Militant groups from the nine states of the Niger Delta region known as Niger Delta Liberator’s (NDL) have again warned of put on red alert on their planned resumption of hostilities in the area if the federal government failed to chart proper channels to engage with them over the worsening situation in the region.
NDL also rejects the proposed N13 trillion plus budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians, which it claimed, did not capture any tangible and significant human capital development project for the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region – "whose crude oil will be used to finance the budget.”
The NDL, in a statement at the weekend in Yenagoa by Benjamin Owei also known as ‘SeaLord,’ demands that the propose 2021 budget which also appropriated billions of naira to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs headed by Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should be withdrawn and put on hold until a substantive board of the NDDC is inaugurated and sworn in by President Buhari.
NDL also threatened to occupy all the oil platforms, well head locations and major crude oil pipelines until they see a proper channel of engagement from the Federal Government through the GMD NNPC and most especially the newly appointed Amnesty Coordinator who has promised Mr President that he would engage all the aggrieved militant groups stakeholders and promised to carry everybody along in other to restore peace and stability in the creeks of the region.
The group also threatened to stop oil production in the area, advising companies and the global Community to take note.
The statement reads in part: “All foreign nationals working in the creeks with all the multinational oil companies are hereby advised to leave the region as all our unit commanders have been put on red alert to resume operation zero oil production until our demands are met through proper engagement from the Federal Government or else no going back on the 21-day ultimatum issued earlier."
Espousing further, they said they were not happy with the decision to take $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in 2019 to acquire heavy weapons to fight Boko Haram insurgents in the North East. “This is wicked and insensitive to the peace accord signed with the people of the Niger Delta region.
The militants also demanded for the urgent release of gas flare penalty fund which runs into billions to the host communities of the Niger Delta, which it alleged, are funds domicile into the federation account through the Central Bank by the IOC’s and the multinational oil companies as payment to compensate the communities being affected by the activities of the IOCs.
The statement further said: “NDL reject the proposed N13 trillion plus budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians which did not capture any tangible and significant human capital development project for the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region – the region whose crude oil will be used to finance the socalled budget.”
The militants ended with a chilling warning that failure of the government to accede to their demands, “The Federal Government will witness massive destruction of oil pipelines, oil facilities and installations across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta region in a well-coordinated attack tagged ‘Cripple the Economy with Zero Crude Oil Production’. There will be no more oil funds to finance the 2021 budget.”
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