NDPC urges Osinbajo not to negotiate with Edwin Clark’s PANDEF
- The convener of the Niger Delta Peoples Congress (NDPC), Mike Loyibo, lamented the selfishness of Chief Edwin Clark, considering the fact that the Buhari's government had taken steps towards solving the Niger Delta problem
- Loyibo urged the federal government to solve already identified problems instead of allowing any particular group to slow it down
- The group’s convener listed the issue of the Maritime University, amnesty programme, Ogoni clean-up, among the problems that require the immediate attention of the presidency
The federal government has been asked by the Niger Delta Peoples Congress (NDPC) not to negotiate with the Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Daily Trust reports.
The group’s position was made known in a statement released by its convener Mike Loyibo.
Legit.ng notes that Loyibo urged the presidency to go back to the people of the region, just as Acting President Yemi Osinbajo initially went round, seeking their buy-in.
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Clark had threatened that his group would withdraw from the peace negotiations with the federal government if their demands were not met.
Osinbajo is scheduled to meet with PANDEF at the Presidential Villa on Thursday, August 3, at 6:30pm.
He stated: “It is highly selfish and unpatriotic for the Chief E. K. Clark- led PANDEF to give the federal government an ultimatum considering the right steps taken so far by the government towards a permanent solution to the age-long crisis that has bedeviled the Niger Delta region.
“We are aware that the government constituted a high-powered committee chaired by the acting president who has demonstrated so much passion and commitment towards the region.
“PANDEF is just one of the many groups in the region and its decision cannot be binding on everybody.
“There is no need for the Federal Government to negotiate with any group; rather, the Presidency should go back to the people in the host communities just the same way that the acting president went round initially to seek their buy - in .
“After all, it was not PANDEF that secured peace in the region.
“They have consulted widely and a road map has already been fashioned out.
“The federal government should not allow any group to slow her down; rather, immediate action should be taken to tackle already identified issues."
Listing out various issues that require the attention of the federal government, Loyibo stated: “The oil companies should be compelled to relocate to the region as previously instructed by the acting president.
“The Maritime University needs immediate action. The modular refineries should kick off immediately. The NDDC, as presently constituted, should not stand.
“The amnesty programme should be well funded, further strengthened and re- engineered.
“The Ogoni clean -up should go ahead and the model should be used for other neglected communities in the region."
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Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that the director general of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Osita Okechukwu, berated the Ijaw national leader Edwin Clark, over the ultimatum he issued to the federal government, to constitute a negotiation team on the demands of the Niger Delta region.
Okechukwu advised Clark to join hands with the Buhari government to develop the country, instead of engaging in propaganda.
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Source: Legit.ng
