PETROLEUM minister Ibe Kachikwu has revealed that the federal government is planning to allocate oil blocks to Niger Delta indigenes as part of a plan to address the feeling of marginalisation being felt across the region.
Over recent months, militancy has returned to the Niger Delta with several groups blowing up oil pipelines and installations. One of the things fuelling anger in the Niger Delta is that local people do not have access to the oil wealth the area generates, as 80% of the oil blocks that the government has allocated go to Nigerians from the north of the country.
In a bid to address local sensitivities, Mr Kachikwu said that the government will ensure that Niger Delta indigenes are considered when the next round of blocks are allocated. He added that since assuming office in May last year, President Muhammadu Buhari has not allocated a single oil block.
Speaking at a town hall meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Mr Kachikwu said the lopsided allocation of oil blocks was not President Buhari's doing. He added, however, that the president would follow due process in allocation of oil blocks when the time comes.
Mr Kachikwu added: “On the issue of negotiations, there’s no theatre in the world where conflicts are being resolved through battle. It doesn’t matter who’s right, who’s wrong.”
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