Mend insists that Goodluck Jonathan is the grand patron of the Niger Delta Avenger

MILITANT group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) has insisted that former president Dr Goodluck Jonathan is the grand patron of the armed insurgent body the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

 

Over recent months, militancy has returned to the Niger Delta with the NDA at the forefront of the battle, blowing up oil installations and facilities. Other groups like Mend have agreed to enter into dialogue with the federal government to end the crisis and several leaders like Dr Jonathan have said that talks is the only way forward.

 

Already a group, which split from the NDA known as the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA), has named Dr Jonathan as the NDA'S grand patron. RNDA spokeswoman Cynthia Whyte, also listed the Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike and Bayelsa State governor, Seriake Dickson, as NDA sponsors.

 

However, Dr Jonathan said the list by the splinter group was political, adding that it was part of an attempt to assassinate him. He added that the members of the group later bombed his compound in Otuoke, Bayelsa State, on a night he was scheduled to attend to an important matter in his country home.

 

Mend is insisting, however, that the former president was fuelling militancy in the Niger Delta region. Mend spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, said the former president employed diversionary tactics to cover up the accusations against him.

Mr Gbomo said: “With all due respect, the entire statement was deeply provocative and embarrassingly misconceived as it woefully failed to address the core issue of whether or not the former president was indeed, the grand patron of the NDA. Any follower of events in Nigeria and the Niger Delta who was privileged to read the statement released by Jonathan, would immediately observe that the former president had a score to settle with the Okah brothers as well as Mend who have since May 30, 2014 stopped attacks on Nigeria’s oil and gas assets and are currently engaged in dialogue with the federal government to find sustainable ways and means of ending the festering Niger Delta crises which was exacerbated by the former president’s ineptitude, incompetence and corruption during the six years he governed the country.

 

Mend said the problem in the Niger Delta today has nothing to do with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari but the failure of Dr Jonathan to address the root issues confronting the region when he was at the helm of affairs. It said even though he was from the impoverished region and had by his own admission in numerous electioneering, experienced the utter poverty and abject neglect of the region foisted by successive Nigerian governments and the international oil companies since the discovery of oil in 1958 at Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, Dr Jonathan disappointingly frittered away the opportunity to rescue his people when the country’s presidency landed on his laps.