Solid minerals vs crude oil: IYC condemns illegal mining in North
The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide, has condemned ongoing illegal mining activities in the Northern part of the country where powerful individuals are allowed to tap the natural resources in their domains.
The IYC also called on the Federal Government to commence the amendment of the constitution by allowing Niger Delta to harness crude oil in their domains.
He said: “If the Nigerian laws did not mean anything to the illegal miners of solid minerals in the North, then Niger Delta people will also take control of all petroleum resources in the southern region notwithstanding the constitutional provisions.
“Niger Delta oil cannot be made a national property in Nigeria, while solid minerals in the North are being extracted by individual ownership.
“It is either the government restructures the country by allowing states to harness and control the resources in their domains or we will take every step necessary to exercise control of the resources in our fatherland.”
The IYC boss stressed that despite the fact that illegal mining activities had been causing a bloody crisis in the North, the Federal Government had not deemed it necessary to set up a military joint task force to checkmate the illegal mining activities because the solid minerals in the country were seen as private ownership by the feudal lords.
According to Independent, he maintained that there could never be one Nigeria if everybody in the country was not treated with the same measure.
He added: “Everyday, people are being killed and property worth billions of naira destroyed in the name of illegal oil bunkering activities by the marauding Joint Task Force in the Niger Delta region.
“The FG chose to protect the oil facilities at the expense of the oil-bearing communities because crude oil is seen as national property, while solid minerals in the North belong to individual persons. Is this the one Nigeria they are preaching?
“President Buhari and the National Assembly should, as a matter of national importance, initiate the amendment of the Constitution by allowing states to harness and control the resources in their domains. That is the only sure path to peace in Nigeria.
“Anything short of that will be disastrous to our economic survival as a nation. Niger Delta people will control her resources, even if it means to be killed by the trigger-happy and the Niger Delta-phobic military Joint Task Force in the region.”