Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Tuesday insisted that the oil found in the Niger Delta region belonged to Nigeria constitutionally, but denied accusation that he was against the oil producing region.
Obasanjo made the assertion in a six page letter he wrote in response to accusation against him by Niger Delta elder, Chief Edwin Clark in an open letter about a week ago following his comments on the issue at a forum.
Clark, had accused Obasanjo of holding a deep seated disdain for the people of the oil producing region based on the former President’s assertion that oil found in the Niger Delta belong to Nigeria and not the region.
Obasanjo responding to the assertion by the National Secretary of the INC, Ebipamowei Woduat, a forum convened by the Global Peace Foundation and Vision Africa in Abuja that Nigeria should allow Niger Delta to derive full benefits from the oil found in the region.
But Clark who is the leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, INC, had in his open letter, said Obasanjo’s comments that the oil found in the Niger Delta does not belong to the people of the region represents his continuous arrogant stance and negative disposition against Niger Delta.
However, in his open letter of Tuesday, Obasanjo insisted that he has never hated Niger Delta while reiterating his stance that oil found in the region belonged to the Nigerian federation in his six page letter dated December 28, Obasanjo.
