Spokesman for the Dialogue Group, Mr. Ballantyne Agiri, who made this known to the New Telegraph on Tuesday, noted that Soyinka was chosen because of his track records as a freedom fighter as well as a credible and detribalized personality.
Agiri further stated that the militant group has for months been in search of credible persons who are capable of presenting their grievances to the federal government.
“I was on my own when they invited me to work for them,” he said.
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“But I told them that one person cannot hold dialogue with the government, that we should look for eminent Nigerians who have the pedigree to do a good job.
“The moment I mentioned Professor Wole Soyinka, they became interested because, according to them, he is somebody who is not from the Niger Delta, but has a credible and detribalised personality.”
It will be recalled that on Sunday, the 21 August, 2016, the Niger Delta Avengers announced a ceasefire and agreed to dialogue with the government after many months of incessant attacks on crude oil installations in the Niger Delta region.