Hon. Douye Diri, the member representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma federal constituency at the weekend met with the youths and elders of the constituency over issues of development of the state and the Niger Delta region, declaring that he has moved 8 motions and initiated three Bills for the good and benefit of the state and the region.
According to Hon. Douye Diri, though the Motions and the Bills moved by him on floor of the Federal House of Representatives have recieved acceptance and massive support, the main focus for. Him and other stakeholders is issue of the Niger Delta struggle for equity.
Hon. Douye Diri, who made this known on Friday in Yenagoa during a Town Hall meeting with youths and other members of his constituent, said he would continue to advocate for the repeal of the Land use Act so that the people of the oil producing communities could control their resources.
According to him, “I will continue to fight against Land use Act. My position is well known on this even on the floor of the National Assembly. The move to remove the Land Use Act from the constitution failed during the amendment process because we are minority.”
“Land belongs to individuals, families, local government and at best the state. Land cannot belong to Federal Government. Federal Government can only hold land because it belong to Bayelsa state. I will continue that fight, that Act must be repealed. That law is obnoxious. Land use Act is injustice to the people of the region. It is expropriating our resources in Niger Delta to other states”.
On the proposed move by the Federal Government to withdraw One Billion dollars from the Excess Crude Account to fund security battle against Boko Haram, Hon. Douye Diri said though the National Economic Council has approved the move, ” the Federal Government must give account of the monies.”
“The money was approved to fight Boko Haram in the North East and insecurity in other parts of the country.aid State Governors and members of the National Economic Council should be giving the benefit of the doubt for approving the one billion naira to fight insecurity.”
“Well, I am not against the Governors for approving the fund. But many of my colleagues in the National Assembly believe that fund is an illegal money. Because constitutionally, every money that comes into the account must be appropriated for before it can be spent.”
” But for issues of security, we must acknowledge the security bedeviling us. This bothers on national security. If one part of the country is sick, it means that everywhere is sick”, Diri stated.
Diri also threw his weight behind the call by the Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson on the Federal Government to deduct the One Billion dollars and share with Niger Delta States, ” I must join my Governor to call and reiterate the call that if you are taking that money and all the states are paying, we from oil producing states cannot pay double. After collecting what every state should pay they should deduct the derivation mode of 13 percent from that money and refund to the oil producing states”
“. So that we don’t feel cheated having paid as every other states and then you also collect our 13 percent to be paid there. It’s an injustice to the states in the Niger Delta
