Chief
Edwin Clark has said that the injustice in handling the oil sector is one of
the reasons for the problem in the Niger Delta region.
The
former federal commissioner of information made this known in an interview with Vanguard when he stated that it was unfair that
northerners dominated the board in charge of oil.
He
said: “A situation whereby what is being produced in my area, someone wants me
to beg for it, beg for any benefit from him, I think the situation should be
the other way round. Some people feel so arrogant, they believe that the oil
which is being produced in the Niger Delta, they own it, and we should have
nothing from it, which is not true, and we will not accept it.
“They
believe that the management of the oil should be in their hands which they are
now doing. For instance, I have said it before, the new board established by
Mr. President for NNPC is made up of nine members. Six of them come from the
north, non oil-producing communities. One from the southwest, then the chairman
which is a part-time position, the minister, then the other one is from Cross
River. So, would they (northerners) allow it, if there is a groundnut board
developed and established in a place in the north, particularly in Kano, and if
members of that board come from the south, would they allow it? We own this
country together. Live and let live.
“We
must have respect for one another and have trust for one another. No one is a
second-class citizen in his country. So, if there is a group which holds such
sentiments, they are just making a mistake. We are not hijacking anybody. We
came with our points to Mr. President; we did not come in an aggressive way,
and we had a good discussion with him. Mr. President is the president of
Nigeria and not the president of a particular group of northerners. So, if we
have points to discuss with Mr. President, we do not have to take permission
from anybody. I think that is what I should tell the North."
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