Leadership (Abuja)
20 July 2008
Before the presidency decided to replace its proposed Niger Delta summit with a committee to articulate the stakeholders' positions, on Thursday, there was at least one elder from the region that supported the convening of a conference by whatever name: Obong Victor Attah, the immediate past governor of Akwa Ibom State.
In a statement sent to media houses early last week, but embargoed for publication until today, he however suggests three stages of the "summit", including what the presidency's fresh proposal turned out to be.
The "distillation and collation of the disparate views contained in [the existing] reports," he says, will be "the first thing that needs to happen".
The second stage of the "summit", according to Attah, will be a "compilation of these various reports and submissions by a steering committee of experts [which] will form the working paper for dialogue among Niger Deltans". He states: "It is my strong recommendation that Niger Deltans should have
the opportunity to discuss exclusively among themselves and come up with a Niger Delta Agenda for the Niger Delta."
A conference in which other Nigerians and the international community will participate, he continues, will be the third stage: "From this should emerge a programme of action and implementation to change for good and ensure the wellbeing of the goose that is laying the economic golden egg for this country."
Decrying the plight of the peoples of the Niger Delta over the years, the former governor avers that what they need are massive infrastructure and human development, greater employment opportunities, and restoration of their human dignity.
His last sentence: "The Niger Delta needs this summit, as indeed does the Federal Government of Nigeria."
Meanwhile, the vice president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has said that dialogue remains central in resolving the Niger Delta crisis that is affecting the nation's oil production.
The vice president stated this in a chat with stakeholders from the region where he revealed that contractors handling projects in the region would resume and work hard to finish the abandoned projects they left as a result of youth restiveness.
"Contractors would work hard to finish the work they abandoned as a result of the crisis," he said.
The vice president, however, commended the contractors for the level of job already done and encouraged them to continue with the current effort.
He also urged the people of the region to allow peace to reign in order that development would take place.
Also yesterday, three military officers attached to the 78th Battalion of the Joint Military Task Force known as Operation Restore Hope were feared killed by armed militias along the waterways of Obioku community in Nembe local government area of Bayelsa State.
Also suspected to have been killed along with the military men were four civilians who were co-passengers in the boats boarded by the killed soldiers from Nembe waterfront, who were on their way to Yenagoa to attend to administrative issues.
But the military authorities in Yenagoa led by the JTF commander, Lt. Col. Chris Musa, said the officers could not be confirmed dead until all search efforts being embarked upon by his men and the Obioku community leadership proved futile.
LEADERSHIP Sunday gathered that the military officers left their formation in Nembe for Yenagoa office of the JTF to sort out routine administrative problems but were not seen afterwards. It was gathered that the remains of the soldiers were being searched for without success.Military sources revealed to Leadership Sunday that the missing soldiers were in mufti and boarded a passenger boat. But the boat and the seven occupants. including the soldiers, are still missing.
Already, the 78th battalion under which the missing soldiers served has already sent signals of their disappearance to the Warri headquarters of the JTF and the Defence headquarters for directive.
A close community source, however, told LEADERSHIPSunday that they (the community) gathered that three military officers and two civilians were suspected to have been gunned down by unknown gunmen along the Obioku community of Nembe.
Speaking yesterday with LEADERSHIP Sunday on telephone, the commander of the JTF in Bayelsa State, Lt. Col. Chris Musa, said his men were searching for the missing soldiers. "Yes, three of my men are missing. I would not say 'dead' until the search party confirms that. But the Obioku community people are assisting in the search. They were in mufti and boarded a boat like other passengers," he said.
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