2021 Budget: Niger Delta Militants Vow Massive Destruction Of Oil Facilities Except…

A Niger Delta militant group has vowed to engage in massive destruction of oil pipelines, oil facilities and installations across the region if the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration fails to meet their demands.

The group, known as Niger Delta Liberators (NDL), in a statement, also warned the multinational oil companies operating in the region to evacuate their workers from rigs, platforms, and manifolds.

The statement signed by one Benjamin Owei, called on world leaders to prevail on their citizens to vacate the creeks of the Niger Delta region before the “heavyweight of the NDL Special Trained Striking Force Unit falls on them.”

The NDL said: “The oil facilities listed for destruction are; the Chevron major oil platforms, Shell major oil pipelines and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation gas pipelines that distribute from Escravos-Warri- Kaduna-Lagos and also supply to Abuja.

“We will bring them all down until our demands are met through proper engagement from the Federal Government or else, not going back on the 21-day ultimatum issued earlier.

“And we are going to occupy all the platforms, locations and major crude oil pipelines until we see a proper channel of engagement from the Federal Government through these agencies mentioned above, the NNPC Group Managing Director and most especially the newly appointed Amnesty Coordinator who has promised President Muhammadu Buhari that he was going to engage all the aggrieved militant groups and stakeholders.”

The group faulted the Federal Government’s decision to take $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account in 2019 to acquire heavy weapons to fight Boko Haram in the North East.

While describing it as wicked and insensitive, NDL also demanded the urgent release of the N98 billion gas flare penalty fund to the host communities of the Niger Delta.

“NDL rejects the proposed N13 trillion-plus budget presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to Nigerians which did not capture any tangible and significant human capital development projects for the oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta region – the region whose crude oil will be used to finance the so-called budget,” the group added.

The Niger Delta militants also demanded that the proposed 2021 budget, which appropriated billions of naira to the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and the Niger Delta Development Commission should be quashed and made pending until a substantive board of the NDDC is inaugurated and sworn in by the President.

The militants warned that failure of the government to accede to their demands would “witness massive destruction of oil pipelines, oil facilities and installations across the length and breadth of the Niger Delta region in a well-coordinated attack tagged ‘Cripple the Economy with Zero Crude Oil Production’ There will be no more oil funds to finance the 2021 budget.”