LAGOS NOVEMBER 2ND (URHOBOTODAY)-Urhobo Social Club, Lagos (USCL), a foremost social-cultural club of prominent sons of Urhobo origin resident in Lagos has thrown it weight behind the opposition of Deputy Senate President (DSP), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege on the sale of Zamfara gold to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The group in a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Chief Dan Oghoyone made available to Urhobotoday.com said they equally supports Senator Omo-Agege’s call for more developmental projects for Delta State, in particular, and the Niger Delta, regretting that over five decades after oil was discovered in the Niger Delta and 100s of billions of dollars realised from sale of oil, the Niger Delta has very little to show for a region that has carried the whole of Nigeria for over five decades.
USCL also adds its voice to the call by the Deputy President of the Senate and all well-meaning Niger Deltans for all the oil companies to relocate their headquarters to the Niger Delta.
“Oil exploration has degraded the Niger Delta without commensurate development. USCL therefore calls on the government to take more urgent steps towards the development of the Niger Delta,” the group demanded.
The Group argued that the recent sale of bars made from gold mined in Zamfara to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for N5b by the the Zamfara State Government is a flagrant violation of Sections one and two of the Nigerian Mineral and Mining Act 2007, which vests the federal government with ownership of all the mineral resources in Nigeria.
“USCL notes that the Niger Delta States do not sell the Crude Oil deposits found in their respective states to the Central Bank of Nigeria or the Federal Government. Rather, the oil is treated as a national wealth and revenue generated in relation thereto is utilized for the benefit of the entire nation. USCL is, therefore, at a loss why the Niger Delta oil is for all Nigerians, while Zamfara gold is for Zamfara State alone.
“USCL notes that hitherto, Zamfara gold was mined by illegal miners, whose trade has now been legitimised. Meanwhile, the Federal Government is yet to fulfil its promise to re-organise and legitimise the activities of illegal refineries in the Niger Delta,” the statement noted.