This Day (Lagos)
4 July 2008
President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday broke his silence on the raging controversy over the proposed Niger Delta Stakeholders' Summit, insisting that it must hold in the interest of peace and security and for the development of the oil-producing region.
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Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua Publish the Niger-Delta Master Plan he proposes to execute.
Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua publish the exact date he intends to commence the execution of the Master Plan.
Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua commence the demobalisation of the military(exepting strategic areas which had had military presence before now) in the Niger-Delta.
Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua increase the presence of the Police do the traditional job of society policing.
Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua assist in the release of any and every Niger-Delta leader/youth whose detention has in one way or another been linked with MEND activities.
Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua arrange to convene his much talked about summit in the first week of August with a view of commencing his Master Plan implimentation at the end of August,2008.
Let President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua act fast, knowing that this is a matter of utmost national urgency, which ordinarily would have elicited a state of emergency. In fact, Let president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua see his summit as "the Peoples state of emergency", so that he can moved far away from the advice of people that had never wished Nigeria well; and urgently do what is right in the Niger-Delta.
Let president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua sing the song to Gambari, Arewa and a handfull of others that the development of the Niger-Delta is the development of Nigeria.And that it is long over due. Consequently, cursorily blaming Niger-Delta Governors, Leaders,Youths;13%, OMPADEC/NDDC and selves at this instance is neither here nor there.
The President can appoint me,A.A-Delaw to co ordinate the Summit on Niger-Delta and the decision implimentation stage.Let no allowances be paid me.Let no extra security be given me. Let the President provde me with needed means of transportation and communication in the cause of executing all that is and would be required.
Let the President act now!
Let the president know that the Niger-Delta Crises can go away in a matter of days,(if only the President wants it to; and peacefully too) while, the Nigeria police can take charge of the issues of crime and hooliganism, which in itself is in no way associated with the genuine struggle of the Niger-Deltans. And to this end, the FG could be sure the Niger-Deltans would be committed to helping the society get rid of criminals and criminality.
Long Live Nigeria!!!