Kidnapped Schoolchildren: Rage over terrorists’ toxic demand
By Esther Onyegbula In homes scattered across Nigeria, telephones have become symbols of both hope and terror. Every ring sends hearts racing. Every unknown number triggers fear. Every silent night stretches endlessly for families whose loved ones remain in captivity. For parents whose children have disappeared into forests controlled by armed groups, for wives waiting […]
Life outside the creeks, by repentant militant leaders
By SAMUEL OYADONGHA Yenagoa – AFTER nearly three years of Spartan life in the deep mangrove swamp of the troubled Niger Delta, some of the militant leaders in Bayelsa State who, penultimate week, agreed to lay down their arms in deference to President Umaru Yar’Adua amnesty offer, have resorted to lying low for now pending […]
Greasing the wheels of partnership the NDDC way
By Judith Ufford VANGUARD Newspapers paved the way when it organised the first ever South-South: One Voice summit for the Niger Delta region In Port- Harcourt, Rivers State. Since then various groups and leaders and players in the region have bought into this vision. For example, the gathering of Niger Delta leaders for the first […]
Somali 10: We saw hell for 303 days
*Captain of Nigerian ship tells the story of kidnap by pirates, ordeal and release For the 10 Nigerians who returned home two weeks ago after 303 days in  the custody of Somali pirates, the agony they went through is unlikely to go soon. In this interview, the ship captain, Graham Egbegi, recounts what they went […]
Somalia 10: Maduekwe should stop taking credit
THE 10 Nigerians who returned home a week ago after 303 days in the den of deadly Somali pirates are angry. The Federal Government and their employers, they say abandoned them at the time the hostages needed help most. In this interview, Mr. Triggo Egbedi, the elder brother of the Captain, Mr. Graham Egbedi, asked […]
Amnesty for Militants: Can this gesture prove critics wrong?
MIXED reactions have continued to trail the four billion naira amnesty package for militants. Some, especially from government circle have hailed it, while many still think it is a misplaced priority. The misgivings on how well the pardon can help in calming the creeks, is harped on the fate of past reports on the region. […]
N-Delta youths should be employed — Mudiaga-Odje
By FESTUS AHON Dr. Akpo Mudiaga-Odje is a lawyer, human rights activist and facilitator of   the Niger Delta Democratic Union, NDDU. He is one of those at the forefront of the Niger Delta struggle. In this interview, he speaks on the situation in the region. Excerpts: Advice for youths The agitation for the empowerment and […]
Yar’Adua means well for all Nigerians, especially people of the Niger Delta — Elder Orubebe
Elder Godsday Orubebe is Minister of  State in the Ministry of Niger Delta Development. In this chat with Abayomi Adeshida he speaks the mandate of the Ministry and how its objectives are being realized . Orubebe swears that the Yar’Adua administration believes strongly that “the renewal we are expecting, will take place.†Excerpts: What are […]
The Yar‘Adua approach to Niger Delta: Is it fiscal discipline or contempt?
By EMMANUEL AZIKEN ABUJA-The disappointment on the faces of the Niger Delta Senators was not hidden after their first meeting with President Umaru Yar‘Adua in January 2008. Their expectation that the former university teacher turned President would quickly resolve the Niger Delta question as he promised during his electioneering campaign had turned into a vapour. […]
Niger Delta: Still yearning for Yar’Adua’s action
By Femi Ayantola “The crisis in the Niger Delta commands our urgent attention. Ending it is a matter of strategic importance to our country. I will use every resource available to me, with your help, to address this crisis in a spirit of fairness, justice, and cooperationâ€, President Umaru Yar’Adua at his inauguration in Abuja […]
How I escaped JTF bombardment of Oporoza
The Commander of the JTF is always saying that Oporoza should expect more air raids, so, why do you think that we should return home without a word of assurance from the Federal Government
It’s incorrect to label militants as criminals,
The Federal Government has been very unfair to the region and its peoples. When you travel from here to Abuja for example, it is one lane but immediately you get to Abuja, the whole roads are dualized and painfully, these are done with money from Niger Delta.
The forgotten Four
BY DONU KOGBARA Last week, relatives and supporters of Ken Saro-Wiwa, the Ogoni activist and writer, secured a historic $15.5 million settlement from Shell, the international oil company they have persistently blamed for Ken’s November l995 execution. Given that Ken has, for nearly twocades, been regarded as an iconic environmental and human rights champion by […]
Saro-Wiwa compensation revs up struggle
BY IKEDDY ISIGUZO THE global business environment is becoming more unpredictable in the light of  responsibilities that are now tied to a corporate organisation’s conduct in any part of the world. Shell’s agreement to pay $15.5 million as compensation to the families of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa and the eight others the military authorities in Nigeria […]
Ogoni 9, Ogoni 4 and June 12: Prologue
BY DAPO OLUFADE OGONI 9 and June 12. Yes, the two episodes have remained stuck with us since they hit us like a thunderbolt 16 years ago. If you call them Siamese twins, you may not be far off the mark.
Ogonis are not Niger Deltans and we want our own state out of Rivers State — MOSOP
BY GEORGE ONAH THE Ogoni people of Rivers State do not want to be addressed as Niger Delta people because “we are notâ€. They also want political autonomy, which translates to having their own state. Sunday Vanguard travelled to Teyork, Khana Local Government of Rivers State to speak with the new leader of the Movement […]
