By Levinus Nwabughiogu
The  Ndokwa people in Delta North Senatorial District of oil-rich Delta State have protested the  alleged  marginalization of the people  in all spheres of human endeavours in the country and have taken their protest to  the office of the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku.

The people under the umbrella Ndokwa National Union, NNU, last week went to Abuja to seek assistance  of the office of the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku who also doubles as the Chairman, Presidential Committee on Amnesty.

Led by their President-General, Pharmacist Paul O. Enebeli, the people, in a manner that provoked emotions reeled out their disappointments in the successive governments of the federal Republic of Nigeria which they said neglected them.

“We have Oil and Gas in quantum and we make enormous contributions to the socio- economic development of Nigeria yet Ndokwa people are heavily marginalized in all spheres of human endeavours in the country. Our people are industrious, humble, peace loving, supportive and respectful to every government. We have lived peacefully with our neighbours over the years and serve as a buffer in the geo-political alignment in Delta state. Regrettably, our humble disposition and insistence on peaceful co-existence and rational solutions to issues are apparently being misconstrued as sign of cowardice,” Enebeli started.

“We in Ndokwa state without fear of contradiction that Governments at all levels have not been fair to us. With the discovery of crude oil in Ndokwa land and ignition of exploration and production activities in 1965, the traditional agrarian and fishing occupation of our people has been adversely affected with little or nothing to show in terms of socio-economic benefits. This is in spite of the peace that exists in the area as exemplified by no pipeline vandalization or hostage taking in the area”.

Enebeli stressed that Nigeria’s First Gas Recycling Plant was commissioned at Kwale-Okpai in 1987 by the then Military President General Ibrahim Babangida added that a cumulative Oil production
capacity of almost 280 million STB  of crude oil is extracted from oil wells in Okpai, Kwale, Benekuku, Umuoru, Umutu, Umusadege, Abalagada amongst others.

Pharmacist Enebeli said that their prayer was not to take over the ownership of the oil platforms to but to be integrated in the empowerment scheme of the federal government which will help to alleviate poverty in the land.

In his  response the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta, Mr. Kingsley Kuku  said , “I owe you the responsibility to pass on the message, not just to pass on the message but to follow it up and ensure that I get an answer. I don’t think it is human for one to have oil and not know the colour of oil”, he said.