FEDERAL officials from the Niger Delta in President Goodluck Jonathan's administration have performed very poorly, leaving the region and its people still very underdeveloped, two former frontline militant leaders stated yesterday.
This was the verdict of Ebikabowei Victor-Ben popularly known as General Boyloaf and Commander Ateke Tom who Wednesday slammed the administration over its alleged poor performance in infrastructural development and the fight against corruption.
Another prominent former militant leader, Alhaji Dokubo Asari, had spoken in a similar vein recently.
Boyloaf and Ateke Tom are among top ranking former militant leaders that have shown so much support for the administration and benefitted from the N5.6 billion Federal Government contract for the monitoring of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta.
An email statement signed by the duo yesterday described as a "huge embarrassment" and "threat to their patience," the alleged noticeable failures of the Jonathan administration and some members of his cabinet including the Ministers of Niger Delta Affairs and Petroleum Resources as well as the Chairman of the Amnesty Implementation Committee.
According to the Ateke and Boyloaf, although the President did well in establishing the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA), sustaining the amnesty deal by the Federal Government and appointing some indigenes of the region, he has not done enough to satisfy the people that voted him into power in the supervision of the failed ministries and committees.
The former militant leaders noted that instead of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to show the way in transparent and accountable performance, it has allegedly failed.
They went on: "With the recent happenings we have come to the conclusion that the ministry that was set up to look into the issues of infrastructural development of the region has turned to a total, catastrophic failure and embarrassment to the government and people it was set up to look into their affairs. When the ministry was set up, we saw some level of seriousness on the part of government to address issues of our region and we accepted and supported an indigene of the region. Little did we know that we are endangering our future and that of our next generation in the hands of an incompetent man.
"Those we supported are now heading the destruction of the region and are busy amassing wealth for their personal gains. There are evidences everywhere in the East-West road contract, shoreline protection contracts, empowerment and skill acquisition, design and development of coastal roads. Issues have been raised in many quarters and yet everybody folds their arms and watch for things to take the worst turn. Just a week ago, another petrol tanker fell because of the deep potholes and it roasted Nigerians to death. From statistics, people that have died along the East-West road are now ten times those that died during the Niger Delta struggle.
"The Petroleum Ministry is now a theatre of monumental fraud where all manners of shady deals are orchestrated. It's no longer news that things have gone so bad, thereby bringing embarrassment and shame to the government of President Goodluck Jonathan."
The duo stressed that although recent claims of fraud against the Amnesty Committee were unfounded," we have observed that the programme has been politicised and sectionalised by the leadership of the Amnesty Programme and we strongly feel it's not in the best interest of the entire region."
They added: "We believe the President has not done its best in reaching the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians who overwhelmingly voted for him."
