CONVINCED by the genuine effort being
made by elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark,
to engender peace in the Niger Delta region,
members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA)
have expressed support for the proposed
peace initiative with the Federal
Government.


The group, which has denied its
involvement in any dialogue with the Federal
Government in the past, made this known in
a statement signed by its spokesperson,
‘Brigadier-General Mudoch Agbinibo and
published on its website late Saturday
night.


“We are going to support any collective/
negotiation team emerging from Chief Clark,
Niger Delta elders and genuine
stakeholders’ conference to engage with the
Federal Government of Nigeria,
representatives from the home countries of
all multinational oil corporations and neutral
international mediators that will be focused
on achieving the short, medium and
longterm frameworks and objectives to de-
escalating conflicts in the Niger Delta,” the
group declared.


It, however, advised the Clark-led
stakeholders’ forum to consult and be
guided by past submissions, reports,
declarations and recommendations of
various commissions and committees for
the region.


“Most of the frameworks and objectives are
clearly stated in various reports,
declarations and recommendations of the
like of the Sir Henry Willinks minority rights
reports of pre-independence Nigeria
(1957-, the Kaiama Declaration document,
the General Alexander Ogomudia report, the
Leedum Mittee headed, Niger Delta
Technical Committee report and
restructuring to fiscal federalism.


“We have resolved to reject any idea of the
peace of our times; we want the peace with
honour this time around,” it warned.
The group said it would continue its
unannounced cessation of hostilities
provided security agents stopped harassing
and intimidating innocent folks in the Niger
Delta creeks.


“We are going to continue the observation of
our unannounced cessation of hostilities in
the Niger Delta against all interests of the
multinational oil corporations, but we will
continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare
during this period if the Nigerian government
and the ruling APC continue to use security
agencies/agents, formations and politicians
to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass
innocent citizens, suspected NDA members
and invade Ijaw communities especially,” the
group warned.
It, however, vowed to resume hostilities if
the opportunity being offered by Clark failed.
According to NDA, “we promise to fight
more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity
fails.


“Therefore, we will give our Niger Delta
elders and genuine stakeholders that tacit
support to go to the dialogue table with the
government and the multinational oil
corporations whenever enabling
environment prevails,” it added.
The militants singled out some groups and
personalities, asking them to inform their
sponsors that doom awaits them in the
nearest future.


“Those sold and bought up interests from
around the corridors of power cannot
armtwist the NDA with bandits, drug addicts,
illegal bunkerers, bank robbers and
disorganised characters to derail the Niger
Delta struggle,” the Avengers conjectured.
It will be recalled that Chief Clark, last
Friday, held a one-day Niger Delta coastal
states stakeholders’ meeting in Warri, Delta
State, to de-escalate the persistent security
concerns in the region, with a view to
finding a lasting solution to the debacle.


The stakeholders, including traditional
rulers, elders, leaders of thoughts, youths
and women from Niger Delta coastal states,
made seven recommendations in a
communique issued at the end of the
meeting.


They called on the Federal Government to
stop the deployment of military hardware
and personnel to the creeks of the region.
They also contended that the deployment of
military hardware in the area was causing
fear, unease and social dislocation of
innocent people.


The communique also called on agitators
and aggrieved groups in the region to listen
to pleas by traditional rulers, elders and
leaders of thoughts to halt further hostilities
on the nation’s oil and gas facilities and
embrace dialogue.


It urged the Federal Government to show
more seriousness by reaching out to
authentic representatives of the region,
involving all ethnic nationalities, interest
groups in an all-embracing manner, in order
to chart a way forward.


The communique also demanded, among
others, the adoption of the restructuring of
the political system and the practice of
equittable fiscal federalism for sustainable
peace and development of the country, as
recommended in the 2014 national
conference.
http://tribuneonlineng.com/breaking-avengers-agree-dialogue-clark-warn-mend-rnda-oshiomohle-others/