PORT HARCOURT—SOUTH-SOUTH Youth Leaders Forum, has threatened to mobilise youths from the region to occupy the National Assembly over Malabu oil and gas OPL 245 issues.

In a statement issued in Port Harcourt, Chairman of the body, Mr. Odiedenum Amachree said they were very unhappy with what they dubbed calculated attempt by some sections in the country to shut out the Niger Delta region from the oil economy in the country.

The statement wondered why the nation’s Senate ignored issues around OPL  246,  323, 321 and others not in the control of a Niger Deltan.

The statement reads in part: “We wonder why Malabu alone has been in the news, or is it that the Ijaw man is a born slave? Persons who do not know the number of creeks in the Niger Delta own more oil blocks than those who suffer the pollution and degradation.

“Meanwhile, there are hundreds of oil blocks in dispute all over the courts in Nigeria, whose owners are also known by the Senate, and some of them are even Senators, for example , OPL 323 & 321, how come they are not being investigated.

“May we also state here that the person of Chief Dan Etete, has suffered more than enough victimisation and persecution both at home and abroad on this same issue and we can no longer tolerate such broad day light marginalisation any further. We are very confident that all these drama of a probe can only happen when a “minority” Ijaw man is involved, but can never and will never happen if the said OPL 245 was owned by a  Northern or Westerner or even Lebanese.”