IYC: We’ll No Longer Condone Gas Flaring from Oil Companies in Niger Delta

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has said it would no longer tolerate incessant gas flaring and lackadaisical practices of local and international oil companies (IOCs) in the Niger Delta region.

The House of Representatives had during an investigative hearing on Monday, vowed to recover the sum of over $9 billion gas flaring fines imposed by the federal government on erring local and foreign oil and gas companies. The lawmakers had also vowed to investigate, perhaps, one of the most harmful practices in the oil and gas industry which has cripple the country’s economy.

But, President of the IYC, Alaye Theophilus, in his acceptance speech after taking over from the immediate past president of the council, Peter Igbifa, said gas flaring and venting had been significant environmental, economic, health and social concern for the people of the region for many years.

Alaye in a statement yesterday, stated: “We are in an era where policies of the government are anti-Ijaw and undermines our collective contribution to national sustainable development.

“As president of the council, I will agitate for resource control beyond oil and gas. We have been undermined for too long.”

Alaye noted that his mandate as the 9th president of the Ijaw nation was to promote, defend and demand justice for his people.

He added: “It is abysmal when our rich water bodies are abandoned, and we see ship berths in Lagos, when we have the best seaport in West Africa. What we keep hearing is that our environment is not safe enough, this must stop under my watch as president of council as we demand activation of our seaport.

“I must state it clearly that we will no longer condone incessant gas flaring and lackadaisical practices of the IOCs that has cost us a lot as a people.

“We shall strive to maintain the stability in the council and the Ijaw nation under my leadership,” he added.

The President, therefore, urged the government to explore areas where the region has comparative advantage in order to ameliorate the suffering of the people.

He said, “In my government, political players in the Niger Delta region must up their game in the discharge of their political duties to project the concerns of the region as we shall be asking questions of stewardship and contributions to the development of the region.”

Earlier, the immediate President, Igbifa, urged Alaye to be steadfast and avoid unnecessary distraction in his commitment to set the Council on the right path.