By Emma Amaize & Yemie Adeoye
LAGOS — THE Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND, has ordered an indefinite cessation of hostilities following the latest decision of the Federal Government to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue with the group and others towards achieving enduring peace in the Niger-Delta region.
Meanwhile, 15,000 militants who laid down their arms in the Federal Government’s amnesty programme have so far been registered but the number could rise at the end of documentation, Defence Minister, Maj.-Gen Godwin Abbe (rtd) said yesterday.
MEND declares ceasefire
MEND in an online statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, stated, “To encourage the process of dialogue between the government and the team that MEND has selected to negotiate its demands for a lasting peace in the Niger Delta region, an indefinite ceasefire has been ordered and takes effect from 0000Hrs, Sunday, October 25, 2009”.
The militant group had in September appointed a team of negotiators, known as the Aaron team, boasting in its rank eminent Nigerians including the former Chief of General Staff, Rear Admiral Mike Akhigbe (rtd); Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka and others.
According to MEND, “On Tuesday, October 20, 2009, the Federal Government of Nigeria expressed its readiness to engage in serious and meaningful dialogue with every group or individual towards achieving a lasting peace in the Niger Delta.
“This welcome shift in position conveyed to the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) by Mr. Henry Okah after his meeting with President Umaru Yar’Adua on Monday, October 19, 2009 indicated the willingness of the government to negotiate with the MEND Aaron team”, it said.
The group, however, asserted, “The Aaron Team has been modified with the exit of Ms. Annkio Briggs by mutual consent. She has been replaced as the group’s liaison with immediate effect by Mr. Amagbe Denzel Kentebe”.
A key demand from MEND is that local communities must benefit from the region’s oil wealth.
The ceasefire announcement came six days after President Umaru Yar’Adua met for the first time with MEND leader Henry Okah.
The presidency described last Monday’s talks as “fruitful”, and it emerged on the day of the meeting that the government plans to plough an extra 10 percent of the money it makes from Niger Delta oil back into the region.
Okah on Friday urged the rebels, who have shunned a recent government amnesty, to give dialogue a chance.
FG registers 15,000 ex-militants
Speaking to reporters in Lagos, General Abbe said “Although our projection based on initial assessment estimated the figures of all true militants as 17,000, the number we have now is 15,260.
“These figures cannot be categorical at this stage of the upsurge in the number of ex-militants since the end of the amnesty period. Some of the groups are yet to authenticate their lists,” he said.
He said “contacts are ongoing” to get those yet to lay down their arms after the expiration on October 4 of the 60-day amnesty.
On the view of the amnesty committee which he heads, the minister said: “we, the committee, have congratulated the militants. They are still great Nigerians, our president has also congratulated them as patriots and very courageous people.”
Answering a question on whether the Federal Government will discuss with the Aaron team put together by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), he said; “who and who, is Aaron. Is that a Nigerian name? Who are the Aarons? If he is not a militant and he is not living in the creeks he cannot negotiate for his people, and that is the position of the Federal Government.
“We are already discussing with people who hid weapons, now they are the ones that are out. They have given us reasons why they went into the creeks and they are enlightened people that we talk to, and they have started expressing themselves and the Federal Government has started listening, but when you bring Nigerians who are not directly involved to come and start discussing they can’t solve the problem,” he added.
What justice was truly served on them because in my opinion, they were still treated like sacred cows – they get 28 years but their sentence is to run concurrently so they only serve 2 years? Bernard Madhoff is going to spend the rest of his life in jail.
Where are the remaining corrupt politicians and their cohorts and when are they going to be prosecuted?
All ye corrupt men and women, how do you all go to bed at night knowing that your actions have caused the untimely death of innumerable fellow Nigerian citizens through road accidents, inadequate healthcare, human rituals, etc.? Your fellow citizens who have fled the country in search of greener pastures have been killed and continue to be killed (needlessly so). The monies you have stolen should have been used for the betterment of yourself, our country and your posterity. At least the colonial masters would have stolen but have definitely developed the country and not be looking to go abroad for basic civic rights such as education and health.
How do you think you will get away with all this?
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but to lose his soul? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
Alright, alright, alright…the people’s hero have spoken. So let there be cease fire, to allow the delivery of the now late-term pregnancy of FG. We hope the new born is called NIGER-DELTA DEVELOPMENT. May God also grant us the audacity to hope that the Aaron guys (or lady among them) are far, far ahead of common street nigerians like me, whose brains have been so systematically and successfully washed and re-washed to believe only in the audacity-of-naira. May God give them the heart of a lion to eventually destroy me: “Mr. Audacity-Of-Naira” and save nigeria from collapse. I want to escape to another country or planet. I really have to die for Yaradua’s new born baby to live for the good of nigerians.
Good news ! Let us watch and see what happens next
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Good thing.
Our only hope is that the press see these as positive signs of peace and re-orient themselves to preach the good news. Not this eternal quest to put Niger Deltans in bad light especially the passive humour-filled people of Warri.
We dey beg ona…….!!
True talk Priye.”we really can’t boast of our breakfast until we have it eaten.”until the FG does as it has said by developing the NDelta,we as a people can only hope but pray not to be fooled so that MEND does not take up arms again. There is no way to peace.Peace has always been the only way. So it is my Prayer that the FG will take advantage of this peace initiative by MEND. On the cease fire,i commend MEND.The mediators should not be a problem.After all,they are all stakeholders. Instead,honesty and transparency should be applied to have lasting solutions while implementation as we know is more important.
Niger Delta politics is a chess game. PDP Governors & Elders pouched the Militant rank and file of MEND commanders. Dollars$$$ talks! PDP selected Governors are in control to make developmental decisions. Chief Anenih did it again! the Edo Chief understands the mentality of Ijaw people, throw some naira into the chicken coop and promise the Ijaw man heaven and earth or paradise.. they will wag their tails like dogs welcoming the master. FG development strategy does not emphasis massive education in ND region.. Feel me? Only time will tell..
Let’s see how long this indefinite period really lasts before MEND and others bent on violence start up again. There is no way they can believe that continuing to destroy poperty is good for the very environment that they claim to be trying to preserve nor how doing harm to people benefits the people they claim to be trying to protect. If only they had the sensibillities and sensitivies of women then peaceful resolution would have been found without a day of violence ever being needed.
It is obvious Abbe is a buffoon, a big fool with running a mouth, he is just intimidated by the calibre of the personalities that make up the AaronTeam.
I know as a general it is difficult to accept defeat, hence his rantings, he should quietly accept defeat and serve the the Princes set before him.
He should remember that these Princes have had a tedious time fighting, and the last thing they need is a lousy caretaker.