Edwin Clark Making ‘Immoral’ Demands From Buhari After Wasting 6yrs Under Jonathan – N/Delta Groups

A coalition of Niger Delta groups has lampooned Ijaw National leader, Chief Edwin Clark over his November 1 ultimatum to the Federal Government to constitute negotiation team on demands of the Niger Delta.

The WHISTLER recalls that Clark had, on the platform of Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), warned government against testing the patience of youths in the region.

Advertisement

“Human endurance has a limit beyond which one cannot predict what the outcome will be. We submitted a 16-point demand to Mr. President on November 1, 2016, and we had expected that by its next anniversary, the 16-point agenda would have been comprehensively sorted out,” Clark had said on Tuesday.

But the groups, which comprised the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and Niger Delta People’s Congress (NDPC), stated that Clark lacks “moral justification in giving an ultimatum to the Federal Government and making demands they never made from Goodluck Jonathan when he was at the helm for six wasted years.”

MEND further distanced itself from the ultimatum and withdrew its membership of the Clark-led PANDEF.

In a statement by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, MEND said: “PANDEF, led by elder statesmen Chief Edwin Clark and His Royal Highness King Alfred Diette -Spiff, lack the moral justification in giving an ultimatum to the Federal Government and making demands they never made from Goodluck Jonathan when he was at the helm for six wasted years.”

Advertisement

“PANDEF is also pretending not to notice that the amnesty programme is still operating on the corrupt template that still pays ghost militants after it hoodwinked the government into believing in the fraud; a programme that has neglected the children of the dead freedom fighters and those in prison, for those that never made any sacrifice are cursed.

Chief Mike Loyibo, the groups convener also said, “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.”

Advertisement

Loyibo further said, “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,” Said Loyibo.

Leave a comment

Advertisement