UNDEDSS urges Buhari to expedite action on Niger Delta crisis

A group, United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS), has said President Muhammadu Buhari understands what to do to resolve the crisis affecting the region but has allowed his government to be beset with too many petty rivalries.

In a statement issued after a meeting held in Warri yesterday, the Secretary-General of UNDEDSS, Mr. Tony Uranta said Buhari’s lackadaisical approach of embracing too many individuals jockeying for putative relevance, and too many party chieftains of Niger Delta origin who don’t have the interests of the region at heart, was a big drawback.

He said: “Other well-meaning Niger Delta citizens, interfacing with patriotic members of the President’s inner cabinet and intelligence chieftains, have drawn up a proposal that should be ‘win-win’ for all parties concerned.

“The proposal is before the President, the armed agitators in the creeks, the international community, including the UK and the USA and other interested Nigerians like the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka.”

Uranta noted that the proposal was hinged on four vital prerequisites, which are the affirmation by Mr. President that there was no change in policy regarding the need to commence matriculation of students this year in the National Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State; the rebirth of the Niger Delta Council, with its five relevant sub-committees of former President Umaru Yar’Adua’s 2009 template; the guarantee of safe passage for delegates to any dialogue locations, after all armed parties publicly agree to a 60-day armistice to be proposed by the government and the attendance of foreign observers including diplomats from the European Union (EU), Britain and America to be invited by Abuja.

UNDEDSS stressed that the proposal has been presented to President Buhari over four weeks ago, after many meetings between representatives of government and credible Niger Deltans representatives.