72 hrs after issuing ultimatum, Osinbajo meets Niger Delta elders

Barely 72 hours after the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) issued an ultimatum of threatening to abandon the peace negotiation with the federal government, the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday hosted stakeholders from the region at the presidential villa in Abuja.

PANDEF leader, Chief Edwin Clark had on Monday accused the government of not showing sincerity in its dealing with the Niger Delta warning that the government had until November to meet the 16-point agenda presented by the group.

The in attendance were Edwin Clark, Ijaw leader; Alfred Diete-Spiff, a monarch; Victor Attah, a former governor; Timi Alaibe, former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC); Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, a former senator and Godknows Igali, former permanent secretary of the ministry of power.

Some of the demands of the group include; relocation of oil companies to the region, resource control and the establishment of Maritime University.

But a group known as the Niger Delta Peoples Congress (NDPC) had described the ultimatum given to the government as selfish and unpatriotic, “considering the right steps taken so far by the federal government”.

The threat to peace in the region may disrupt oil production which has relatively peaked.