N’Delta Crisis: Ijaw Youths Blast FG, Urge Buhari to Show Leadership

Bayelsa elders accuse politicians of frustrating peace efforts

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), worldwide yesterday criticised the federal government over its alleged inconsistency in the handling of the ongoing Niger Delta crisis. The IYC was reacting to comments by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, that the government was not interested in talking to the militants, who have recently vowed to cripple Nigeria’s economy which is largely dependent on oil revenues. Osinbajo was quoted as saying during an event in Akure, Ondo state, that “the so called avengers are not freedom fighters but fighting for their own economic benefits”. He added, “They are avenging for their private pocket and that is why government is not talking with them.” But in a statement by the IYC Spokesman, Eric Omare, yesterday, the group urged Nigeria to be consistent in its bid to resolve the problem of renewed militancy in the Niger Delta region. “The federal government in the past week has displayed obvious inconsistencies and lack of commitment towards finding a solution to the renewed hostilities.“It would be recalled that recently President Buhari while meeting with some political and religious leaders pleaded with militants to give peace a chance and in another occasion said that the federal government was in the process of identifying the leaders of the different militant groups with a view to dialogue with them. “Also, a few days ago, the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Abdullahi Muhammadu told Nigerians that the issue of militancy would soon be a thing of the past as government was already discussing with the militants. “However, it shows obvious contradiction and lack of commitment for Vice President Osinbajo to state on Friday, July 8, 2016 at Akure that the federal government is not discussing with the militants because they are economic saboteurs and not freedom fighters”, the IYC noted. It decried the discordant tunes concerning the treatment of the issues thrown up by the crisis, arguing that the federal government was not serious about solving the problems. “The IYC is constrained to ask; what is the correct position of the federal government on efforts at resolving the current hostilities in the Niger Delta? Is the federal government of Nigeria a boat without a captain for different officers of government to take different position on same issue? “These contradictions clearly show that the federal government lacks any commitment towards resolving the current hostilities in the Niger Delta region”, it said. The group alleged that the two-week ceasefire that was earlier declared seemed to be a smokescreen to create the impression that government was committed to resolving the issues through dialogue. “The IYC wishes to state for the umpteenth time that for there to be any meaningful resolution of the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta, President Buhari, like his predecessors must provide leadership.”