Prof. Abdulgafar Ijaiya, a lecturer at University of Ilorin, says regular attacks on oil pipelines in the Niger Delta is unfortunate most especially now that Nigeria has a government that is willing to do the needful.
Ijaiya made the observation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Thursday.
He called on the militants perpetrating this act of sabotage to desist from it, saying what government needed now was their support and not to wreck economic havoc.
“The Niger Delta militants’ case is quite unfortunate, particularly at this time that we have a government that is willing to do the right things.
“I don’t know why the youth are still insatiable even after several programmes were put in place for the region.
“Ministry of Niger Delta was given to them, the Amnesty Programme, 13% derivation and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
“What else could government have done,” he asked, saying the actions of the militants were politically motivated.
On the prevailing economic crisis, the economist blamed successive governments for lacking foresight in the use of the crude oil proceeds.
“Though, the problem of oil is a global experience, but in Nigeria we found ourselves in the present situation due to lack of seriousness and we should blame ourselves for that.
“It is a pity that since 1980, we have not built any refinery, just four refineries which were not being overhauled or maintained for them to function effectively and efficiently.
“By now we should have a lot of private individuals as key players in the downstream, refining and distribution,” he said.
Ijaiya also blamed the immediate past administration for not planning well enough for the country when a barrel of oil was sold for close to 140 dollars per barrel.
He listed Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and United Arab Emirate and others as countries that did well with proceeds from oil, especially the palliatives given to their citizens.
“UAE for instance, if you are unemployed, 20 dollars await you every month. So, if Nigeria can replicate this, it can curb the issue of youth restiveness to a large extent,” he said.
He said that he was optimistic that President Muhammadu Buhari would turn the country around for the better if given the needed support and cooperation.