Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) Worldwide, a socio-political group, has called the attention of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to what it termed “the total neglect and show of disrespect to the people of Edo State.”
A statement by the group, which was signed by its President, Ambassador Curtis Eghosa Ugbo and its acting Secretary General, Ms. Esohe Adun, stated thus: “It has become an open secret that Senator Akpabio has never considered the indigenes of the acclaimed Heart Beat State as been stakeholders in the Niger Delta region as he is not known to have ever invited stakeholders from Edo State to any crucial meeting where issues that affects the people of the Niger Delta are discussed.
“Also when the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs is allocating slots to the people of the region when it comes to our shared patrimony it has never been listed that Edo State benefitted.
“From the foregoing it can be deduced that the minister does not reckon with the good people of Edo State as stakeholders in the Niger Delta region not minding that the state is more blessed in gas reserves and oil wells than most of the other states that make up the Niger Delta.”
Going further, the group said: “Henceforth, we of the Benin Solidarity Movement (BSM) Worldwide will start beaming our searchlight on the activities of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and Senator Akpabio to put a stop to the loads of irregularities that have been attributed to the poor state of affairs of the ministry.
“We assure that in due course we will make our findings available to the world. We are seizing this opportunity to call on Senator Akpabio to set machinery in motion to address this neglect/lapse in good time and to also compensate Edolites for what they have been denied as a result of his actions/inactions all these while so as to avoid the biggest confrontation of his political career from the people of Edo State extraction.”
