Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide has called on all international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to relocate their headquarters back to the region, just as it puts the Federal Government and governors of the South-South geo-political zone on alert.

The call was contained in what the IYC referred to as ‘2024 New Year Resolution,’ which it issued and signed by its spokesman, Amb. Binebai Yerin Princewill, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State on Tuesday.

The IYC stated in the resolution, “We are calling on the multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to begin to activate plans to relocate their headquarters back to the region. The Ijaw people cannot continue to accept this kind of injustice. You can’t milk oil from our soil and then be paying royalty to other state(s) that don’t produce oil and gas.

“Our people must be treated fairly and must participate fully in the oil and gas sector. We must get our due benefits and not the usual crumbs.

“We must renegotiate the modus operandi of the oil companies with particular regards to the well-being of the Ijaw and Niger Delta people that are hosting these companies.”

The IYC averred that for enduring peace to reign in the Niger Delta region, the Federal Government of Nigeria and its allies must be fair and just to the Ijaw people and other minorities in the country.

It said, “We cannot continue to feed the nation, while living like slaves in this country.  Without justice, fairness and equity, the sermon of peace might just be a utopian dream.

“The IYC is not oblivious of the fact that peace is the mother of development, hence Council has always preached peace in the Niger Delta, from the Kaiama Declaration to the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty Programme, till now, the IYC has been on the forefront, advocating for a peaceful and united Niger Delta and Nigeria.

“We will continue to do all within our powers, as one of the largest youth movements in the world, to preach peace, believing that the Federal Government and its allies will be fair and just to the Ijaw people and other minorities in Nigeria on our quest to live a decent life.”

Promising to continue to work closely with security agencies and other critical stakeholders in the region to foster and sustain peace and unity in Nigeria, the IYC also tasked the military “to always be professional in dealing with the Niger Delta communities, as we have witnessed too much bombardment of defenseless Niger Delta communities.”

The resolution reads further, “The Ijaw people have resolved that interventionist agencies established to make life more meaningful and by extension, add more value to the development of the region must begin to, in practical terms, live up to the expectations of our people and the region.

“Interventionist agencies like the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Niger Delta Ministry and other related agencies must know that what we need now is the physical manifestation of projects in our communities. There should be no excuse this time around for our places not to be developed.

“Niger Delta development has been stagnated for too long. Council will continue to engage with these authorities frequently in ensuring that the right thing is done for our people.

“All roads leading to the Niger Delta are bad, the Federal Ministry of Works should waste no time in swinging into action by urgently rehabilitating the East-West Road, particularly the Rivers, Bayelsa to Delta portion of the road.

“IYC doesn’t want to believe that it will get to a point where we will be storming the streets and halting activities before the right things are done by fixing our roads and developing our places.

“Worthy of note also is the construction of the Udo-Ofunama road, the NDDC should prioritise the urgent construction of that project as it means so much to the Ijaw and Niger Delta people. That road is the only access road leading to Egbema Kingdom, which is an Ijaw kingdom, and a major oil producing kingdom in Edo and Delta states. This important road project has lingered for too long, the current NDDC has a moral duty to carry complete this project.”(PUNCH NEWS)