Botched S’south Meeting: ‘Niger Delta Severs Ties With FG’

• It’s one insult too many – PANDEF

The Niger Delta region may have severed ties with the All Progressive Congress-led Federal Government over what stakeholders called continuous marginalization and disrespect to the region.

BIGPENNGR.COM reports this development is coming on the heel of the botched Port-Harcourt South-South meeting with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari-led high-profile Federal Government delegation.

The meeting called at the instance of the presidency for various parts of the country to engage with youths and other stakeholders as part of the process to address their grievances resulting from the #EndSARS protest in the country, was abruptly put-off reportedly by Gambari in a bid to attend an ’emergency security’ meeting at the presidential villa, Abuja.

The meeting, which was scheduled to hold in Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, to discuss critical national issues was botched at the last minute, after traditional rulers, the governors, Clergy, elders, leaders, women and youths of the six South-South States had gathered in Port Harcourt, and waited for hours.

Although the presidency has explained what went wrong and regretted the inconveniences it may have caused leaders and stakeholders, the cancellation is currently generating ripples in the Niger Delta with different groups reacting to it.

Arising from an emergency e-meeting with the creeks, (apparently some ex-warlords), United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS), said that an embargo has been placed on any form of cooperation and dialogue with the federal government henceforth.

UNDEDSS, one of the foremost vocal groups in the region, indicated that the Niger Delta has sever ties with the government of the day in the country.

“Rising from an emergency e-meeting with the creeks, UNDEDSS, the Niger Delta coalition for political action, declares an embargo on any future cooperation and dialogue with the FGN”.

The embargo, according to UNDEDSS’s Secretary General, Tony Uranta was necessitated to enable the federal government deal with issues raised in the 2016 16-Point demands laid directly before President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Not until the 16-point demands are urgently and comprehensively met, as was promised by President Buhari in the Niger Delta’s parley in the Villa, we will have nothing to do with this government, Uranta who convened the position of UNDEDSS said in a terse statement Wednesday night.

He, however, warned “any putative regional leaders who will attempt to break this “No more dialogue/Embargo”, to desist so as not to incur the wrath of the aggrieved people.

Meanwhile, the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, has described the failure of the federal government delegation to show up for the meeting, planned at its instance, with key stakeholders of the South-South geopolitical zone, as “one insult too many”.

A statement signed by the National Chairman, PANDEF and former military governor of Akwa Ibom, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd), described the federal government action as “a clear demonstration of contempt and disregard for the entire South-South Zone.

“The reason offered for the deplorable action is completely untenable and unacceptable.
This is one Insult too many”, Nkanga noted.

Reiterating the demands of the governors and people of the region for FG to tender apology, PANDEF stated that the federal government, should offer an unreserved, public apology to the Zone.

“They won’t treat a district head in their areas, the way and manner, they treated our traditional rulers, elders and our governors. They have to publicly apologize otherwise they should forget any further thought of a meeting with our people. Enough is indeed enough”, Nkanga declared.

“How else can anyone explain what happened? If not an act of disrespect, disregard, and contempt to the entire South-South Zone. They went to the north, south-west and south-east, met with the people, no emergency security meeting was summoned to stop them from attending those meetings. But when it was for the south-south zone, an emergency arose to scuttle the meeting. We have cross-checked and are yet to ascertain that there was any national security threatening situation to warrant their staying away.

“What they have told us, in essence, is that we do not matter but the truth is that We Do Matter. It is awful and preposterous for anyone to delude that we do not matter. That they can treat the region that has sustained the country for decades, in this way and manner, only speaks to the kind “upside-down” thinking that has kept the country in its unworthy state.

“It is even more unfortunate that the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, a seasoned diplomat of global repute, who should know better, is involved in this ignominious display.

“We are curious that the Ministers and other top government officials from the south-south geopolitical zone were also not present for the meeting, and did not deem it fit to call the Governors or leaders. Were they also part of the emergency security meeting at the Presidential Villa or they had foreknowledge of the plan to botch the meeting?

“We are, however, not overly surprised at all of these occurrences because we have been talking of the inconsistencies, discrimination and injustice against the Niger Delta region by this administration for the past five years.

“Recall that on 1st November 2016, we visited President and presented the 16-Point Agenda, which encapsulates critical concerns and interests of the People of the entire Niger Delta Region, to the Federal Government. Four years after, the 16-Point Demand has remained unattended to by the Buhari administration, except the establishment of the Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State and the launch of Ogoni Clean-Up, whose status is unclear to us.

“And the region continues to suffer untold neglect and discrimination, in terms of developmental projects, policies and programmes, appointments, etc, and now, even in simple issues such as meetings with the regions and zones.

“That is why Zamfara gold is for Zamfara people while Niger Delta crude oil is for the whole of Nigeria. And why they have not added an inch of construction to the critical East-West road in the over five years of the administration.

The group, however declared that whether the presidency was ready to meet with leaders of the South-south or not, “the people of the South-South Geopolitical Zone have taken a firm stand on the issue of restructuring of Nigeria. We are the biggest victims of Nigeria’s flawed federal system. All we want is true federalism”

“Nigeria is not the only country operating a federal system of government in the world. They cannot continue to pretend that they do not know what true federalism or fiscal federalism implies. Nigeria has to be restructured, things have to change.

“Modalities on how the country could be restructured have been proffered in the 2014 National Conference Report. It provides sufficient guidelines for the restructuring of Nigeria”.