Ben Agande and Emma Amaize
18 July 2008
Lagos — THE Federal Government has jettisoned the idea of a summit in resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta, and opted for what it calls dialogue with the various interest groups in the region in dealing with the problems there.
The decision came just a week after the man pencilled down as chairman of the summit, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, resigned following intense opposition to his appointment by Niger Delta leaders.
Emerging from a meeting with leaders and representatives of the region at the State House Abuja, Wednesday night, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan said the word "summit" was much maligned and misunderstood by many people, hence government's decision to drop it.
His words: "When you use the word summit, it is a problematic word now because the people feel that when you say summit, that people will come from everywhere, different memos, sentiments, and they will say it is a jamboree.
It is not really what they want. We will raise the issues, present it before the Federal Government and we will dialogue. Let's leave it at that point. We are not using the word summit. "Even the Federal Government, what we want is a discussion.
Let us listen to the issues in the Niger Delta. Different people have different thinking about the Niger Delta. Some people think it is purely a security matter, some think it is purely an infrastructural matter, some think it is a political matter. Some think it is education; if you educate everybody and give skills to everybody," he said.
The vice president said the committee to be set up by the government would raise the fundamental issues and the challenges facing the region and present it to the Federal Government and make recommendations on the way forward.
He added that some progress had been achieved at his meeting with the various groups in the region and that consultation would still go on. "We have seen some mileage in terms of consensus on the way forward.
That is the most important thing. We have agreed on how to move ahead with the Federal Government. Even tomorrow (today), I have a meeting with a different group. I will continue to meet with different groups.
I have a meeting with the governors after the National Economic Council meeting (yesterday). But basically what we have agreed today (yesterday) is that if there are problems in the Niger Delta, what are these problems?
What caused these problems? What is the way forward, the challenges, the issues? So we have agreed that a committee would be set up to raise these issues and then the issues would be presented to the President.
Then the journey starts from there," he concluded. Vanguard gathered that government also agreed at the meeting to set up a committee of technical experts to harmonise all previous reports on the Niger Delta, starting from the Sir Willinks Commission of 1958 to the former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Alexander Ogomudia Presidential Panel report and any other relevant document, as demanded by the leaders of the Niger Delta.
The report of the committee is expected to be handed over to President Umaru Yar'Adua after ratification by stakeholders.
A source who attended the meeting told Vanguard, yesterday: "It was resolved that the governors should nominate three persons each into the technical committee, which will be inaugurated on a latter date."
Niger Delta leaders have persistently said there is no need for any fresh summit on resolving the crisis in the region.
They also kicked vehemently against the appointment of Prof. Gambari as chairman of the summit, and wondered what had become of past government reports on the region. Gambari's letter rejecting offer
In resigning as chairman of the steering committee of the summit last week, Prof. Gambari in a statement in New York said: "I am grateful to His Excellency, President Umaru Yar'Adua and Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing me as chairman of the steering committee for the summit on the Niger Delta and particularly for the confidence reposed in me to help resolve one of the most intractable problems facing our country.
"I wish to put on record that I did not seek the position and I am not desperate to retain it.
I felt it was my patriotic duty to accept the appointment and to discharge my duties to the best of my abilities. "I have nothing but the highest regard for the people of the Niger Delta as an integral part of the Nigerian nation.
"It is my belief that the focus of this enterprise should be the Niger Delta but the perspective should be national while the international concern should not be ignored.
Furthermore, I believe that with my decades of experience in conflict resolution and management, I could make a contribution towards finding a just and lasting solution to the problem in the Niger Delta.
"I could also help mobilise international support for the implementation of the concrete outcomes of the summit.
"However, in spite of the best intentions of the President as well as my own commitment in accepting the position, my appointment has attracted what appears to be a well-orchestrated and relentless opposition from some quarters, institutions, groups and individuals who may nonetheless be central to the resolution of the crisis in the Delta.
"As a result, my name has become the issue in place of the attempt at finding a just and lasting solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta.
"In the light of this, I wish to be excused as the chairman of the steering committee of the summit. The laudable objectives of the Federal Government should not be defeated only because of the person in charge of the steering committee. "The crisis in the Niger Delta and the country is much bigger than an individual.
And no individual must stand in the way of the resolution of the crisis, including my humble self. "I thank the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria for the opportunity and their understanding on this matter.
I stand ready to continue to make my contribution, as a Nigerian and based on my experience as a national and international civil servant, towards the peace, stability and social economic development of our country."
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