The Ijaw Youths Council has accused President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government of making policies towards the Niger Delta region as deliberately vindictive to cause conflicts.
Udens Eradiri, the president-general of group alleged that the 2016 budget proposal by the federal government is anti-Niger Delta as the allocation for amnesty was deliberately trimmed down for the exploration of oil in the Chad basin area .
According to Eradiri said: “The budget for Amnesty programme was about N40 Billion has been reduced to about N20 million which has been cut to be used to funding the exploration of oil in Chad basis where nobody is living because of insurgency. This is a calculated attempt to create conflict in the Niger Delta region in Nigeria in the coming year.”
He also allege: “If you cut the amnesty budget it shows clearly that you don’t want to engage the people of the region. How much is the allocated the Niger Delta Development Agency, NDDC.What the budget of the Ministry of Niger Delta? He has forgotten that cost of running government in hinged on the peaceful Niger Delta region. And the amnesty programme is the reason Nigeria has the peace and revenue it has been enjoying and all is an attempt to cause conflict that would deny the government from realising the N6 Trillion Budget the government is expecting in the 2015 budget.”
Eradiri claims that Buhari’s administration is rolling out anti-Ijaw policies.
Meanwhile, Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation had described the 2016 budget presented to the joint sitting of the National Assembly by the President Muhammadu Buhari as being fuel by insincerity.
naij.com
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