Chuks Okocha
21 July 2008
Abuja — All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Action Congress (AC) have said the agreement between Britain and Nigeria to set up a security training force to battle militants in the Niger Delta would worsen the crisis in the oil region.
ANPP in a statement signed by its national Chairman, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, advised that the best option to resolve the crisis is poltiical will and dialogue.
The party also cautioned government to adopt necessary political will to address the crisis by providing infrastructure to redress the several years of injustice in the region.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the pact should be rescinded immediately, while on-going efforts to employ dialogue to resolve the crisis should be pursued.
It said violence in the region is only a symptom of a more deep-rooted problem caused by years of neglect of "the goose that lays the golden egg," by successive governments, many of which, according to the party, only paid lip service to efforts to lift the oil producing communities from poverty and environmental degradation.
"Britain is putting the cart before the horse by its unnecessary and incendiary offer of military assistance to Nigeria to quash militancy in the Niger Delta. This strategy amounts to curing the symptoms of a disease instead of the disease itself. It cannot work," AC said.
"We are perplexed at the reason behind Britain's offer of military assistance, at a time the militants have shown they could have their way even with the massive military deployments in the region.
"There is no doubt that Britain was not driven by altruism in taking that decision, but by enlightened self interest. Or may be it is pay back time for the Brits, after all Baroness Lynda Chalker backed Yar'Adua's controversial election at a time local and international observers tagged it the worst in the country's history," the party said.
AC praised Nigerians in the Diaspora who demonstrated in London against the Greek gift from Britain during President Yar'Adua's visit to Britain this past week, saying their views are shared by millions of their compatriots at home who believe that only a just and fair approach can help resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta.
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SHAME ON NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT;WE SHOULD NOT FORGET THAT THOSE DAYS OF SLAVERY AND COLONISM HAS GONE.CAN THE BRISTISH GOVERNMENT ALLOWED STRANGER TO COME TO THEIR LAND AND TAKE AWAY THERE NATURAL RESOUCES?LOOK AT WHAT EUROPE TODAY IS DOING TO OUR CHILDREN WHO LEFT HOME FOR ONE REASON OR THE OTHER TO EUROPE WITH RASISM POLITICS:AND STILL WE WANT THE WHITE PEOPLE TO COME AGAIN KILL OUR CHILDREN FOR THE SAKE OF THERE NEED OF OIL AND SELFISH DEMAND TO PRETECT THERE INTERST HOME.IT IS TIME NIGERIA;AFRICA SHOULD TAKE CARE OF THERE OWN,CAN YOU TELL THE WHITE PEOPLE HOW THERE GUNS WILL BE SOLD?AFRICA IS TIME U LEADERS SHOULD START TAKING CARE OF UR CITIZENS;IF U LEADER DOES;NT KNOW;WHAT IT TAKE TO PROTECT UR PEOPLE THEM LET AFRICA FROM TODAY SPEAK THERE OWN LANGUAGE: