By Clifford Ndujihe
DISTURBED by the continued devastation of Niger Delta region through oil pollu-tion and neglect, Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, has called for immediate commencement of clean-up exercise of the region as recommended by the United Nations Environ-mental Programme, UNEP.

About 2,000 members of the group and their allies who converged at Ibeno, an Ijaw clan in Akwa Ibom State, weekend, for a conference, also demanded immediate restructuring of Nigeria, passing into law the 10 per cent community equity participation in the Nigerian Joint Venture arrangement as pronoun-ced by the government of late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

They urged caution over fuel subsidy removal.

IYC leader, Mr. Mabiye Kuromiema, said the council had resolved to arrest the continued pollution of the ecosystem in the region by multi-national oil companies.

He said: “We condemn as a people, the continued pollution of our environment by opera-tions of oil companies, ExxonMobil, Agip, Shell and others. They have continuously polluted our environment.

“This has resulted in the destruction of our ecosystem and livelihood, the basis of our people’s survival. This has been firmly established recently by the report of UNEP.

“UNEP made it clear that the Niger Delta environment was one of the most polluted environments with regards to the activities of oil and gas. What this council is calling for today is immediate commencement of a process to clean up the entire Niger Delta environment.”