Afenifere Condemns Deployment Of Ships To N’delta

Afenifere Condemns Deployment of Ships to N’Delta


The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization,  Afenifere, yesterday expressed concerns over the vigour with which the Federal Government has continued to deploy warships as well as military personnel to the troubled Niger Delta.
The group in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Yinka Odumakin said the development is ironic, bearing in mind that while the Federal Government is making an arrangement to organise a summit in the region, it is also preparing for war.He described as regrettable, a situation where a government is taking arms against its people.
Describing the act as condemnable, the group alleged that President Umaru Yar’Adua has continued to take instructions from opinion leaders and ignoring the wishes of the oil rich region.
“Afenifere is worried by the rate at which warships, gunboats and military personnel are being deployed to the Niger Delta region in the last few days. It is quite ironical that while talking of a Niger Delta Summit on the one hand, the Yar’Adua administration is putting up all preparations for war in the Niger Delta and the military spokespersons have refused to use the word ‘war’.
“Afenifere condemns the attempt to militarise the Niger Delta as it makes no sense for a government to take up arms against its own people.”
“It is quite unfortunate that the President, backed by opinion leaders from a section of the country, continues to see only the ‘criminality’ going on in the Niger Delta, ignoring the criminal acts of total neglect of the region that has laid the proverbial golden egg since 1958.
“At the heart of the present crisis is the increasing agitation for a  better deal by the people of the Niger Delta. Afenifere backs their  agitation for 50 per cent derivation as a just and fair demand.
We also condemn the insensitive comments by the Arewa leader that the leaders of the South-South are wasteful. The ‘wastefulness’ of a few
leaders imposed most of the time by the same complainants is not a basis to deny the people of their fair demand.”

source: http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=115650

would you rather they commend the government for trying to eradicate their own citizens