Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, on Saturday, November 14,2020 bemoaned the discrimination by the Federal Government, whereby it allows Zamfara to manage its mineral deposits while restricting oil producing states in the southern part of the country from controlling theirs.
Okowa made this submission during a quarterly interaction with journalists in Asaba, stating that resource control and devolution of powers had become necessary in lieu of the development.
“The South-South governors have been at the forefront for the devolution of power to states and local governments..
“Restructuring, resource control, and security of the country, especially in the Niger Delta will be a major topic of discussion at the presidential parley coming up in Port Harcourt.
“We cannot apply laws in such a manner that it becomes discriminatory because you cannot mine solid minerals somewhere in Zamfara and you can’t allow Niger Delta to manage their oil,”
Zamfara authorities appeared to have devised modalities for extraction of the state’s gold deposits following the establishment of a gold reserve in October.
During a flag-off of the gold reserve, Governor Bello Matawalle told journalists the reserve, which commenced operation with 31 kilogrammes of processed gold, was part of his administration’s efforts to diversify the state’s economy.
The Zamfara government had also widely publicised the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI), wherein the state would sell its gold directly to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Mines and steel minister Olamilekan Adegbite said that all mineral deposits in the country are controlled by the Federal Government, and corporate bodies, as well as the state and local governments, are empowered to buy mineral products when licensed to do so.
The Zamfara government had also widely publicised the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Development Initiative (PAGMI), wherein the state would sell its gold directly to the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Mines and steel minister Olamilekan Adegbite said that all mineral deposits in the country are controlled by the Federal Government, and corporate bodies, as well as the state and local governments, are empowered to buy mineral products when licensed to do so.
from 1st news.
To add the most insult, it is still Dangote that can build a refinery. Niger Delta shame on you guys.
ReplyDeleteSit there and be waiting for allocation peanuts.
How many Oil magnates are fron ND ?
You guys are not smart one bit, una nova still open eye for 2020.
Guys wake up and smell the coffee.
They are busy evicting Aieto company in their land and begging the federal government to take over by implication licensing Hausa Fulani to take over the oil business. Niger Delta people are really disgracing us. Whenever they do as if they want to have sense, the government will offer them peanuts and you see them fighting their own people that wants their progress.
DeleteMy dear, even if them "open eye" nko? What will they do? Become militants and take up arms? That is why they will never agree to restructuring. They reap where they did not sow yet they are the poorest, most backward, undereducated and most hopeless region.
DeleteSave your anger. We hope a firmer president emerges from the South and implements structures that works. How many gold them get sef? They will destroy themselves in the fight for it.
I wish i can click like to Saphire's comment
DeleteThank God that Delta state has join the #endbadgovernace# protest
ReplyDeleteHaven't we been vindicated when we said Nigeria is not ONE and can never be. This is the sole reason the north always kick against restructuring, for they want to keep feeding fat on the crude proceeds. If the crude were to be in the north, this country would have long gone restructured or disintegrated.
ReplyDeleteHow can you empower a state because it's in the north the right of ownership of a natural resources. Where then is the unity? Would the north have allow this to happen if this gold were to be found in Enugu or Cross Rivers state? Do you now see the grave injustice?
I seriously blame the southerners that keeps shouting one Nigeria. Have you seen your one Nigeria? Fools!!! When I hit the north and feudal Lords so hard, evil people here will call it bigot. Have I not being vindicated?
Keep fighting your brothers in hatred while aboki Fulani keeps raping your lands till there's nothing left. Look at Ogoni for example. Go and see the damage done there. Weren't the people of Ogoni promised clean up of the mess done on their land? Was it fulfill? Mad people everywhere.
Gov. Okowa and Co. Good morning to you all.
my friend from SDK😁
DeleteIf it isn't obvious to you guys that we're not 1 Nigeria, then you're sleeping on a bicycle..
ReplyDeleteAnd when you speak against it, funny enough it's your fellow southerners who ought to support you that will still bring you down. I heard one saying the other time, "instead of us Ijaw to be ruled by Igbo, let Hausa Fulani keep ruling us." Do you see their hatred and mentality?
DeleteMust the Igbo's be the ones to rule the south, are they not other tribes there, the reason why other southern tribes are not in support of the Igbo's ruling them is because the Igbo's will always want to overshadow the rest, they are against each other, everybody wants to be a leader
DeleteAnon 11:16, if you read my comment above, you will agree with me I didn't say it's a must for Igbo to rule. I only dropped what your brother said. So why feel pained?
DeleteWhich tribe isn't against their own? Tell me. I believe yours might be worse. Yes I will agree with you that in Igbo land everybody wants to be a leader and that that's the spirit. That traits alone made them successful and not to depend on anyone except the lazy ones. You can't call it domineering if you so like.
Are you not overshadowed by the Northerners? How many of your relatives have federal appointment? That shows Teejay is on track with what he is saying.
DeleteHave you ever asked the older non igbo generations why they do not want to be put together with igbos or have them as rulers? The pain run deep o. If you hear people of indigenous areas of Niger delta tell you tales of when igbos dominated the region, you will weep.
DeleteThey turned their villages to ibo towns and even changed the names until it stuck. There were cases were the locals where prevented from simple tasks as fetching water from government taps/water in their own villages by the igbos residents. Many indigenous people understood and spoke ibo fluently because that became the accepted dialect in non igbo regions!
Oyigbo that they refuse to let go was originally an Ogoni land. The meaning is oyi (to enter/start) gbo (the ogoni terms for friend now also used as a name for igbos).
The name Oyigbo was also changed to obigbo. The pain run deep but we southerner need to find a way to come together. Marginalization is the issue here be it by Northerners or southerners. Equity is the goal, let all heads be equal when standing no matter the height of the regions standing together.
I personally would vote for anyone that can help all Nigerians. I will vote for OBI for what he did in Anambra, I will vote for Donald Duke for what he did in cross rivers, I will vote for Akpabio because of akwa ibom and Wike because of Rivers State. I can even throw Fashola in because of Lagos and Rufia for when he was minister of FTC and his work in Kaduna. The youths need to understand the problem they keep piling on our heads will be left to only us to fix if we don't do something asap.
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ReplyDeleteJust like the way the border was opened for Dangote alone.
ReplyDeleteAnd the average South South person believes Igbos are their problems. Let them go to Abuja and see their crude oil at work + some Departments and Agencies like PEF that have only northerners working there.
ReplyDeleteGood morning indeed.
Una don dey wake up!! Nigeria matter be like husband and wife matter. The woman will say my money is my money, his money is our money.
ReplyDeleteNa so North say the oil in the Niaja Delta is for all of us while the gold and other solid minerals in their territory is for them alone and you think others will mumu forever??
Nonsense people everywhere.so the gold is to develop your state alone abi?una go soon see something.
ReplyDeleteI read on IG that whatever region owns the majority land mass in a country controls the entire country resources. That might be why they gave Zamfara the rights to control their own gold and still give Northerners right to oil wells. Apparently the north has 70% land mass in Nigeria. Someone was posting it on instablog during endsars protest time.
ReplyDelete