Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Ijaw National Congress, Chief Edwin Clark, on Wednesday slammed former President Olusegun Obasanjo over what he called a disappointing display of hatred against the people of the oil-producing states in Nigeria.

The elder statesman was reacting to a recent outburst by the former President in Abuja, where he attacked the National Secretary of the INC, Ebipamowei Wodu, at a peace and security parley convened by the Global Peace Foundation and Vision Africa.

From the forum themed ‘Inclusive security dialogue: Unbundling barriers, a strategic meeting for key influencers’, emerged a viral video in which Obasanjo was tackling Wodu for saying the Ijaw were being treated like second class citizens in Nigeria despite producing the oil and gas resources that had sustained the country.

In an open letter to Obasanjo on Wednesday titled, ‘My disappointment over your unprovoked outburst against the people of the Niger Delta region’, Clark accused the former President of double standards over resource control in the country.

He said while Obasanjo talks tough and insists that resources found in any state belong to the entire country, he had kept mum over the gold reserve in Zamfara State.

Clark also noted that it was the practice of the principle of derivation in the 1960 Constitution, which allowed states ample opportunity to benefit from their local natural resources, that enabled the old Western Region under Chief Obafemi Awolowo to make the money that enabled it to “develop far ahead of the then Eastern Region.”

He said, “With all due respect, Your Excellency, your outburst towards your fellow participant in a summit to which everyone present was invited, is, to say the least, disappointing, when you displayed a hate attitude against the people of the oil-producing states in Nigeria. You openly interjected both Wodu and Mr O’Mac Emakpore each time they tried to speak.

"Natural resources found in regions were controlled by the people of the regions in the country as enunciated in Section 140 of the 1960 Constitution.

“As a former military Head of State of Nigeria (1976-1979), and later a democratically elected President of the country (1999-2007), I am certain Your Excellency knows that the principle of derivation has always been top on the agenda of our national discourse before and after the country’s independence.

Obasanjo should respect his old age and close his mouth.

I am an in Ika,in some part of Ikaland like abavo .Pan ocean oil company is drilling our oil without any benefit to us.

What kind of nonsense is that.Will Obj be happy if say jim ovia or Isiah oko(Business man and pharmacist,Isaih okoh university,isaiah okoh tower) of agbor start mining solid minerals in Ota without any benefit to the host community?

Obj respect yourself.

Dementia talk

QueenAgbo:
Obasanjo should respect his old age and close his mouth.

I am an in Ika,in some part of Ikaland like abavo .Pan ocean oil company is drilling our oil without any benefit to us.

What kind of nonsense is that.Will Obj be happy if say jim ovia or Isiah oko(Business man and pharmacist,Isaih okoh university,isaiah okoh tower) of agbor start mining solid minerals in Ota without any benefit to the host community?

Obj respect yourself.

what is bad in sharing after all we are all Nigerians...there should not be any kind of discrimination at all..

Abdul05:
what is bad in sharing after all we are all Nigerians...there should not be any kind of discrimination at all..

Abdu05l one Nigeria my foot.

Why zamfara Gold belong to them alone? Well if fulanis continue like this,one day what happened to fulani in CAR will repeat it self in naija.Una go hear am hot...

QueenAgbo:


Abdu05l one Nigeria my foot.

Why zamfara Gold belong to them alone? Well if fulanis continue like this,one day what happened to fulani in CAR will repeat it self in naija.Una go hear am hot...

threats of violence is not the answer but understanding

Gold is not enough when compared with oil... The oil is enough for the whole region to benefit...

Abdul05:
threats of violence is not the answer but understanding

Gold is not enough when compared with oil... The oil is enough for the whole region to benefit...

You are trying to be clever by half.Even if the gold is just one ounce let the money be remitted to fg.

And every one benefit from it.

QueenAgbo:


You are trying to be clever by half.Even if the gold is just one ounce let the money be remitted to fg.

And every one benefit from it.

well, no one like being cheated.. but nevertheless, we shouldn't compare oil with Gold

Abdul05:
well, no one like being cheated.. but nevertheless, we shouldn't compare oil with Gold

.

Yes,but we much share from our collective resource together..........

In my opinion, obasanjo does not hate any tribe.
As president he demonstrated that.

But he is a thief like other generals.
Nigerian generals oloriburuku oleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.