MILITANT group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has threatened to pull out of any peace negotiations with the federal government if Ijaw elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark leads the talks.
Following a meeting held in Warri over the weekend, Chief Clark and other Niger Delta elders appealed to groups like the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) still opposed to talks to embrace dialogue. Following this appeal it that the clarion call was heeded as the NDA agreed to negotiate with the federal government and multinational oil companies on modalities for de-escalating conflicts in the region.
However, Mend who have been up for talks and already nominated negotiators to partake in the process is now threatening to withdraw if Chief Clark heads the Niger Delta delegation. According to Mend, its Aaron Team 2 Dialogue team led by ex-minister Odein Ajumogobia, should spearhead the talks with the government and it advised Chief Clark to respect himself.
Describing the NDA as criminals, Mend spokesman Jomo Gbomo, stated that accepting its offer would give the impression that the Niger Delta is polarised. He added that if Chief Clark bows to pressure to accept to lead the Niger Delta negotiating team, it would confirm insinuations that he has always been the mastermind behind the NDA.
Mr Gbomo said: “The NDA’s decision to name a separate dialogue team headed by Clark was hasty, premature and capable of sending wrong signals to the federal government that the Niger Delta region is polarised and therefore incapable of speaking with a single voice under a single umbrella body. We reasonably believe that the NDA, Clark, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and others who attended the August 19, 2016, Niger Delta Coastal States’ stakeholders’ meeting jointly convened by Clark and Okowa, knew well that the Mend Aaron Team 2 Dialogue, Peace and Development Initiative headed by Ajumogobia was inaugurated on June 12, 2016.
“We also reasonably believe that these earlier-mentioned persons and stakeholders are aware that the federal government has been engaged in preliminary talks with Mend with a view to resolving the current Niger Delta crisis, as duly confirmed by no less a person than President Muhammadu Buhari. As a matter of fact, Mend has so far been able to secure some very critical concessions from the federal government in the ongoing talks."
He added that the final phase of the talks shall, however, be concluded by the Mend Aaron Team led by Mr Ajumogobia. Mr Gbomo thus called on Chief Clark shall respect himself as an elder statesman by refraining from accepting to lead a so-called NDA delegation to non-existent talks with the federal government.
“If Clark accepted such an appointment, then Nigerians and the international community shall be left with no other option than to believe that truly, he was the mastermind and evil genius of the spate of NDA attacks on oil installations which have greatly contributed to destabilise the current administration, blighted Nigeria’s oil production capacity and thereby, caused economic hardship on innocent Nigerians. It is imperative to emphasise that the Federal Government of Nigeria must not set a precedent of dialogue with criminals.
"If, on the contrary, the federal government chooses to hold a separate dialogue with the NDA team led by Clark, Mend shall immediately disband the Aaron Team 2 and pull out of the ongoing talks. We insist that the NDA, their patrons, sponsors, supporters and sympathizers are criminals and haters of the current administration as revealed by the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers, who must publicly renounce all forms of hostility against Nigeria and once this is done, Mend shall embrace the NDA and their co-travellers," Mr Gbomo added.
He pointed out that at almost 90 years of age, Mend believes that Chief Clark cannot reasonably stand the rigours associated with dialogue and negotiation of the Niger Delta question. In addition, Mr Gbomo said Chief Clark must not head every civil society initiative in the Niger Delta.
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