Victor EzejaJust as the dust raised by recent Nationwide strike by organised labour is yet to settle, the Niger Delta Congress (NDC) has announced plans to embark on protest across the region beginning on Friday, 8 December 2023.
The group reached the resolution after its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Friday, 24 November.
A statement signed by the NDC National Spokesperson Mudiaga Ogboru, said the decision to embark on the regionwide protest was due to rising economic hardship and the failure of the Nigerian government to heed its various calls in the past for restructuring of the federation to allow political and financial autonomy for better resource control to meet the economic needs of the region and fastrack development.
Other demands previous demands of the group include a comprehensive audit and clean up of the Niger Delta environment due to years of degradation due to crude oil and natural gas exploration.
Ogboru said: “It was agreed that the Niger Delta peoples have been left with limited options to bring about the necessary change to ameliorate our present socioeconomic, sociopolitical and environmental realities.
“Cognisant of these facts, the NEC has therefore decided to call for region-wide protests to commence on Friday, 8th December 2023.”
The group called on
all local and international oil companies, banks and financial institutions, institutions of learning, markets, and other public and private enterprises to respect the movement by reorganizing their work schedule and services.
It said only those rendering essential and emergency services are exempted.
“The NDC calls on all Niger Deltans and friends of the Niger Delta to prepare themselves to take to the streets to demonstrate against the economic hardship and continued socioeconomic and sociopolitical subjugation of the region and our people.”
“More information on convergence points in the different Niger Delta States will be made public in due time. God bless the Niger Delta,” the statement added.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
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