NIGER DELTA REPARATION MOVEMENT

STATEMENT

14TH JULY, 2020

After a long and torturous hibernation in the wilderness under an amnesty induced stupor, we have come to the painful realization and indeed we are constrained to resort to the only language the Nigerian state understands, PROTEST AND AGITATION.

It will be recalled that the Niger Delta agitators cane to a compromise with the Government in 2009 under the then President Musa Yar'adua administration to ground arms and agitation in exchange for amnesty.

In the offered amnesty package all manner of promises were made to address the genuine agitation of the oil bearing and producing communities, over decades-long, criminal neglect, underdevelopment, pauperisation of the host communities, ecological, and environmental wreckage on the fauna and flora of the Niger Delta habitat.

Of all the successive administrations since and including the late Yar’adua, it was only Yar'Adua's body language and utterances that tended to give a little hope that indeed the demands of the Niger Delta will be addressed.

If the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan was notorious for leaving zero impact on the plight of the Niger Delta people, the Buhari government has raised the bar, deepened and elevated hatred and exacerbated the general underdevelopment of the Niger Delta as a policy thrust of his administration.

Today those of us who opted for ceasefire by grounding arms and disarmament have been made to look stupid as all promises associated with the amnesty package which have become synonymous with APC ~ All Promises Cancelled.

It is in the light of the forgoing that we extend our hand of brotherhood and solidarity to our Itsekiri and Gbaramatu brethren.

We, by this publication totally align ourselves with the contents and demands of their publications including all actions declared by them to draw attention to their gory plight.

We are therefore constrained to serve a 7 (seven) DAYS ultimatum beginning 00.00hrs on 14th July 2020 to 00.00hrs on 21st July 2020 to the Federal Government to open dialogue with our representatives or be ready to go tend with the dire repercussions resulting from a course of actions we shall outline as a follow up to this notice within the next few days. We equally will make known our representatives after an exhaustive search for credible patriots within the next 48 hrs.

Our demands on critical issues for engagement are the following

1. The Ajaokuta, Kaduna, Kano Pipeline (AKKP).

We are aware that there are similar projects earmarked for the Niger Delta/South-South and entire Southern Nigeria being the main stay of the economy of the Nigeria State.

Why the AKKP, heading for a destination of the country notorious for its economic aridity and irrelevance in contribution to our Commonwealth is accorded priority beats imagination as it defies logic. The disrespect in pushing this AKKP is further deepened when it is made to look as though the gas will be generated in Kogi State other than the Niger Delta, as no mention of the Niger Delta communities that the gas will be piped from to Kogi was made. We are therefore sounding a note of warning that - unless the gas for this project is been sourced from Kogi State otherwise the investment may end up an exercise in futility as we can assure that the gas from the Niger Delta will not get to Kogi en route Kaduna - Kano.

2. OML 71/OML 72 Dangote Refinery - Lagos.

Again we have been wondering where Dangote will source crude oil for his gigantic 650,000 BPD refinery.

Lately we are made to understand that OML 71 and OML 72 oil blocks strongly believed to be owned/associated with Dangote, declared at production capacity of barely 30,000 barrels each will be the major supply source for the refinery. The grossly under declared production capacity of these OML's is a discussion for another day. Up till now we continue to wonder where the balance for the 650,000 BPD refinery will come from. However if the Dangote refinery project like the AKKP project seeks to source the crude oil from the Niger Delta we guarantee that supplies to this refinery project will entail serious hiccups. Besides the offensive defiance of basic economic principles of locating companies close to source of raw materials these and other projects continue to progress in utter disdain and contempt for local communities where the crude oil and gas for their sustenance will be sourced.

This is totally unacceptable and will be redressed in the "appropriate" manner.

We are also, by this token declaring as endangered projects and as such, Fair Targets all oil and gas pipelines crisscrossing the Niger Delta to other parts of Nigeria.

3. East-West Road.

One of the glaring failures of the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan administration was his inability to complete the East - West Road. Whereas several other similar projects outside of the Niger Delta enjoyed huge appropriations and were either completed or at various stages and levels of work. Progress, same cannot be said for the East - West Road which is the gateway to the resources funding other projects across the length and breadth of Nigeria. We therefore demand and call on the Federal Government to without delay mobilize to site and relieve the Niger Delta people of the nightmare and agony of daily fatigue, stress and fatality on this corridor of death and carnage by completing the East - West Road in record time. Same goes for all impassible Federal Government roads networking the Niger Delta.

4. Remediation of the Devastated Environment of the Niger Delta.

The world has seen the fraud and deceit associated with the purported remediation activities on the despoiled and devastated Ogoni land. Just like Ogoni, no community in the Niger Delta is spared from this generational environmental carnage and genocide that has been recklessly inflicted on the Niger Delta. Our simple offence is our "accursed" fate to harbour our God-given oil and gas resources and play good hosts to its allied and associated companies.

Needless to mention how this, unfortunately, has grossly retarded the overall quality of life for the people of the Niger Delta. We, therefore, call on the Federal Government to invite credible international organizations to carry out an environmental audit of the entire Niger Delta.

5. Marginal Oil Fields/Blocks.

We had thought that by now the Nigerian State will spare us the agony of watching helplessly the frittering away of our God-given natural assets to preferred cronies and fronts under the age-long fraudulent and criminal heist of oil blocks having completely and deliberately pauperized and handicapped people of the Niger Delta from even being competitive in the usually unfair bidding processes. Tomorrow our grandchildren born into our oil-bearing communities will find out that the oil blocks on their land and surrounding them belong to people from far-flung local and international communities and to alien individuals and surrogates. Imagine the judgment and curses they will pass and rain on this generation.

It is in the light of this criminal misappropriation of our God-given assets that we are demanding for a freeze on the ongoing allocations and renewing of licenses of new or old OMLs. They are hereby cautioned to be wary of the high-risk venture capable of making a complete mess of the investment they are getting themselves into.

6. We call on the Federal Government to dust up President Yar'Adua's 2009 Amnesty offer documents and declarations and address all unfulfilled promises therein contained for the rapid development of the Niger Delta region and the people.

7. We demand also that the Federal Government urgently address the salient 16 points demands presented directly to President Buhari by our Fathers when they met with Mr. President at the seat of government in July 2018.

8. We demand that the Federal Government address the demands of our Itsekiri and Gbaramatu brethren.

Signed.

Leader, Tactical Unit
Joseph Godspower Sedein
Niger Delta Reparation Movement (NDRM)

This statement was sent out yesterday to major news outlets.

Signed.

Leader, Tactical Unit
Joseph Godspower Sedein
Niger Delta Reparation Movement (NDRM)