Niger Delta youths under the auspices of the Pan Niger Delta Youth Leadership Forum (PANDLEAF) have vowed to resist the proposed concessioning of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries to Oando Plc, Agip and MRS.

The group made their position known at the end of a one day forum of the leadership of youth groups in the region coordinated by Richard Akinaka in Calabar, Cross River State yesterday.

The PANDLEAF said they held the forum “to have a self-appraisal of our region in respect of management of resources so far given.” A communiqué signed by the president of the forum, Famous Daunemigha and its Secretary, Michael Ekpo said: “We will resist any attempts to concession these refineries without consideration of the people of the Niger Delta.

“We as a region are not against the Federal Government concessioning any of the assets of this country. But we will ensure local content provision. We will be involved in the concessioning process.”

The forum blamed the leadership of the region for the woes over the years saying they were the main cause of the problems. “Over the years, we have had had trillions of Naira that have been pumped into this region. We have had our own self-appraisal and found out that it is not showing.

“So as a people we are also condemning ourselves for not managing the resources well. Our leaders in the past had failed and those that are also currently leading us are also toeing the line of failure,” the group added. (The Guardian)

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