Former freedom fighters in the Niger Delta have vowed to paralyze economic activities in the region if the Federal Government does not pay their two months outstanding stipend of N6,500 by Wednesday this week.
The ex-militants, who expressed anger that the Federal Government did not honour the deal they had before they accepted to handover their guns and accept the amnesty programme, said they were dying of honour and may be tempted to misbehave if things did not change.
They arose from their meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State with a resolve to block major roads in the Niger Delta states if their two months’ outstanding salaries were not paid by Wednesday.
The meeting was under the aegis of the Leadership Forum for Peace in the Niger Delta, which is the body for all the former freedom fighters.
Leader of the forum, General (Pastor) Reuben Wilson, told journalists after the meeting that the Federal Government should not blame anybody if the boys take over the roads at the expiration of the ultimatum because “a hungry man is an angry man.”
Those who attended the meeting came from all the nine Niger Delta states.
Wilson said efforts had been made to make the Federal Government see reasons with the boys and pay the allowances, which were approved for them by the former President Musa Yar’Adua.
He said: “During the meeting, the former freedom fighters recalled who came from all parts of the region were very specific as they expressed anger with the Federal Government over the non payment of their paltry allowance.
“I can tell you that there are many of them who cannot afford a meal for their wives and children. Some of them are not able to send their children to school. In fact, at the meeting, some of the boys were saying that the government should return their guns to them so that they can use them for hunting since the government had failed them.
“The message we are sending out is very clear, and that is to say that when the ultimatum expires, anything that happens, the government should blame itself. Members of the National Assembly should take steps on this. The Federal Government should move. The allowance we are talking about is not anything near what those of them I power use in a few minutes. It is not fair.”
Wilson said the ex-militants were not against the government of President Goodluck Jonathan and that if the president sought a re-election, they would support him.
He was however quick to add that there was the need for the government to honour the agreement reached on the empowerment of the former freedom fighters.
Ex-militants give FG ultimatum on stipends
