Give oil blocks to producing areas’ indigenes, TROMPCON tells FG

Association of Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON) has called on the federal government to give oil blocks to people from communities that make up nine states of the Niger Delta.

They also urged the FG to as give a directive to NDDC to award contracts to people from the nine states of Niger Delta in a bid to develop the area, create employment and reduce every agitation.

TROMPCON equally called for Restructuring , Fiscal Federalism and Devolution of Powers, imploring the federal government to visit and implement the recommendation of the 2014 National conference.

The new National Chairman of TROMPCON, Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Council of Traditional Rulers and Paramount Ruler of Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Owong (Dr.) Effiong Bassey Archiaringa made this known in an interview with the Guardian at the end of TROMPCON National Conference and Inauguration of 2017-2019 National Executive Council , theme ‘The Niger Delta of our Dream’ held at Eket, Akwa Ibom State.

The National Chairman said these will bring lasting peace to the region.Archiaringa said NDDC is brain child of TROMPCON put in place to alleviate the problem of unemployment in the Niger Delta region however revealed that award of contracts in NDDC has been influenced by political wigs that collect the contracts and share the money rather than implementing the contracts.The national chairman maintained there should be functional MOU which will be implemented stressed that the local content act should not be done partially.

Archiaringa said what TROMPCON want is peace and freedom in the Niger Delta region where rights of the people will be given to them.His words” NDDC is a brain child of TROMPCON which we requested and was done during the era of President Obasanjo. NDDC was formed to come and alleviate the problem of unemployment in Niger Delta but now it has been influenced by political big wigs that receive mega contacts and share the money without implementing the projects. NDDC award of contracts should go to communities involved, competent local contractors should be carried along. Local content act should be fully implemented in all the nine states of the Niger Delta region, this will create employment in the region. We the leaders of Niger Delta don’t support arms but the federal government should do the best to ensure we are served. The government need to sit down and talk on what our grievances are and the solutions because we are all Nigerians.

It is our finances that are being used to finance the entire country but then we are neglected, oppressed, marginalized, and suppressed. There is no meaningful development in the region, no employment we don’t even have hygienic public water.”

Earlier the immediate past National Chairman of TROMPCON, His Magesty Eze Akwuweze Raphael Ikegwuruka maintained that the country should go back to the 1963 constitution for true restructuring to take place stressed that all what Niger Delta people want is equity and true federalism
His words “When we talk about Niger Delta of our dream we are talking of a Niger Delta that is part of Nigeria where the states in the Niger Delta are allowed to be in charge of their resources .

Resource control was obtainable in the sixties when groundnut, palm oil and cocoa was the main stay of the Nigerian economy, fifty percent was paid to the Nigerian purse and the region as at then kept fifty percent that was when this country practiced true federalism as it is practiced all over the world. Niger Delta where there will be justice, equity, and treated as part of the federal republic of Nigeria. We want Niger Delta where our children will be proud to say they came from this region”Ikegwuruka maintained that the needful to be done to address the agitation in Niger Delta is to basically enthrone true federalism and resource control.

On his part the legal adviser of TROMPCON Barrister Samule Efik said the derivation money should be allowed to go directly to the communities that produce oil stressed the derivation percentage should be increased from 13 to 50 percentages.The chairman of Akwa Ibom state chapter of TROMPCON His majesty Etim Abia also called for equability and fairness of the part of government