President Muhammadu Buhari has said the vandalisation of pipelines and corruption, especially where 13 percent derivation is concerned, had led to wastage and environmental hazards in the Niger Delta region.
President Buhari stated this after observing the Eid-el-Kabir prayers with his family members and aides at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.
On the specific case of the Niger Delta, the President decried the wastage of the resources earmarked for improvements of the lives of the people of the region.
He lamented that corruption had been unhelpful in that regard, especially “if you recall there is the 13 percent derivation.”
He also warned against the vandalisation of oil pipelines in the oil-producing areas, which often results in environmental pollution.
He said: “Those who are blowing pipelines and interfering with the production of petroleum products are hurting their people more than the rest of Nigerians because the majority of their people are fishermen, fisherwomen and farmers.
“Now if they pollute the land and the waters, the fish goes into the deeper sea where the people cannot go and they cannot grow anything. They are hurting their immediate communities more than any other thing.”
On his message to Nigerians as the Muslim faithful celebrating Sallah, he told the citizenry to be conscious of what they do.
He said: “I wish Nigerians the best of luck. In the Eid-el-Kabir sermon, the Imam has said it all; we want security, prosperity and well being of all Nigerians. We want Nigerians to be very conscious of their country.
“What we inherited when we came in 2015 was Boko Haram in North-East and the militants in the South-South. Nigerians know that we have done our best.”
Responding to a specific question on the performance of the Service Chiefs, which, recently, he said needed to get better, the President said that the Military, the Police and other security agencies are working hard.
“We are making available resources to them to even do better,” he assured, adding “what is coming up in the North-West and North Central is very very disturbing indeed.
“But I believe the military, the police and other law enforcement agencies from the report I am getting, I think they could do much better.
“They could do much better, but we are keeping them on the alert all the time to do their duties.”
SOURCE:TODAY NEWS
