Niger Delta Leaders Criticize Bugaje Over 78% North Oil Ownership Assertion

Bugaje’s assertion, made in an interview with Vanguard, sparked backlash from various quarters, with leaders in the Niger Delta region dismissing his claims as unfounded and uninformed.

Elder Joeseph Amabakederimo, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Community Development Committees (CDC) in the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta, along with former member Peter Umoh and lawyer Mfon Peters, condemned Bugaje’s remarks as lacking factual basis.

Amabakederimo labeled Bugaje’s comments as nonsensical and urged him to refrain from making such statements if he cannot contribute constructively to the discourse. He challenged Bugaje to demand transparency regarding revenue from gold extraction in the North, paralleling it with the South-South’s ownership claims over oil.

Umoh dismissed Bugaje as illiterate and out of touch with contemporary realities, questioning his Nigerian citizenship and advising Nigerians to disregard his assertions.

Similarly, Peters criticized Bugaje for spreading misinformation and emphasized the need for a true federal system where each region manages its natural resources.

Veteran journalist Tony Abolo and environmentalist Morris Alagoa also joined in condemning Bugaje’s argument, dismissing it as absurd and politically driven.

Abolo stressed the importance of scientific evidence in determining oil reservoirs’ location and criticized the neglect of areas affected by oil prospecting. Alagoa highlighted the unfairness of laws favoring resource extraction in the North and called for limits to greed in the interest of peace.

Overall, Bugaje’s remarks drew sharp rebuke from Niger Delta leaders, who emphasized the need for a fair and equitable distribution of Nigeria’s resources and advocated for true federalism and restructuring to address these issues effectively.

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