Militants List Options For Peace In N’Delta

A coalition of Niger Delta militant groups, last Saturday, expressed readiness to fight for a Niger Delta Republic, if the Federal Government failed to embrace devolution of powers and fiscal federalism.
The militants, who spoke under the aegis of the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators, stated that they were prepared to mobilise other agitating groups in the oil-rich region to actualise a Niger Delta Republic.
A statement signed by nine militant leaders, at the end of a meeting in Port Harcourt, and made available to The Tide, cautioned that the people of the Niger Delta were prepared to secede, if total devolution of powers and fiscal federalism were not put in place.
The statement was signed by John Dudu (Niger Delta Watchdogs and convener of the coalition), Ekpo Ekpo (Niger Delta Volunteers), Osarolor Nedam (Niger Delta Warriors), Henry Okon Etete (Niger Delta Peoples Fighters), and Asuquo Henshaw (Bakassi Freedom Fighters).
Others include Ibinabo Horsfall (Niger Delta Movement for Justice), Duke Emmanson (Niger Delta Fighters Network), Inibeghe Adams (Niger Delta Freedom Mandate), as well as Abiye Tariah (Niger Delta Development Network).
The statement read in part, “The least considerable action on the part of the Federal Government is the total devolution of powers and fiscal federalism. Anything short of that, the people of the Niger Delta will go their separate ways.
“The coalition will work to convince other agitators in the Niger Delta for a collaborative action to ensure the least acceptable demand, which is total devolution of powers and fiscal federalism.
“The people of the Niger Delta will fully support the call for a referendum by other agitators in the country. Finally, the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators firmly resolves to pursue its decision(s) and actualise them by any means necessary,” they stated.
Faulting the leadership of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) for what they termed poor handling of the agreement between it and the Federal Government, the militants said they stood by the earlier decision to withdraw their support for the forum.
They maintained that the authority to represent the Niger Delta ethnic nationalities was no longer under the purview of the current leadership of PANDEF.
The statement further said, “the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators will rally round all other agitating groups in the Niger Delta for the actualisation of the Niger Delta Republic. This will give us the freedom to develop ourselves and at our own pace.”
It also described the last meeting of the forum in Bayelsa as dismal, adding that serious issues were not presented for deliberation.
Describing the PANDEF leadership as clueless, the coalition said the forum was seemingly disintegrated and inconsistent in thoughts and actions.
“While a meeting is called by Pa E. K. Clark in Bayelsa, the secretary of the central working committee is calling for a constitution review meeting in Abuja the following day. We have no doubt in our mind that there are contending interests and positions that have become overriding in the leadership of PANDEF, and we can no longer sit by and allow them to fester,” the coalition said.
It added that PANDEF leadership appeared to have lost track of the political development and the trend of agitations in the country, especially from the South-East and South-West.
Similarly, another coalition of militant groups simply referred to as the Reformed Egbesu Assembly, has called for the immediate division of the country into five republics.
The groups named the Republics as Arewa Islamic Republic, Biafra Republic, Republic of Niger Delta, Middle Belt Republic and Oduduwa Republic.
They recommended that all the republics put together shall be addressed as United Republics of Nigeria.
This is coming few hours after the Convener of PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, pleaded with the militants not to go ahead with the proposed declaration of Republic of Niger Delta on October 1, 2017.
The militants said the call for the division of the country has become necessary in order to avert the possibility of violent agitations.
In a statement, Tony Alagbakereowei, who spoke on behalf of the group, called on the international organisations to call for referendum in the country without further delay.
He said, “We reaffirm our collective resolve to actualise the Republic of the Niger Delta (RONDEL), which had been proclaimed in 1966 taking into cognisance the reality that there is nothing yet binding us as a people rather than the crude oil and gas in the Niger Delta.
“We call on the British Prime Minister, President Donald Trump of the United States and the United Nations (UN), to conduct a referendum for the peaceful dissolution of the Nigerian State into Arewa Islamic Republic, Biafra Republic, Oduduwa Republic, Republic of the Niger Delta, and the Republic of the Middle Belt to be collectively known and addressed as the United Republics of Nigeria based on the principles of non-exodus and non-violence.
“We strongly restate our commitment and dedication to this model as it is the irreducible minimum acceptable political requirement for the ethnic nationalities of the Niger Delta to remain in the Nigerian state.
“We consider this as the best option to avoid the impending humanitarian crisis of a full-blown Nigeria civil war and armed revolution which will be foisted upon the African Continent and the world at large,” the group added.

Susan Serekara-Nwikhana