Now, Avengers Ready For Talks

The dreaded militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, yesterday, agreed to a conditional ceasefire in the Niger Delta region.
The rampaging group, which has claimed responsibility for several attacks on oil installations in the region, took the decision following candid plea by monarchs and leaders of the Niger Delta, who appealed to the militants, to stop further hostilities.
The monarchs and elders of the region who made the plea during a stakeholders meeting in Warri, Delta State, on Friday, said the call for ceasefire was to allow them negotiate with the Federal Government genuinely.
Disclosing the group’s affirmation to temporary ceasefire, spokesperson of the Avengers, Mudoch Agbinibo, however, said the group will continue to observe, and will continue its fight, if the negotiation fails.
Agbinibo said, “The struggle has always been a pan-Niger Delta one. We also know the anti-Niger Delta elements are using some disorganised characters from the region to scuttle the efforts to restore the essence of our humanity: Resource control and self-determination.
“But 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 Federal Government and the multinational oil companies, whenever the enabling environment prevails.
“We are going to support any collective/negotiation team emerging from Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders’ conference to engage the Federal Government of Nigeria.
“Most of the frameworks and objectives are clearly stated in various reports, declarations and recommendations of the likes of the Sir Henry Willinks minority rights reports of pre-independence Nigeria (1957-8), the Kaiama Declaration, the General Alexander Ogomudia report, the Ledum Mittee-headed Niger Delta Technical Committee report, and other reports, which suggested 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! Our advice to our Niger Delta elders and genuine stakeholders is that, whenever this inhuman project called Nigeria and her government is ready for dialogue/negotiations with them, this mandate should be treated with care and caution.
“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interest of the multinational oil corporations. But we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period, if the Nigerian government and the ruling APC continues to use security agencies/agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected members of the Avengers, and invade, especially Ijaw communities,” the statement added.
Earlier, indications had emerged last Friday, that all hopes seems not lost in efforts to resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta region, as there were signals that the militant groups have agreed to work with the negotiating team set up by the traditional rulers and leaders of the region to dialogue with the Federal Government.
The Tide recalls that leaders and traditional rulers from the six coastal states in Niger Delta, last Friday, had set up a negotiation team to meet with the Federal Government on behalf of the militants in the region.
A communiqué issued after the one-day stakeholders’ meeting at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, signed by the Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, and read by Prof. G.G. Darah, called on the militants to stop further attacks on oil facilities.
The negotiation team, whose members were not immediately disclosed in the communiqué, had since Friday commenced contacts with both the Federal Government and the militants, and has restated its commitment to speak on behalf of the various militant groups in the region.
The communiqué indicated that the leaders also resolved to push for the restructuring of the country in line with the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference held in Abuja.
The meeting further resolved to establish a pan-Niger Delta Platform that could speak on behalf of the region.
The communiqué read, “Any platform for talk and negotiation should be all-embracing, involving all the ethnic nationalities and interest groups in the region to holistically address the problems.
“The meeting also resolved to support the popular demand for the restructuring of the nation’s political system as recommended by the 2014 National Conference. The practice of equitable fiscal federalism is a precondition for sustainable peace and development of our country,” it added.
The Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, who was among the dignitaries at the stakeholders’ meeting, urged traditional rulers and leaders in the region to wake up to the responsibilities of prevailing on youth to cease further attacks on oil facilities.
The attacks, the governor said, were having serious negative impact on the environment even far more than what oil companies operating in the region had caused.
Okowa explained that though the grievances of the people were not out of place, but taking arms to destroy national assets sited in the region was condemnable.
In his remarks, Chief Edwin Clark said, the meeting was convened because of the tension building in the six coastal states of the Niger Delta as a result of high presence of military men.
Those who spoke at the occasion, including youth and women leaders, called for the demilitarization of the Niger Delta, re-opening of the Maritime University, dialogue with the Federal Government, restructuring of Nigeria as ways of ensuring enduring peace in the region.