Urhobo youths, under the aegis of Urhobo New Face Youth Association, Thursday, berated Delta State Government and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for allegedly sidelining Urhobo youths in the disbursement of pipeline surveillance funds even as they were involved in the surveillance of the oil pipelines.

They also alleged non-representation of Urhobo Kingdom in the federal cabinet and called on the Federal Government and the Presidency to address the anomaly.

At a briefing in Lagos, yesterday, a youth leader, Mr. Henry Orovwute, said Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan could not claim ignorance of “this fraud and injustice done to Urhobo.”

He said: “There is a deliberate move to frustrate Urhobo where the pipeline survei-llance company, Oil Pipeline Surveillance Limited, OPSL, is concerned.

“The Federal Govern-ment’s monthly alloca-tion of N2 billion for oil pipeline surveillance to be paid to unemployed youths for surveillance jobs is now an issue of fraud and delusion.

“We would exhaust all legitimate means possible to redress this wicked anomaly by the leadership of Delta State. Our non-violence posture should not be mistaken for stupidity or an attempt to see Urhobo as docile. This is not about us trying to gain relevance but the facts, bare as they are, are eloquent enough for all to see and arrive at good judgment.

“The gesture of the pipeline surveillance contract by Federal Government through NNPC was for all youths in Delta State.”