IYC Lampoons Transport Minister , Ameachi Over Proposed Warri Port Dredging

The Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide on Sunday condemned the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi for purportedly saying,”Youths are disturbing the commencement of the proposed Warri Port dredging.”

 

 

The IYC handed down the condemnation in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Eric Omare Esq.

 

 

The IYC said,”it isvvery far from the truth and calculated to paint the youths of the Niger Delta region in the wrong light before the Nigerian public.

 

 

The Minister if Transportation had in a statement purportedly credited to him when he visited the Palace of the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom during the reception in honour of the Minister of State, Labour and Productivity, Chief Festus Keyamo SAN on Thursday November 14, 2019 said,”he would have stopped the planned dredging of the Warri port if he was not from the South-South region over youth disturbances.”

 

 

In a reaction to the Minister’s purported statement, the IYC urged President Muhammadu Buhari to completely disregard the claim by the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi that youths are obstructing the dredging of the Warri Port channel in Delta State.

 

 

The IYC said,”On the contrary the youths have been very supportive of the Warri Port Channel dredging but the Minister Amaechi seems to be playing politics with the dredging.

 

 

The IYC also said,”It is obvious that Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi despite being from the South-South is allergic to anything development of the region.

 

 

“He always hide under spurious reasons to opposed any developmental initiative of the region just as he did with the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko.

 

 

The IYC reminded Mr. Rotimi Amaechi that he will not be Minister forever stressing that he will account for what he achieved for the South-South region just as he used to ask former President Jonathan.

 

 

“For the purpose of clarity, we state that sometime in 2018, the federal government announced its intention to carry out dredging of the Warri port channel so as to allow bigger vessels use the Warri port and make the port functional.

 

 

“In response and to create the conducive environment for the project to take-off, the youths of Ijaw and Itsekiri under whose area the dredging was supposed to take place at their own initiative and expense organized a sensitisation workshop and indeed set up an advocacy team which went round the communities affected to allow for peaceful dredging in the interest of the Warri economy.

 

 

“This initiative was widely reported by the media and the Nigerian Port Authority management was excited by the initiative of the youths.

 

 

“The Warri port dredging was supposed to be in three phases; which are the dredging of the Escravos bar, construction of the breakwater and the dredging of the Warri port channel from Escravos to Warri.

 

 

“After the sensitisation  workshop organized by the Ijaw and Itsekiri youths, there was supposed to be a meeting between the affected communities and stakeholders with federal government officials before the commencement  of the first phase of the work which is the dredging of the Escravos bar.

 

 

“However, instead of meeting with the communities and stakeholders,  Rt. Hon. Minister Amaechi as Minister of Transportation directed and handed over all community rights to a party chieftain from Delta State from one of the ethnic groups at the expense of the generality of the communities and stakeholders without regard to the multi ethnic sensitivity of the Warri area.

 

 

“However, the Ijaw leadership saw that this was another attempt by Rt. Hon. Amaechi to create room not to go on with the dredging as he is now doing.

 

 

“Therefore, the affected communities did not raise any issue and allowed the dredging of the Escravos bar to go on without any problem.

 

 

“In this dredging, the communities and stakeholders were not involved in anyway, hence they are not in a position to know if the dredging was actually done up to specification or not.

 

 

“The Escravos bar dredging was done without any disturbances whatsoever despite Minister Amaechi’s provocative conduct.

 

 

“Therefore, we are amazed that Hon. Amaechi is now accusing youths of the south south especially from the Warri area of acting as hindrance to the Warri port dredging.

 

 

“If we may ask Hon. Amaechi, who are the youths disturbing the Warri port dredging and when did the engagement with the youths took place? Is there a contract in place to dredge the Warri port by the Federal Government and who is the contractor and when was the contract awarded?

 

 

“To the best of our knowledge,  after the dredging of the Escravos bar, the next phase ought to be the construction of the Escravos breakwater and then dredging of the channel from Escravos to Warri and none of these contracts has been awarded.

 

 

“So which dredging contract and youth disturbances is Amaechi talking about? Who are the youth or community representatives that have been arguing with Amaechi over the Warri port dredging in the past six months?.”