National Confab: Rivers Communities Threaten Walk-Out

Oil bearing communities in Rivers State may likely stage a walk-out at the National Conference billed to commence on Monday, if the conference fails to address matters affecting them.
The hint was dropped by Secretary of Orashi National Congress (ONC), Mr Abali Bright, in a chat with newsmen, yesterday.
Bright disclosed that considering the way and manner the conference was converged, the plight of the oil bearing communities may be sidelined, pointing out that these communities do not have representatives.
The ONC scribe argued that plans are in top gear to harmonize a common front amongst all the oil bearing communities in Rivers State, saying, “we are calling on Ogba, Ogoni, Eleme and other oil and gas bearing communities to spur delegates to stage a walk-out, if the agenda of the conference does not accommodate the well-being of our communities”.
As far as he was concerned, the national conference is a sheer window-dressing by some political elites whose agenda was not to find solution to the country’s problem but to waste public funds.
Following the neglect suffered by the oil bearing communities over the years, he argued that more representations would have been picked from there.
A similar threat was made by Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) earlier in the week, as it warned its delegates to the National Conference to stage a walk-out whenever it becomes clear that Nigerian interest is at stake.
The forum also advised the northern delegates to avoid voting on any issue raised, particularly in view of the possibility that majorities are likely to be contrived from skewed composition of partisan interest.
A communiqué issued after the two-day meeting in Kano, which was read by Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, yesterday, demanded that obvious imbalance in representation between geo-political zones, religious and other interests be redressed before the conference commences any business.
The forum in the communiqué declared that: “With regards to decision making, delegates are to seek and achieve full consensus on issues and submit all positions and opinions to the Federal Government”.

Executive Director, Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA), Mr Noble Pepple (right) receiving the African Government Agency of the Year 2013 award from an official of the African Leadership Magazine, in Washington DC, United States, recently.