Miffed by the recent renewed comments of marginalisation by some Niger Delta activists, a pressure group, the political watchdog of Nigeria (POWAN), has described some of the agitators as self-seeking freedom fighters whose main concern is lining their pockets than bringing development to the region.
The group specifically lambasted the leader of Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF), Mujahid Asari Dokubo, for pretending to be fighting for the people of the region in the name of freedom fighters, while busy acquiring eye popping properties and building Universities in other Country.
President of POWAN, Comrade Curtis Ugbo in a statement weekend in Benin said prior to the presidency of former President Goodluck Jonathan, the agitation campaign for resource control was at its peak and was spear headed by the likes of Asari, Ledum Metee, Edwin Clark and others alike and wondered why when Jonathan became President, the self-styled activists immediately became spokespersons for the ex-president and “abandoned the struggle”
Ugbo stated: “Before Goodluck Ebele Jonathan became the President of Nigeria, the Niger Delta struggle was at the peak and resource control agitation was very high. The likes of Ankio Briggs, Asari Dokubo, Opunabo Nko’Tariah, Ledum Metee, Edwin Clark etc were always on Television telling Nigerians and the world how the South-South has been marginalised by the North and the West despite her oil. By divine and metaphysical error and act, Goodluck Jonathan from the South-South, became the president of Nigeria after President Umaru Yaradua’s death in 2010.
“His emergence came as a joyous daybreak to end our age-long marginalisation. There was a beacon light of hope for my region. Immediately, the Niger Delta struggle stumbled and died or gone comatose. The Niger Delta activists mentioned above became Jonathan’s spokespersons and abandoned the struggle. In 2011, Nigerians… Hausa,Yoruba, Igbo, Christians and muslims voted massively for Jonathan Ebele Goodluck. Thereafter, administrative thieves were appointed Ministers and head of federal institutions, convicted criminals received presidential pardon, militants were given contracts running into billions of Naira, impunity and corruption became the norm; all these and many more replaced the Niger Delta struggle for resource control.
“The need for constant electricity, portable water, good health facilities, good road network, massive manpower development went into oblivion. Even the recent Ogoni UNEP report that would have changed the lives of an average Ogoni man was not implemented by their regional brother-president which played a major role in the problem with Amaechi.
“Apart from Saro wiwa, Isaac Boro and others, who actually fought for the wellbeing of the people, they refused kickbacks and agitated for basic amenities for their people, but today struggle is glamour with thieves and they obtained money and embezzled it. Ijaw community have land but they rather prefer to build schools in Benin Republic.”
The group cautioned those who are being called upon to take up arms and go back to the creek to first of all demand accountability from the so called freedom fighters before embaking on such mission.
