Don’t Drop Corruption Charges Against Niger Delta Politicians, ANEEJ Urges Buhari

By Alltimepost.com

Abuja, Nigeria – Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) has urged the Buhari administration not to drop corruption charges against politicians in the Niger Delta who are currently facing prosecution for allegedly defrauding the people and nation.

This plea was contained in a press statement recently issued by the organization, following a recent meeting between Nine Niger Delta State governors and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to look for ways and means of resolving the growing tension in the volatile region.

The Governors are requesting the Buhari administration to drop corruption charges against politicians from the Niger Delta to pave the way for the resolution of tension in the region which has seen billions of naira being lost following bombing of oil pipelines by members of the Niger Delta Avengers militant group.

“As stakeholders working around the dethronement of impunity and corruption in governance, and the enthronement of transparency and good governance in public office, Nigerians are embarrassed and scandalized that governors of the Niger Delta states seek to resolve the brewing tension in the Niger Delta through an outright cancellation of corrupt charges being brought against serving and former public office holders in Nigeria,” ANEEJ said in the statement signed by its Executive Director, Rev David Ugolor.

The Niger Delta is home to some of the worst forms of underdevelopment in Nigeria, and this is in spite of the establishment of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Ministry of the Niger Delta (MND), Oil and Gas Development Commissions, such as the EDSOGPADEC and DESOPADEC.

What makes the case of the Niger Delta really curious is that even though the region gets about 13% as derivation funds as oil producing areas, these accruals have not been seen to positively impact on the well-being and wealth-being of the people of the Niger Delta.

“If indeed the governors are asking the Federal Government of Nigeria to withdraw charges against these politicians from the Niger Delta facing corrupt charges with the EFCC, it therefore means that agitations being made by militants in the region are spurious, fake and do not represent the mood and\temperament of the people of the region.”

“What this request by the governors of the Niger Delta states translates to as well is that if in the circumstances the Federal Government deigns to succumb to this request by the state governors, it means that all other corruption cases across board will have to be dropped as well. This, we believe, would sound the death knell to the anti-corruption war in Nigeria.” Rev Ugolor warned.

Ugolor urged the federal government to resist such calls, and explore all-non-military avenues open to it to resolve the crisis already being propped up by persons and institutions which are bent on scuttling the fight against corruption and impunity in Nigeria.

Part of what the administration of President Buhari should do to douse the tension in the Niger Delta, he suggested is to begin a review in the allocation of oil blocks, sustain allocations to the Niger Delta institutions, and initiate genuine measures to strengthen the capacities of the Niger Delta Development Commissions to deliver on their mandates.

He also called on the government to rejig its anti-corruption fight to be extended to members of the ruling party who have been fingered through sundry petitions to the EFCC so as to tip the scale of public perception of the anti-graft war in favor of the government.