By Emma Amaize, Samuel Oyadongha, Festus Emmanuel Una, Chioma Onuegbu, Perez Brisibe, Emem Idio, Ochuko Akuopha & Sunday Bomadi

WARRI—NIGER Delta  leaders and stakeholders were divided, yesterday, on the last minute resolution by the Presidency not to dialogue with the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, boasting in its ranks, former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah and ex-military governor of old Rivers State, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff.

A top leader of PANDEF, which is meeting tomorrow in Delta State on the matter, told Vanguard: “It is likely the forum, an umbrella body of monarchs, leaders and stakeholders of the coastal states of the region, may resolve to “sit and watch” the Presidency since it is not prepared to discuss with us and we cannot force ourselves, no matter our good intention.”

Former military administrator of Akwa Ibom State, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd.), traditional ruler of Akugbene Mein Kingdom, Delta State, HRM Luke Kalanama VIII, Delta State chairman, Phase 2 ex-militants, Mr. Kingsley Muturu and others, told Vanguard that the decision by the government was ill-considered and insulting.

However, former Minister of Health, Dr. Emmanuel Nsan and Cross River monarch, Muri Effiong Mbukpu, former PDP governorship aspirant in Delta State, Mr. Sunny Onuesoke and others disagreed, saying that the Presidency must have its reasons for deciding not to hold talks with PANDEF, so people should give President Muhammadu Buhari the benefit of the doubt.   

PANDEF leaders are spent forces

Former Minister of Health, Dr. Nsan, said: “President Buhari certainly must have found that the PANDEF leadership is not the genuine one that he can discuss issues of the region with and get results. That may be the reason he is seeking another set of leaders and he sure knows what he wants and how to get the leaders he wants.

“In the various communities in the Niger Delta, some community leaders are credible and are respected by their people. Those ones can do well in working with the President to find a solution to the Niger Delta problem other than those who have put themselves forward as the leaders of the region. Also there are traditional rulers, who are respected by their people and who youths involved in militancy can listen to and stop any activity that is destructive to the welfare of the land and people of the region. What the President needs to do is to seek out that class of traditional rulers to deal with, other than those who are presently at the fore of the row as leaders of the region.”

VISIT: From left; Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark; Chief James Orubu and Chief Alex Lemebiri, both Elders Council members, Izon-Ebi Oil and Gas Producing Communities Association who led the body’s newly inaugurated exco to Clark at Kiagbodo, Burutu, Delta State yesterday.

Paramount Ruler and Muri Munene Efuts in Calabar, Muri Effiong Mbukpa, told Vanguard: “When I heard the statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media, Mr. Femi Adesina, said that the President is looking for genuine leaders to deal with in the Niger Delta, I was taken aback. But after careful thought, I felt that probably the President has seen through those who claim to be leaders of the region and  found that they are not genuine. In any case, some of them are good, but others are gold diggers who are there because they want oil blocks or one benefit or the other. Majority of them have been political office holders, who ought to have used their positions and resources to address the challenges in the region, but they never did so. These same persons are now grandstanding as leaders of the region. “

“The President should work with  Minster of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Senator Victor Ndoma Egba and the Managing Director, Nsima Ekere, to bring out leaders from amongst the people, particularly youths, who are the main crux of the militancy in the region. Women and youths should form a cardinal focus of the new leaders that the President should discuss the issues of the region with because they are close to the grassroots and know the problems of the region,” he added.

Onuesoke

Former Delta State Governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,    Mr Sunny Onuesoke, said the Federal Government should adopt the Alhaji Musa Yar’Adua approach by identifying the militants and relate with them directly.

Noting that PANDEF leadership was pursuing a selfish agenda, Onuesoke said: “The militants are also stakeholders. These so-called leaders do not even know the militants; they do not also have their contacts. I think the move of the Federal Government is the best option to end the restiveness because the forum is out to claim superiority of control over the militants. These elders do not even know which state of the Niger Delta the bombers are from. It is a shame on PANDEF,” he said.

FG is insincere

On the other hand, Air Commodore Nkanga (retd.) said: “I urge the Federal Government to show sincerity. If the oil in the Niger Delta is important to this country I think it should take what PANDEF is trying to do more seriously. If the Federal Government did not trust members of PANDEF, it should not have even called for that meeting with the President on November 1, 2016. The President must have looked at that list and seen people of credibility and not just faces of the members.

“I think rather than all the stories we are reading in the papers, there should be a build up from where we had stopped. I urge the Federal Government to show sincerity and call the group again if things are not moving the way they should because the understanding is that there will be a dialogue from that point.”

Pere of Akugbene-Mein Kingdom and 2nd Vice Chairman, Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Pere Kalanama VIII, (JP), said: “My opinion in this matter is that the Federal Government is not ready to dialogue with Niger Deltans. This is because PANDEF is a credible body made up of the most prominent leaders from the region, and of course with first-class traditional rulers.

“So,  if the Federal Government is saying that it is not comfortable with the calibre of persons that make up PANDEF, the question now is who else is credible enough to dialogue with the government? The statement is a clear sign that the Federal Government is not ready to dialogue with the people. It has already budgeted N29 billion to fight militancy. The question now is, if that N29 billion is channeled into development in the region, that would go a long way to dousing the tension in the region.”

General Demeyeibo Bozimo (retd), also reacting to the decision, said: “That is a very wrong statement and it is an indictment on the leadership of the Niger Delta. How can they say our leaders are not credible, it is an insult! They have to weigh their statements before they talk. How can they say E. K. Clark is not credible, that is an insult and he (Adesina) should withdraw that statement. The likes of E. K. Clark and Broderick Bozimo are well-known Nigerians and I don’t think any Nigerian can be more credible than them to discuss an issue like this which concerns security in Niger Delta and Nigeria in general. So, he is not correct.

Ex-militant leaders back PANDEF

Ex-militant leader and Delta State Chairman, Phase 2 ex-militants, Mr Kingsley Muturu,  in his reaction, said:    “If he (Buhari)    can dialogue directly with ex-militants, then he should go ahead. Whoever says that E. K. Clark is not credible enough is joking. Somebody saying that E. K. Clark is considered not credible enough to dialogue over issues affecting Niger Delta is playing politics. All we ex-militant leaders know is that members constituting PANDEF are credible and capable enough to handle and lay to rest the current issues militating against the Niger Delta region, if the Federal Government is sincere and willing. We give our support to those constituting the present PANDEF.”

Similarly, another ex-militant leader in Akwa Ibom State, ‘General’ Nikko Sintei, said the Federal Government should be sincere and willing to restore peace to the region with its actions.

Tompolo, our leader

Also speaking, an ex-militant leader in Phase Three of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, self- styled ‘Gen’ Trust Andamo, said the Federal Government was not sincere about dialogue, advising militants not to make themselves available for the dialogue.

He said: “If they go for the dialogue, the Federal Government will end up neglecting them the way they are neglecting ex-militants who surrendered their arms to enable them take part in the amnesty programme. Our stipends are not being paid and most of the promises made to us have not been fulfilled.”

Dissatisfaction with PANDEF

On his part, National Secretary of Ndokwa National Youth Movement, NNYM, Presley Idi, said: ”For us, the fact that Mr. President still claims at this time that he is yet to see leaders from the Niger Delta to dialogue with, despite having met with the leadership of PANDEF, shows that either the Federal Government does not believe in the leadership of PANDEF or they are not being sincere on their own part.”