{"id":16673,"date":"2017-11-04T22:43:10","date_gmt":"2017-11-04T22:43:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=16673"},"modified":"2017-11-05T00:07:13","modified_gmt":"2017-11-05T00:07:13","slug":"niger-delta-avengers-threat-group-stakeholders-blame-fg-lack-of-commitment-to-develop-niger-delta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=16673","title":{"rendered":"NIGER DELTA AVENGERS THREAT: GROUP, STAKEHOLDERS BLAME FG LACK  OF COMMITMENT TO DEVELOP NIGER DELTA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><code><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- www.deltanewsroom.com --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display: block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-2163942495525027\" data-ad-slot=\"1411897411\" data-ad-format=\"auto\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/code><\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">It is obvious that Niger Delta AVENGERS are returning with brutish, brutal and bloody attacks on oil facilities in the country. It is not a surprise that PANDEF activities have been finally suspended by NDV who mandated them to dialogue on behalf of the region. This indicates that Nigeria government has failed to utilize available privileges to dialogue and end marginalization in the region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">We blamed President Buhari for the return of AVENGERS and suspension of PANDEF activities. Buhari trivilize Niger Delta demands and that is the cause of the return of Niger Delta Avengers, so the international community and other well meaning persons should hold Buhari responsible for any crisis in the region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">The ineptitude of Buhari is too obvious, non of the promises he made have been fulfilled, and these were the grounds for peace and dialogue.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">However, \u00a0Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, equally failed in their assignments.\u00a0 Some big wigs in the forum turn the forum to personal property. Meetings were held in their private bed rooms. They abandoned the core issues of the region for personal businesses with the government.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">They throw our core demand for self-determination and restructuring into the wind and begin to demand for palliatives. They lack the will and courage to communicate to the govt our demands. Instead of standing firm with the region ,they fight to maintain and protect their personal interests and friendship with the government. Any time, they meet with the government ,they crack jokes and end up such meetings with laugh and praises. They derail the struggle to pocket and pallative struggle. Little did they know that niger delta struggle is not a palliative struggle. This has equally made the federal govt to take them as unserious people. These made PANDEF incredible and unfit to dialogue on behalf of the region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Meanwhile, it is about a year now when the government promised of setting up a dialogue team to engage the region for proper dialogue of major concerns ,uptill now no dialogue team has been put up.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">If we may asked where are the N2billion kick off funds for Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, where are all the deep sea ports? Where are the modular refineries, \u00a0where are the promises of relocation of IOCs, where are the promises to return our Egbesu sword and where are \u00a0the satanic survillance palliatives?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">What about the region&#8217;s demand for self-determination, resource control and restucturing? All these promises are turning to an empty one and that is the provocation. Does this shows any commitment and seriousness on the part of Buhari government? The federal government unwillingness to solve Niger Delta question, a main factor for the return of the Niger Delta Avengers.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">The region is victimized and marginalized. We face daily unwarranted military invasions, arrests, humiliation and harassment, despite we produced the national cake.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Tompolo has been witch-hurt. His accounts remains frozen and properties seized and stolen. These are some of the avoidable provocations, now causing tension in the region.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">The recent appeal court verdict turning down Tompolo&#8217;s demand to vacate the order for seizure of his properties is provocative, \u00a0Nigeria constitution gives right to its citizens to own movable and immovable properties, yet Justice Buba made a ruling that his(Tompolo)properties remain seized.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">They cited the criminal justice act to justify this kangaroo ruling. It is equally stated that the Nigeria constitution is supreme and that any law made contrary to the provisions of the country&#8217;s constitution, such laws remain null and void. So between Nigeria constitution and criminal justice law that empowers the court to seize Tompolo properties which one is now supreme?<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Nigeria is a banana republic where life is cheap and brute. They don&#8217;t care what happens to you. Part of the demands are providing political solutions to Tompolo court case to unfreeze Tompolo accounts but the recent appeal judgement shows that the government is not sincere over these agreements.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">We state vehemently that President Buhari should be held liable for the return of AVENGERS and suspension of PANDEF. It is imperative that the federal government should shung into action in a view of initiating proper dialogue with NIGER DELTA REGION to save this doom that may befall the country.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\">Signed<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>COMR Ozobo Austin\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>National president Ijaw Peoples development Initiative ,IPDI.\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.alternativeadvert.com\/show.php?z=30&amp;pl=14949&amp;ad_type=59&amp;rl=180\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Following the threat by members of the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA<\/strong>, to resume hostility in the Niger Delta over failure of the Federal Government to implement the 16-point development agenda presented to it by the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, two leaders in the region have pleaded with NDA to allow dialogue take centre stage in their agitation for the development of the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The two leaders, Comrade Jude Ebitimi Ukori, Executive Chairman, Egbema and Gbaramatu Communities Foundation, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, Spokesman of Gbaramatu Kingdom and Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Chairman of Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, who made this statement, also called for calm from all.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">The leaders also pleaded with the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency implement the 16-point agenda presented by PANDEF, which includes the presidential amnesty programme, law and justice, the effect of increased military presence in the Niger Delta, plights of internally displaced persons, the Ogoni clean-up and environmental remediation, the Maritime University issue, and key regional critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Others where, security surveillance and protection of oil and gas infrastructure, relocation of Administrative and Operational Headquarters of IOCs, power supply, economic development and empowerment, inclusive participation in oil industry and ownership of oil blocs, restructuring and funding of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), strengthening of the Niger Delta Ministry, Bakassi question and fiscal federalism.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Comrade Ukori in a chat, appealed to members of the Niger Delta Avengers to sheath their sword and embrace dialogue, saying any attempt at destruction of oil facilities will affect both the people of the Niger Delta and the Federal Government.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Ukori frowned at the attitude of the federal government in failing to address and implement the 16-point agenda presented to them by PANDEF which led to the ceasefire few months ago.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He stated, \u201cthe most annoying part of it is that instead of the federal government to think of how they can address the issues of underdevelopment of the Niger Delta that lays the golden egg, all they could do was to launched Operation Crocodile Smile, Octopus Gift and others to further militarize the Niger Delta instead of demilitarizing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He lamented that President Muhammadu Buhari erred when he directed the World Bank to develop the North-East. \u201cThere are reasons to be angry but there is also need to follow the process of dialogue to drive our points home,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Ukori admonished the federal government against using divide and rule by sponsoring fake groups against PANDEF which was the legitimate group commissioned to speak on behalf of the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Chief Gbenekama on his part called on the Federal Government to sit up and implements the 16-point agenda as presented by PANDEF few months ago.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He said, \u201cWhy would they not be angry? Perhaps this threat will wake the federal government from her slumber? All of us know that NDA are not laptop freedom fighters, they are really true Niger Delta agitators. So their threat should be taken serious.<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cThis is November, the Maritime University that the Nigerian Government promised to take off in September is yet to take off, the N2 billion that the then Acting President said to have been set aside for the Maritime University Take off has not come. So this is a wake-up call on the federal government to start doing something before things get out of hand.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cWe have said it about six months ago that the peace we are enjoying is of the graveyard because the Federal Government is doing nothing to sustain the peace. Rather, the federal government is busy creating North East Commission and directing the World Bank to focus on the North in terms of development. Employment issues in NNPC and others are all directed to the North. NNPC is an organization that has to do with oil that is found in the Niger Delta but 80% of its work force is from the North.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cHow can the Federal Government say they have released paltry sum of N2 billion and two months later they say there is no money. What about relocation of International Oil Companies to areas of operations that was promised by the Vice President, the same Federal Government later connived with the National Assembly to kill it on arrival, and you say they think good of the Niger Delta.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cI want to tell the Federal Government that there is no time, the foot-dragging as to the development of the Niger Delta will not do us any good. The Federal Government should as a matter of fact address the issues that were presented to them by PANDEF and various leaders of the Niger Delta.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Gbenekama noted that as far as he is concerned, the Federal Government is behaving abnormally, adding that if the Federal Government that owns the whole country is saying a particular area should be targeted for development and the other area that produces the wealth of the nation should be jettison, then it is an abnormal situation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Comrade Sheriff Mulade, Chairman of Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, advised the NDA to embrace dialogue in their agitation for a better Niger Delta but advised the federal government to start the development of the Niger Delta as if they are been pursued.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">He said, \u201cas far as I am concerned, the federal government has reneged in its promises to develop the Niger Delta instead it is the militarization of the Niger Delta with Operation Crocodile Smile, Operation Octopus Grip and others. All which are targeted on the defenseless people of the Niger Delta to keep them shut permanently.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mulade advised the Federal Government should to engage the stakeholders, and that the engagement should go beyond political engagement, it should be for the critical stakeholders to resolve issues.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Egbesu-Fraternity-300x188.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-16674\" src=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Egbesu-Fraternity-300x188-300x188.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Egbesu-Fraternity-300x188.jpg 300w, http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Egbesu-Fraternity-300x188-128x80.jpg 128w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It is obvious that Niger Delta AVENGERS are returning with brutish, brutal and bloody attacks on oil facilities in the country. It is not a surprise that PANDEF activities have been finally suspended by NDV who mandated them to dialogue on behalf of the region. This indicates that Nigeria government has failed to utilize available [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[3208,4293,1216,1965,4081,3255,1948,882],"class_list":["post-16673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-godspower-gbenekama","tag-jude-ebitimi-ukori","tag-maritime-university","tag-niger-delta-avengers-nda","tag-ozobo-austin","tag-pandef","tag-sheriff-mulade","tag-tompolo"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Egbesu-Fraternity-300x188.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-4kV","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16680,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16673\/revisions\/16680"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/16674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}