By Emma Amaize

WARRI— IJAW Youths Council, IYC, yesterday, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to forward a supplementary budget to the National Assembly for the inclusion of funds slashed by lawmakers from his earlier allocation for completion of East-West Road and take-off grant for Nigerian Maritime University, NMU, Okerenkoko, Delta State, in the 2018 budget.

IYC President, Pereotubo Oweilaemi, in a statement, said: “This is the worst economic war of aggression against Niger Delta people. We do not know our offence and why the lawmakers chose to use the region as their scapegoat. This political maladroit should be immediately corrected in the interest of peace.

“Though we commend the efforts of President Buhari for the N5 billion grant to the university and the funds appropriated to complete the East-West road, the actions of the lawmakers may draw us back to our bleak days.

“We view the actions of the NASS as a political guillotine designed to cut off our socio-economic destinies. This is provocative and it portends danger to our economy.

“We, therefore, charge Mr. President to send a supplementary budget to the NASS for the inclusion of the abrogated figures in the Maritime University and the East-West road allocation. This is the only panacea to address any likely breach of peace in the region.”

On the purported plan to divert NMU, Okerenkoko dockyard to Lagos, Oweilaemi said: “The attention of IYC has been drawn to a rumour that some mischievous elements within the Presidency had perfected plans to divert the Nigerian Maritime University’s dockyard from its permanent site, Okerenkoko in Delta State to Lagos.

“While we do not want to believe that President Buhari will make such costly mistake given the fact that it took him much pain to achieve the pyrrhic victory of peace in the region, we need to be apprehensive of the rumour because of similar incidents in the past. If there is any truth in the said rumour, then the Buhari government will be committing democratic suicide.

“We will revolt against such provocative action by enemies of peace even with the last drop of our blood. Never again will the Ijaw nation sleep over our rights.”