Some repentant Niger Delta agitators are planning a two million man protest march in Abuja against the Federal Government’s inability to religiously implement the amnesty programme and ensure that those who surrendered their weapons of war to embrace peace are properly integrated into the society and given sustained means of livelihood.
The former warlords, who met in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, on Thursday under the aegis of the Leadership Forum for Peace in the Niger Delta, were particularly angry that the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Orubebe, and the Presidential Adviser on Amnesty, Kingsley Kuku, for failing to address the development challenges of the Niger Delta region.
Among those at the meeting were the forum’s President, Gen. Reuben Wilson; a representative from Edo State, Gen. Okubo Robert; Gen. Tamuno Gospel (Rivers); Andabafa Opunamah (Delta); Amaechi Adibuo Duke (Imo); Otelo Mafimisebi (Ondo); and Nwaeze Adele (Abia).
Also present were Darikoro Alfred (Bayelsa), Nico Sintei (Akwa Ibom) and Ben Opodada.
The former warlords demanded the sack of the minister and the presidential adviser as they had failed the Niger Delta people.
They said although some of the former freedom fighters had been trained under the amnesty programme, virtually all of them remained jobless as the Federal Government or corporate organisations in the country were not willing to provide them with jobs.
According to them, there was the need for the Federal Government to properly empower the former militants in order to dissuade them from returning to their former ways in the creeks.
They believe that if Orubebe and Kuku had the interest of the region at heart, there would have been a tremendous improvement in the lives of the people.
The forum’s president, who spoke on the planned two million man march, said youths were already being mobilised to draw attention to the neglect of the people and the region.
He also spoke on the killings of Niger Delta people in the North by the Boko Haram sect and said the carnage was becoming unbearable.
He lamented the delay in the construction of the East-West Road, saying their leaders in government had failed to facilitate the completion of the road, just as he lamented the recent Dana plane crash and urged the Federal Government to be decisive in ensuring that the air and land were safe for travellers.