2017 Budget: N’Delta Militancy ’ll Spell Doom -Expert

Experts have warned that the renewed threat of hostilities in the Niger Delta could spell doom for the economy as much of the 2017 budget has been predicated on oil revenue from the region.
Lead Director Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere said that while the disruption of oil production activities in the Niger Delta had a great impact on the 2016 budget, another round of hostilities will only make matters worse for the 2017 budget.
He argued while speaking to newsmen recently in Port Harcourt, that if the Federal Government failed to realize its target of 2.2 million barrels of oil per day, as estimated in the budget, there will be no magic that will make the budget work.
According to him, until the Federal government realizes the need to seek genuine dialogue with the Niger delta people, it will continue building castles in the air.
“The truth is that what is happening is not bound to happen, it can be avoided, if the government does the right thing.
“The problem is the arrogance of power from the President and the people around him”, he said.
He opined that until the government realizes that the oil they continue to beckon does not belong to the Federal government but to the people of the Niger delta, the problem will persist.
Onyekpere insisted that the only constitution which talks about how to distribute revenue in the federation and was agreed to by the representatives of the people was in 1960 and 1963.
“Those were the constitutions negotiated by the likes of Nmamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and Obafemi Awolowo amongst others”, he said.
Leader of another Civil Society Group, Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), Comrade Odafe Igbini advised President Muhammadu Buhari to swallow his pride and constitute a government of national unity to assist him in salvaging the economy.
Igbini lamented that two years after taking over the reins of power, Buhari has been superintending over an economy that is in recession and almost slipping into depression.
According to him, the standard of living of the people has continued to dwindle following the rising inflation and unemployment in the country.
Buhari and the APC owe it as a duty to Nigerians to resolve these issues instead of lamenting and blaming the previous administration.