Elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark will lead the negotiation with the Federal Government on behalf of Avengers and other militant groups in the Niger Delta region to find lasting solutions to the crisis in the region. To this end, all the various groups and initiatives which have been working to achieve peace and stability in the Niger Delta since the escalation of renewed militancy in the region have collapsed into one umbrella of Pan Niger Delta Forum with Chief Edwin Clark as leader. This was part of the resolutions of the expanded meeting of elders, leaders of thought, and representatives of various relevant stakeholders from the Niger Delta held on Friday night at the residence of Chief Edwin Clark, Asokoro Abuja.
The meeting had in attendance representatives of Government of Delta State, His Royal Majesty Alfred Diete Spiff; Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (Rtd), former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah; Justice F.F Tabai, retired Chief Justice of he Supreme Court; Professor Turner Isoun, and former Minister of Science and Technology. Others present at the meeting include, Timi Alaibe; Alaowei Brodrick Bozimo, former Minister of Police Affairs; and several leaders of groups and ethnic nationalities in attendance. Brigadier-General Paul Boroh (Retd), Coordinator of the Amnesty programme for the former Niger Delta militants was also in attendance.
Rising from the meeting, the forum issued a communique which reads in part: “Commended various groups and initiatives which have been working to achieve pace and stability in the Niger Delta since the escalation of the renewed militancy in the region. These includes, the Pan Niger Delta Coastal State Consultative Forum, Niger Dialogue Contact Group, Initiative for Peace, Governance and Development, South-South Consolidated Forum, TROMPCON, and HOSTCOM. For all the various groups to work under the central umbrella of Pan Niger Delta Forum with Chief Edwin Clark as leader.
“The setting up of a central working committee taking into regard representation of states, ethnic nationalities, and special interests under the Chairmanship of Obong Victor Attah. The meeting also noted that the problems of the Niger Delta remain as follows: “Question of fairness, justice and equity, at the region remains largely unfairly treated and shortchanged on most national issues. Poor social infrastructural development and environmental degradation, poor funding of intervention agencies-Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Amnesty Office and Ministry of Niger Delta.
“With respect to the current insecurity in the region, the meeting noted as follows: “That the 60-day ceasefire declared by various agitating groups on the 21st of August, 2016 has led to relative peace in the region and thereby helped boost oil production and thereby aid the national economic recovery. However, the federal government has been unable to reciprocate so far by putting together a government dialogue team. That ‘operation crocodile’ exercise embarked by the Nigerian Military has not advanced the course of peace but only heightened the state of insecurity and tension. The need for various agitating groups in the Niger Delta to continue maintain the peace, retrain from all acts of violence and give the pursuit of dialogue by the leaders of the region a chance.”
