Daily Champion (Lagos)
Achilleus-Chud Uchegbu and Akor Sylvester
4 November 2009
There are indications that the truce reached between the federal government and militants engaged in struggle for the development of the Niger Delta region, may be short-lived as the militants at a meeting yesterday in Abuja, told government that they are tired of fruitless and endless meetings.
Representatives of the 12 militant groups, including Tompolo, Ateke Tom, Shoot-at-Sight, who are now addressed as leaders of Niger Delta youths, spoke at a meeting with the Presidential Committee on Amnesty (PCA) led by its chairman and Defence Minister, Gen. Godwin Abbe.
Others at the meeting which held at Chelsea Hotel in Abuja included Minister of Niger Delta, Ufot Ekaette, Magnus Kpakol of the National Poverty Eradication Programme(NAPEP), and all members of the committee.
Speaking on behalf of the militants moments before journalists who had come to cover the meeting were asked to leave for a closed-door session, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, who is also the President of Ijaw Youth Council, said the militants were running out of patience.
He said the militants have been subjected to endless meetings where only plans to rehabilitate them were discussed without concrete outcomes.
He said the situation was becoming worrisome adding that "we are tired of all these meetings."
Addressing the PCA, Ekiyor further said: "We are tired of attending meetings. We have been on these meetings for sometime now and nothing practical is coming out of them. We are thinking if we did not act too fast in laying down arms.
"We need to see things being implemented instead of always telling us of plans. We have all along been seeing plans and nothing is implemented.
"30 days after our people surrendered our arms, we have not seen any progress. The fundamental question is on government plan for the pre and post amnesty programme. We are tired of having these meetings.
"From 1947 till date we have exhausted all that, we are saying we are practically worried whether we have taken the right decisions. What we want is immediate implementation. There are things to be done today; there are things to be done tomorrow and next tomorrow. These meetings must be stoope," he stated.
Ekiyor told the meeting that promises of rehabilitation and reintegration to the militants have not been fulfilled warning that the situation could force the converts to have a rethink.
Earlier in his address, Abbe had made a detailed explanation of plans by the federal government to begin the rehabilitation process for the militants stating that two rehabilitation camps would open before November 11, at Agbahor in Delta State and Alu in Rivers State.
He said repented militants and those who needed to be rehabilitated would begin to receive call up letters on November 11 adding that the militant leaders would be required to help sort out the list of those who may have taken advantage of the amnesty deal to declare themselves as militants when they are not.
"We want to give priority to those who accepted the call to amnesty by the federal government and surrendered arms. You will help us identify those who are taking undue advantage of the amnesty," he said.
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