The Pan Niger Delta Youth Leadership Forum (PANDYLF) has
rejected the N35.31bn allocation for capital projects in the South-South zone
in the 2017 budget as unjust and unacceptable.
The National President of the forum Hon. Famous Daunemigha,
told reporters yesterday in Abuja that the figure appropriated was
insignificant compared to what other geo-political zones of the country got.
He described the capital projects’ funds for the region as
meager in the face of monumental infrastructural challenges confronting the
region, wondering why the region that laid the golden egg should be so treated
with disdain.
The breakdown of funds appropriated for capital projects in
the six geo-political zones in the 2017 budget showed that, North central got
N207bn, North west N73.7bn, South west N48.97bn, North east N46.69bn, South
south N35.31bn and South east N28.22bn.
He said the fund appropriated for capital projects was
unacceptable to the people of the region and urged the Federal Government to
take urgent step towards preparing an executive bill to the National Assembly,
to addressing the in-balance and forestall impending unprecedented protests in
the region.
“Every single member of the National Assembly, especially,
those from our region, failed us. They cannot stay at the National Assembly to
see that they are sharing something to the Niger Delta people, the area the
produces the whole lots of what is being shared and they cannot communicate to the
people they are representing? They are failures.
“They ought to have said that this is not fair to our people
and we are rejecting it. The aspect of funds for the capital projects is
insulting and they must find a way to address it either through the executive
bill or whatever, because we can’t accept this,” he said.
By Abbas Jimoh
