Niger Delta group, Meinbutus Federated Communities, has lampooned Itsekiri youth leader, Chief Ayiri Emami, over his call on President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari, to scrap the amnesty programme when he resumes office.
Emami had few week ago urged General Buhari to abolish the amnesty programme and channel its funds into the development of the Niger Delta region.
But reacting to the call on Tuesday, Meinbutus Federated Communities, one of the groups that championed the Niger Delta struggle, which gave rise to declaration of amnesty, faulted Emami’s claims that the programme was not a success.
It said the amnesty programme was responsible for massive increase in oil revenue in the country.
The group said Emami was a nobody when it comes to Niger Delta struggle.
It said as such he has no justification for calling for the scrapping of the amnesty programme, which was granted as a way of engendering peace in the region.
The group said it was mischievous and display of ethnic hatred against Ijaw people for Emami to allege that the Ijaws were the sole beneficiaries of the amnesty programme, adding that Itsekiris also benefited from the programme despite the fact that they were not part of the Niger Delta struggle.
According to the group, Emami was only promoted by the government of Delta State under the leadership of former Governor James Ibori and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to benefit from the efforts of those who fought for the Niger Delta people, adding that he is only reaping what he did not sow.
The group said Emami was not a Niger Delta activist as he often claims, but mere economic beneficiary of the struggle, which, according to them, he neither supported nor worked for.
They therefore called on Buhari to disregard him, saying he is a sycophantic character who lacks integrity and principles to discredit the amnesty programme.
The group said: “We call on President Elect, General Buhari to completely disregard the call by Ayiri to stop the amnesty programme as he (Ayiri) is inconsequential and not a factor in the Niger-Delta struggle. We know those who matters in the region.”
The statement said: “The attention of Meinbutus Federated communities, Warri, Delta State has been drawn to a publication in the Vanguard newspaper of April 29, 2015 and also published in several print and online media by Chief Ayiri Emami calling for the scrapping of the Presidential Amnesty programme in opposition to the call for the sustenance of the programme by the Ijaw Youth Council, Worldwide.
“The Meinbutus Federated communities as one of the foremost Niger-Delta organizations which started the Niger Delta struggle that culminated in the granting of amnesty to agitators is constrained to react to the statement by Ayiri Emami.”
The group said contrary to Emami’s assertion, the presidential amnesty programme has been a massive success to both government and communities of the Niger Delta region.
According to the group, besides the massive increase in oil revenue as a result of the programme, a lot of youths and ex-agitators who are beneficiary of the programme have been trained in different areas of specialization, both in Nigeria and abroad.
It stated that many of these youths would not have had the training opportunities if not because of the programme, adding that it was mischievous and a display of ethnic hatred for Emami to allege that the programme is only paying youths of one ethnic group in the Niger-Delta.
It said: “This is once again demonstrated Ayiri Emami’s hatred for the Ijaw people for obvious reasons. In the first place, the amnesty programme was designed for only ex-agitators in the Niger-Delta. It was not a programme for all comers.”
It recalled that prior to the declaration of amnesty for ex-agitators, Emami had called Niger-Delta agitators such as Tompolo, Tom Ateke and others terrorists and called for their arrest just like the way he is doing presently.
The statement added: “However, upon the declaration of amnesty and when Ayiri and his Itsekiri kinsmen saw the success of the programme, the Itsekiris under the umbrella of the Itsekiri National Youth Council (INYC) started agitating for inclusion of Itsekiri youths despite the fact that they were obviously not entitled to be included in the programme.
“President Jonathan in his usual magnanimity approved 500 (five hundred) slots for Itsekiri youths out of which about 100 are presently doing Masters and Doctorate degree in the United Kingdom.
“If the amnesty programme is stopped, who would pay the school fees of the Itsekiri beneficiaries in the UK? Would Ayiri pay for them or he wants all Itsekiri youths to be like him!
“We wish to state clearly that Ayiri Emami was neither an ex-militant nor a Niger-Delta activist as he claimed. If he was an ex-militant, we challenge him to name where his militant camp was when the Tompolo’s, Ateke, Boaloaf and others were in the trenches.
“He is also not a Niger-Delta activist, but a mere economic beneficiary of the Niger-Delta struggle which he neither supported nor worked for.
“He was only promoted by the government of Delta State under the leadership of James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan to benefit from the efforts of those who fought for the Niger-Delta people. He is only reaping what he did not sow.
“We call on President Elect, General Buhari to completely disregard the call by Ayiri to stop the amnesty programme as he (Ayiri) is inconsequential and not a factor in the Niger-Delta struggle. We know those who matters in the region.
“General Buhari must also be careful with sycophantic characters such as Ayiri who are nothing but friends of any government in Power (AGIP). It is on record that Ayiri Emami has been in the PDP for the past 16 years and one of the greatest beneficiaries of the PDP government in Delta State and supported the PDP in the presidential election.
“But the moment, PDP failed, he allegedly decamped to the APC. Such persons should be rejected by the APC, if the party must make genuine progress. They lack integrity and principle.”
The joint statement, which was issued in Warri, Delta State, was signed by Hon. Andabofa Namah (Olabrakonpre Community), Comrade Turbos Demeteide (Ogbokone Community), Christopher Portua (Bolou Ama Community), Denco Moni (Leader, Meinutus) and Charles Mokena.