The Chairman, South-South Traditional Rulers Council and the Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, HRM Edmund Dakouru has said that Town Hall meetings in the communities of Niger Delta will go a long way to solve the problem of agitation for economic resources, instead of convening selected meetings in Abuja.
He said that convening town hall meetings in Niger Delta communities will give an opportunity for various stakeholders and groups to partake in the process of dialogue, to be able to bare their minds to the Federal government rather than selecting certain persons to a meeting in Abuja who in the stakeholders hardly regard as their representatives.
Dakouru who disclosed this to airport correspondents at the Port Harcourt international Airport, Omagwa shortly on arrival from Abuja, Thursday, explained that the reason why the meetings between the Federal Government and some Niger Delta opinion leaders have not yielded result is because other stakeholders feel that their voices have not been heard.
“Niger Delta problem is complex, and it can not be solved by one person or one group. What we need is inclusive solution.
Inclusive solution means that a few people should not take credit for what is happening. All of us have to solve the problems together.
“The right approach to this is taking a town Hall approach. You cannot gather all of us at presidential villa. Some may not have the resources or the connection to go to ‘Aso Rock’, even if every body is invited.
“The thing is to set up a team that will go from place to place, from state to state to have meeting with the people, where their views are collated and at the end, a solution will adopted and implemented, and this settles the matter.” The monarch stated.
He said that all groups like the youths, professionals, NGOs, women, traditional rulers etc should partake in such town hall meetings, so that they will be fell that they are part of the process to the solution, and everything will be well.

Corlins Walter