Ijaw leader urges Buhari to rethink military deployment in Niger Delta

An Ijaw leader, Chief Bare Etolor, has appealed to President

Muhammadu Buhari to retrace his steps of deploying the military to the

Niger Delta, insisting that military option will not solve the present

crisis, rather it will escalate it.

Etohor, who is the incumbent Chairman, Izon Okosu-Oku (Izon Council of

Elders) Delta State, further opined that Buhari should realise that he

is the president of the whole country and as such, should not do

anything that will further heat the polity.

The Ijaw leader who stated this in a press statement made available to

Journalists, on Tuesday, in Asaba, further urged the president to have a

change of heart now that all parties involved in the crisis have

agreed to dialogue.

He frowned at Chief Edwin Clark involvement in the negotiation team,

adding that “the militants should have known that the inclusion of the

ex-minister of information in the matter may either stop, delay or

bring negative results to the Niger Delta Region”.

He, therefore advised MEND, Niger Delta Avengers and other ethnic

militant groups to nominate new leaders who have no political

inclination as well as foreigners and human right groups to the

negotiation table, “because President Buhari’s strong principles,

integrity and courage cannot allow him to meet with any group led by

Chief Clark who claim to be the Father of ex-President Goodluck

Jonathan.

“Those elders in the region who are struggling to represent the

militants for negotiation with Federal Government is laughable: Sadly,

they did not remember that Niger Delta Development is a continuous

task that must be done by every government, including former President

Jonathan’s tenure”, stressed Chief Etolor.He contended that Chief

Clark was silent on the development of the region throughout the six

years Jonathan ruled who he claimed to be his son adding, “He cannot

suddenly wake up less than 18 months into new region to convince

President Buhari to start immediate development of the region”.