57 Marginal field: FG urged to avert crisis, accommodate Itsekiri,Ijaw Urhobo

TRACKING_____WARRI: As agitations against the bidding process for 57 marginal field heighten from Gbaramatu Ijaw , Itsekiri and Urhobo in Delta state a group Niger Delta Advocacy Initiative ,NDAI, has also called on the federal government to halt the process till issues raised by the ethnic groups were addeessed.

Continuing,it enjoined the government to resume work on the Omadino/Excravos and the Koko-Ogheye road projects, adding that the government should direct the Nigerian Ports Authority to dredge the Excravos Bar Mouth to enhance optimum usage of the Warri,Koko,Burutu and Sapele ports in the state.

“The Federal government should immediately direct the interim management committee of the presidential amnesty programme to pay up the statutory monthly stipends of the almost 700 beneficiaries of the 2018 deployment”

” The next substantive appointment of the Special Adviser to the President on Night Delta Affairs and the Coordinator,the Presidential Amnesty programme should be from any of the three Warri local government areas of Delta state for equity and fairness “,he said.

Continuing, the group said if the federal government failed to comply with the demands from the oil and gas communities they would not hesitate to shut down oil exploration activities in the various communities.

“Evidently the issues as narrated are genuine and we believe it is of utmost importance that there should be a stakeholders meeting in which the concerned authorities will amicably dialogue with the leaders of the groups and stakeholders to listen to all the complaints “, the group added.

Some members of the group comprising men and women later protested with placards bearing inscription as ” we need 60 percent of the productive fields”,” we need a right of first refusal”,” this is 2929 the marginalisation must come to an end “.