Tension rises in the Niger Delta on Wednesday as youths from Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, and other oil-rich states demand a 40% allocation of oil bloc licenses to local investors.

Organized under the Niger Delta Community Youths Association, the group launched nationwide protests, rejecting the recent allocation by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to non-indigenous corporate entities and individuals.

In a fiery petition addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, a legal counsel Blessing Agbomhere Esq., representing aggrieved Niger Delta investors, called for the immediate reversal of the 2022/23 mini bid round and 2024 licensing round.

The petition argues that the allocations violate the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the 1999 Constitution, which prioritize indigenous participation.

Youth leaders in a joint statement condemned the allocation as an act of injustice against a region devastated by decades of environmental damage due to oil exploration.

Jointly signed by Comrade Embale Jonathan, Hon. Omeizah Ogumah, Boma Doreye, and Comrade Sunny Ifijen, the statement further described the licensing process as a ?high-wired plot against the people of the Niger Delta.?

?It is unacceptable that our ancestral lands, ravaged and degraded by oil activities, are being handed over to outsiders while our people continue to suffer the consequences,? the statement read.

The group also argued that NUPRC is flouting the spirit and intent of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which emphasizes indigenous participation in the oil and gas industry.

They went on to demand 40% Indigenous ownership and mmediate review of oil-prospecting licenses to allocate at least 40% to Niger Delta indigenes. Environmental remediation and cleaning up polluted waters and lands and compensating affected communities.

Enforced corporate social responsibility (CSR) including employment for locals, skill development programs, and support for small businesses in the region.

They howver warned that failure to address these demands could further alienate the Niger Delta people and undermine national unity. ?Our communities have borne the brunt of environmental pollution, health hazards, and economic exclusion, yet we continue to receive crumbs from our resources,? the group lamented.

The protests also took place in major cities, including Yenagoa, Uyo, Benin, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Abuja, with placard-wielding demonstrators chanting slogans demanding justice for the Niger Delta.

As the pressure mounts, the group has called on the Senate and relevant agencies to intervene and ensure a more equitable distribution of Nigeria?s oil wealth. ?This is not just about oil blocs; it?s about justice, fairness, and giving the Niger Delta people what is rightfully theirs,? they declared. (Nigerian Tribune)

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