President Buhari and Diezani Alison-Madueke


President Muhammadu Buhari has been accused of gunning after Ijaws, a minority group from the Niger Delta geo political region in Nigeria with his anti corruption war.


Making the accusation today, Sunday October 25, the president of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Udengs Eradiri who spoke with news men in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, said president should leave operators of illegal refineries and oil bunkers alone unless he has alternative job for them.

“Much as we support the war against oil theft, it must come with an economic plan as an alternative so that as you are going in to stop them from their way of life, provide an alternative,” he said.


“Engage, employ the youths who engage in illegal refining of crude in the creeks. But when you do otherwise, there will be effects. That’s why you are seeing the increase in crime rate, robbery is going up, kidnapping is on the increase, they are kidnapping even ice fish sellers now.

“It is because when you destroy their means of livelihood and you don’t create any alternative, it is a deliberate ploy to destabilize the Niger Delta so that businesses would not come here.”

“Today even the institution that was set, such a special institution to build capacity of Nigerians, not only Ijaw people, just as they have police academy in the north, a special institute was set in the south, this vindictive administration have come and cancelled that university.

“Nigerians should calculate how much we have spent in capital flight sending our people abroad for special courses in the maritime sector.

“A university and programme were set up by Patrick Akpobolokemi (ex-NIMASA boss who is being investigated for graft).

Kingsley (Kuku, ex-presidential aide on Amnesty who is being investigated for corruption) brought peace to Niger Delta, stabilized this region, but today what are they paying him with?

“These individuals (Messrs Kuku and Akpobolokemi) should be people that would have been rewarded by Nigerians for their service to Nigeria,” Mr. Eradiri said.

The council also asked the president to stop the investigation of ex-petroleum minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, by British authorities for money laundering.

“The UK government should stay away from Diezani,” he said “This was how they muscled up and now (Diepreiye) Alamieyeseigha is dead.”

“Now they have started with Diezani. They should leave Ijaw People alone. Are there no other governors that have stolen?

“Go to UK, almost all the streets are owned by northerners who stole Nigeria money. So why are they just on Goodluck Jonathan’s men, just to demonise Goodluck.”


The Ijaw leader alleged that the anti-corruption efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari was targeted at associates of his predecessor especially Ijaws.

“As far as we are concerned, the anti-corruption fight is a fight against the Ijaw people,” he said.

“Goodluck should have won Nobel Prize for peace. Goodluck deserves a Nobel peace prize, Goodluck deserves respect from Nigerians,” he said in reference to Mr. Jonathan’s decision to peacefully hand over power to Mr. Buhari after the former lost the March 2015 presidential election.

On the newly introduced Single Treasury Account (TSA), IYC said the projects of the Amnesty Office and the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC are already feeling the pain.

“We call on the President to exempt the NDDC from the Single Treasury Account,” he said.

“My own understanding is that institutions that are revenue generating organizations, like NNPC,NIMASA,NPA should generate the monies and inject them to a common purse.

“Not institutions that are set up particularly for special purposes, like the development of the Niger Delta.”

The youth group also demanded for the release of the Radio Biafra broadcaster, Nnamdi Kanu.

Meanwhile, as part of his anti-corruption war and block leakages in government, President Muhammadu Buhari is set to reverse the pension laws for governors enacted in some states across Nigeria.