Enahoro, Soyinka To Intervene In Niger Delta

Anthony Enahoro

Following the frightening death toll of innocent civilians in the latest cross fire between government troops and Niger Delta militants, which obviously betrayed the inability of government to amicably resolve the region’s crisis, the Advocacy Team of the Peoples’ National Conference is now set to meet with militant groups in the Niger Delta especially those fighting on the side of principle.

This disclosure was made on Wednesday in Lagos by PRONACO Spokesperson, Mr Olawale Okunniyi. “The Advocacy team of the Peoples’ National Conference is deeply worried at the death toll of defenseless citizens caught in the cross fire of the renewed armed fighting between government forces and militia in Port Harcourt and may have to consider setting up  a strategic engagement with self determination groups in the Niger Delta in curbing the dangerous trend” The PRONACO Scribe stated

Okunniyi said the strategic engagement is targeted at warding off a scenario where the Niger Delta struggle will be forced into criminality and discredited by contrived activities of agent provocateurs and fifth columnists. Therefore the Advocacy intervention is designed to be facilitated by Chief Anthony Enahoro and Prof Wole Soyinka who had earlier carried out assessment work in the Niger Delta under the auspices of concerned Nobel Laureates. 

“This latest intervention, which is situated within the context of the PNC ongoing advocacy for a just and stable federation, will help to redefine the Niger Delta struggle and expose agent provocateurs and fifth columnists currently operating in the region as increasing casualty on the part of unarmed Nigerians is unacceptable to us,” Okunniyi informed

The body also averred that the renewed armed fighting between government forces and the Niger Delta militia is a clear indication that government, being a party in the Niger Delta crisis, cannot resolve the conflict amicably without degenerating into mayhem and bloodshed. “Therefore what the Niger Delta crisis requires, at this stage, is not government direct engagement but the trusted credible intervention of an independent conflict resolution process anchored by respected national leaders,” Okunniyi advised

The statement however, informed that a list of self-determination militants in the region to be engaged by the PNC Advocacy Team is already being compiled as the strategic intervention is proposed to coincide with the advocacy briefing of Heads of Delegations to the Peoples’ National Conference holding early next month at a venue in southern Nigeria.

Okunniyi further disclosed that the PNC Advocacy Team is expected to dispatch lobbyists to the next UN convention on indigenous people and self-determination in furtherance of its international advocacy for true federalism and peoples’ democracy in Nigeria.