Sylvester Idowu in Warri
Again, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT), the apex Itsekiri socio-economic and cultural group, monday disparaged the Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) for claiming to have the mandate of all the peoples of oil-rich region to dialogue with the federal government.
ILoT, while reacting to a recent statement issued by the PANDEF and published in the media, warned the federal government to be wary of the body which claims to have the blessings of leaders and stakeholders of the region which it described as false.
According to a statement signed by the body’s Secretary, Chief Edward Ekpoko, and issued in Warri, Delta State, ILoT also charged the federal government to ignore PANDEF’s call for the withdrawal of armed forces from the region, noting that the relative peace in the region was as a result of the efforts of the security forces.
ILoT lambasted PANDEF for some of its 16-point demands from the federal government, particularly the demand for oil block allocation and the reopening of the Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, which it noted had no legal framework.
The body charged government to ensure its responsibility to secure the lives and property of the people of the Niger Delta is kept intact by allowing the current security structure in the area to remain.
“The Itsekiri Leaders of Thought has read the statement credited to the PANDEF in one of the national dailies of January 1, 2017, wherein it falsely claimed that it has the mandate of the Niger Delta leaders and stakeholders to dialogue on its behalf. This is false.
“The Itsekiri leaders and other major stakeholders in the Niger Delta have repeatedly called on President Buhari and Nigerians to be wary of PANDEF as many of its leaders are not to be trusted and are hands-in-glove with militants. They simply want to eat their cake and still have it.
“A body that will also demand the re-opening of a Maritime University that was never in existence in the face of the law, cannot be taken seriously. The bill to establish the university has just passed second reading in the Senate, neither can any reasonable government cave in to any demand for the withdrawal of the military/security personnel from communities that are prone to destruction of oil and gas facilities as the only panacea for peace as it is the case with PANDEF. PANDEF is being promoted by a section of the media.
“We state that the relative peace in the Niger Delta is as a result of the presence and activities of the security forces and the plea by some well-meaning traditional rulers and community leaders in the Niger Delta and certainly not PANDEF.
“Once again, we reiterate our earlier position that the security of lives and property is the responsibility of the government. Government does not need to enter into negotiation for this purpose. This must be separated from the development of the Niger Delta,” it added.
