ELDER statesman and convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has declared that militancy in the Niger Delta region has assumed an intellectual dimension and the people should upgrade their knowledge on fundamental human rights.
He, therefore, urged the Niger Delta youths especially to shelve threats to resume violent hostilities against oil and gas facilities, but get informed on their rights as a people.
The Ijaw national leaders made the declarations on Tuesday at the Emergency General Assembly of PANDEF with the theme: “Security Situation: “Sustaining the Peace and Development in the Niger Delta Region” held at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun.
The well-attended assembly, which saw attendance from all the South South states, came about a month after the botched 4th General Assembly which held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Clark, in a pensive, but definitive tone, warned that no force or arsenal of military weapons can cow people of the region, saying only God can determine the fate of the country and not any individual.
This came on the heels of his strong condemnation of the FG’s lopsided appointments in favour of the North at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
He admonished youths from the region, who attended the emergency meeting in their numbers, to fight their own battle intellectually and peacefully instead of pouring out invectives on him over unfounded allegations.
The octogenarian, who lauded the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) for hearkening to reason, charged the youths to: “tell the people, you have your own battle to fight. I’ll go away, you need to unite and fight for your rights, except you want to remain a slave.
“When you come together, Operation Crocodile Smile can do nothing. You remember that when NDA threatened, crocodile smile could not smile again. They can’t find NDA, they can only intimidate innocent women and children,” he noted.
Clark, however, warned that the struggle in the region has transcended violence, but has moved to an intellectual level.
He, therefore, appealed to youths of the region to maintain the peace, saying “when you allow them to fight you, they’ll use the opportunity to take away your oil.”
According to him, the region should continue to make more demands beyond the 16-point Agenda, adding they should endeavour to know their rights more than ever before.
Clark advised the FG to deploy the monies expended on managing the troops on various assignment in the Niger Delta region on the development of various parts of the region, adding: “Buhari can’t cow us down. No government will remain forever.”
Delegates and leaders, including co-chairman of PANDEF, HRM King Alfred Diete-Spiff, the Amanyanabo of Twon-Brass, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (Rtd), Col PAM Ogar, acting secretary of PANDEF, Hon Ken Robinson, PANDEF leader in Delta, and Professor Gabriel Godini Darah, among others.
Meanwhile, the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to replace troops and military hardware deployed in the Niger Delta region with peacemakers and developers for transformation.
Chairman, Local Organizing Committee, PANDEF, Professor Gabriel Godini Darah, made the plea in his opening remark at the Emergency General Assembly, themed: “Security Situation: “Sustaining the Peace and Development in the Niger Delta Region” held on Tuesday at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun.
Darah, who clocked 70 years on Tuesday, said there was the need for the Federal Government to halt further deployment of coercion to entrench peace and tranquillity.
The university don, rather, called for a new era of dialogue and negotiation between PANDEF and the FG to engender a prosperous region.
He admonished all aggrieved groups and communities to eschew violent and hostile acts of protest.
“We urgently need peace and stability for sustainable development to take place.
“We need tranquillity and concord for investors to make the Niger Delta their choice in Africa.
“We earnestly appeal to all aggrieved groups and communities to abhor violent and hostile acts of protest.
“Let us not harm or endanger the justness of our case by applying methods that can alienate national and global support and solidarity.
“Similarly, we urge the government to discontinue its use of force to intimidate and terrorize the exploited people of the region.
“From this day, let a new era of dialogue and negotiation begin. In place of armies and weapons, the government should deploy peacemakers and developers to transform the Niger Delta into the prosperous region that it deserves to be,” Darah noted.
Highlights of the meeting was a communique calling on the FG too, without delay, commence the implementation of other demands contained in the 16-point agenda of PANDEF submitted to President Buhari in November 2016.