We’Il Resist Buhari’s Water Resources Bill With Last Drop Of Our Blood, IYC Vows

Ijaw Youth Council, Worldwide led by Pereotubo Oweilaemi Esq, has vowed to resist with the last drop of their blood, the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Water Resources Management Bill recently sent to the National Assembly for passage.

Addressing members of the Warri Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) at the Union’s secretariat in Warri, Delta State, on Saturday, the Oweilaemi-led IYC described the bill as another “democratic shenanigans” associated with the Buhari’s administration.

IYC stated that the said Bill is another “neo-colonisation” agenda by the Federal Government to annihilate and subjugate the destinies of the Niger Delta people thereby subjecting the people to eternal colony.

“We reject the Bill in its entirety as it will only end up causing disaffection between the Niger Delta people and the Federal Government of Nigeria”, IYC averred.

The IYC leader said, “We have perused the spirits and letters of the said Bill clause by clause. There is nothing in the proposed law that will benefit the Niger Delta people, he declared.

“This is a clear departure from the sacred constitutional requirements of enacting laws which are for the public good, public morality and public safety”.

He said that a Bill that is designed to divest the people of natural resources in their domains cannot bring peace and good governance to the people.

“IYC therefore is of the view that the National Assembly should as a matter of public good and for the sake of our corporate coexistence reject the Bill outrightly or in the alternative, remove the clauses that seek to control the surface and groundwater resources including river beds and banks”.

The group stated that the management of the water resources should be left with the states, reiterating that if the federal government fails to heed to calls for the Bill’s withdrawal, then it will be an open invitation to confrontations.

“We on our own part will do everything humanly position within the ambit of the law to resist the passage of the Bill. This is our destinies and we will collectively tackle the Government to ensure that we control our destinies from the clutches of the foreign invaders.

“There is no doubt that the passage of this inimical Bill will pitch Niger Delta communities against her visitors. We do not want a repeat of history in the region”.

IYC claimed that the Buhari’s administration was trying to reintroduce the “rejected” cattle colony through the backdoor, urging all Nigerians to reject the Water Resources Bill because, according to him, it will spin doom for the Niger Delta region.

“This is a surreptitious means to reintroduce the botched cattle colony. Niger Delta people will resist it even with the last drop of our blood”.

Speaking on the Petroleum Industry Bill in relation to the host communities, IYC said it discovered that only 5% is voted for the host communities as against the earlier 10% equity share for the oil communities.

Oweilaemi said IYC rejected the 5% and demand that the lawmakers should increase it to 10% which was in the original documents.

“We also call for the speedy passage of the Bill before the 2019 general elections. A situation where the Bill will be used as a campaign tool by politicians to woo voters in the 2019 general elections will not be accepted”.

Story by Julius Eras-Olabowu