By Cross Udo, Abuja
Paramount rulers from the six states of the South-South geophysical zone yesterday met with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where they presented a catalogue of demands from the government.
The natural rulers under the aegis of South-South Monarch Forum lamented that the area produces the wealth of the nation but has nothing to show for it.
The monarch’s visit came barely 24 hours after a Warri Chief and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Ayiri Emami, on Monday declared that fighting criminality in the Niger Delta without putting in place infrastructure in the region will not achieve any results.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting with the President, Chairman of Delta State Traditional Rulers, Maj-Gen Felix Mujakperuo, said that issues bordering on dilapidation of infrastructure were presented to the President.
He said, “We come to our listening President with a catalogue of our requests in the region. In the region we produce, we give resources to the country and yet we are suffering amid plenty.
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“So we just have to catalogue our sufferings and what we want the President to do for us so that we can feel that we are part of this country. The President said he will listen he will look at our request and he will do the needful.
“There are a lot of things that we said he should do for us like the East-West Road that has been abandoned for so many years and most of the roads in the South-South you cannot have access to Abuja. From Port Harcourt to Aba is not passable, and from Benin to Uromi to Okene is not passable.
“We also felt like he should try and link up the Itakpe Railway to Abuja Railway so that right from Warri we can drive to Abuja. What about the abandoned ports? We feel that if those ports are revived it will bring employment for our people and it will improve the economy of this country.”
Also speaking to journalists, the Minister of Niger Delta Development, who led the delegation, Abubakar Momoh said, “These are the owners of the region, the more you engage them they will talk to the youths and those who are involved but when you keep them away it becomes a problem because they will not have that sense of belonging of continuing to talk to the people.
“And above all, it is also to look at the infrastructure of the region. When we engage the youths in entrepreneurship training and the rest of them it can also step down the wave of theft.
“The door should be opened to the people like this because they are the custodian of the peace of Niger Delta, the meeting that has happened today I can regard as a huge success.”
Asked about the state of infrastructure of the region and how it is been taken care of, he said, “Generally I think we may also carry out some kind of holistic examination on what we call oil theft in Nigeria whether it is not even the kind of professional stealing from even the people who are even producing the oil because if there is no vandalisation and yet you are talking of oil theft I think it has got to a point where the government will also look critically into this so-called oil theft whether it is oil theft or those people who are in charge are the ones stealing the oil and giving it a different name believing that it is the youths of the region because I understand that even at the point of loading to overseas.
“They can reduce the figure and at the end of the day you think the oil is stolen I think that these are areas that the government will have to look at in due course.”
*We’re committed to addressing your region’s concerns
President Tinubu, however, assured traditional rulers in the South-South geopolitical zone that his administration is committed to addressing their concerns over development and environmental degradation.
The President gave the assurance during a meeting with the South-South Monarchs Forum, led by the Chairman of the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, Maj-Gen Felix Mujakperuo (retd), and Vice-Chairman of the South-South Monarchs Forum, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President told the Royal Fathers that his administration is diligently working, both domestically and internationally, to strengthen Nigeria’s durability and approach to climate change, environmental restoration, and infrastructure development, all while ensuring security and stability in the region.
Commending the monarchs for their understanding approach to his administration’s ongoing economic reforms, particularly the removal of the fuel subsidy, President Tinubu promised that Nigerians would soon enjoy the benefits of these tough, yet necessary decisions.
Tinubu in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, was quoted as saying, ”We are working to revive the economy from the damage of several years. We seek your support, prayers, and understanding, and I am glad that the Vice-Chairman of the Forum served in an organization where we need intelligence to operate.
”You (the traditional institution) will be the source of the intelligence we need for the holistic development of our country, and anytime you need to tell us something, do not hesitate to reach out to this office. I will take on all of your concerns, and I will address each of them one by one.
”We cannot underestimate your contributions to the peace and stability of this country. Continue to uphold us in your prayers and in talking to our youths to keep faith with the country because the light is already visible at the end of the tunnel.”
In his remarks, His Royal Majesty, Major-General Mujakperuo appealed to President Tinubu to follow up on all developmental efforts in the region to be sure that progress is tangible to the people.
“Mr. President, you know the problems of our region as an expert with experience in the energy industry. We see you working hard to solve our problems, and we are comforted that you have pledged to take on our concerns and bring a final solution to them,” the South-South Monarchs Forum Vice-Chairman said.
