Why FG Is Recruiting Niger Delta Youths To Monitor Pipelines – Minister

The Federal Government has explained the rationale behind its decision to engage 10,000 youths to monitor pipelines across the country.

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr Usani Uguri, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Question Time which aired on Thursday, highlighted the impact of the government’s decision on the communities in the region.

He said, “The government has decided to engage the youths of the region together. I think the basic pre-condition is to have youths from the region.

“I do not think anybody has the right of franchise as it were to suggest that this is the body that nominates the youths to be engaged.

“There will be a set criteria, of course, that will be used to engage the youths. And one thing we want to do is to be sure that the communities that are worst affected or most affected in terms of having the economic infrastructure in the locations that desire to be engaged.”

The Minister further said the controversial battle of supremacy between the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) and the Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSTCOM) in guarding pipes should not even have arisen.

“Whether one belongs to PANDEF or you are a host community all mean the same thing because PANDEF is said to be a pan-regional organization that speaks as a voice for the people.

“There are several other groups, the HOSTCOM is a voice that speaks for the communities that host these oil installations and so on and so forth. So it is not particularly controversial as to which one takes precedence over the other, it only depends on the issues of engagement,” he added.

Mr. Uguru described as ‘faulty’ the allegation that the Federal Government was indecisive in averting a crisis regarding the selection process while stressing that some procedures were already in place.

He added, “It is faulty to think that the Federal Government is indecisive. The FG has laid out criteria by which this selection will be made or the choices will be made. And so it is not that the government is indecisive.

“Instead, it is the fact that everything in this sector as a policy, how to take gradual procession. And so it is step by step procedure so that we don’t get back again and have the controversies that are already besetting some other programmes in the past looking as is the government is unserious.”