*FG has no plans to develop N-Delta— IPA

*Buhari has great plans for region— Ex-millitants

By Samuel Oyadongha, Festus Ahon, Egufe Yafugborhi, & Emem Idio

WARRI— FORMER Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday, said the Ijaw ethnic nationality suffered the worst neglect and underdevelopment in Nigeria, saying, “our case is worse than that of the almajiris up North.”

EDWIN CLARK

This came as Ijaw Professionals Association, IPA, Homeland chapter, said the Federal Government was not committed to developing the Niger Delta region to the taste of the people and urged political leaders to utilize funds accruable to the region for the development of the area.

However, National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, said President Muhammadu Buhari had great plans to develop the Niger Delta region.

Clark spoke at his Kiagbodo home, Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, when he hosted newly inaugurated executives of the Izon-Ebi Oil and Gas Producing Communities Association, IOGPCA, led by its President, James Edoukumor.

Edoukumor, accompanied by his Secretary, Lambert Odudu and Public Relations Officer, Richard Koremene and other new executives, visited Clark, the Grand Patron of the body, to seek his blessing after their inauguration in Warri.

Clark said: “Nobody who lives upland in this country will ever appreciate the suffering we have been living with. We live in water, yet we have no water to drink. We have no healthcare, no schools, no roads, yet we produce the resources that oil the wheel of this country. Those exploiting the oil in our land have been very selfish, unjust and oppressive. They want to perpetually own the resources and we say no. There are even people who believe that for the Federal Government to exploit our oil, we should be removed from the area to make it easier to shortchange us. God will never agree with them. They say we are militants. Who would stay in his own house and allow a stranger to come and pour sand on his head? We will continue to fight for our God-given rights.”

In a separate interaction with a delegation of ex-militants protesting delayed payment of beneficiaries’ stipends by the Amnesty Office, Chief Clark bemoaned widespread divisions and disunity among Ijaw groups, terming it a weakness working against the progress of Ijawland.

Eric Omare, spokesman of Ijaw Youth Council who spoke on behalf of the ex-militant leaders, had told Clark to prevail on the Gen. Paul Boroh-led Federal Government Amnesty Office to settle the growing arrears before the beneficiaries lose their patience and resort to unwelcome acts.

Clark, while promising to resolve the matter, however, said: “My problem with our people is that sometimes we are our own enemies. We allow the same people exploiting us to divide us.

“You come together or form a group today; you go to Abuja to collect money and the next day the group is split into two or three. The moment you sell your birthright, you become second class citizens. Nobody will respect you again.”

IPA
Meanwhile, IPA, rising from its end of year meeting in Yenagoa, attended by prominent Ijaw professionals from all walks of life and presided over by its President, Inirou Wills, called on the Federal Government to urgently pay its long standing debt of over N800 billion to the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

IPA said: “Ijaws should start asking questions about the management of the common wealth, and speaking up about development and governance issues towards reversing the continuous trend of poor governance and socio-economic conditions at state and local government levels from 1999 till date.

“IPA believes that the success of the local government system will bring development speedily to the localities and thus Ijaw nation must lead the charge to remove local governments from the apron strings of state governors. They will be encouraged to be role models in the election and funding of the local governments in the country. State and local governments in Ijawland should settle all unpaid salaries and urgently put an end to the strange and unacceptable practice of owing workers’ salaries. A historical account of all borrowings, their utilization and their repayment (bonds, bank loans, etc) by respective state governments in Ijawland from 1999 till date should be made public.”

Ex-militants
But President of National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, ‘General’ Israel Akpodoro, has said President Muhammadu Buhari had great plans to develop the Niger Delta region.
Akpodoro, who spoke while congratulating the newly elected President General of Gbaregolor Federated Communities, Mr. Jerry Opheimu and his executive on their election, called on the leadership of Gbaregolor federated communities in Ughelli South Local Government Area,  Delta State, to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts at developing the region.

“President Buhari has great plans to turn the region around for the betterment of the people,” he said, urging the new executive of Gbaregolor federated communities to see their election as a privilege and a call to service.