Buhari’s aides frustrating dialogue with Avengers, others – Monarchs

Some prominent elders and traditional rulers in Bayelsa State have alleged that some of the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari are frustrating the Federal Government’s proposed dialogue with the Niger Delta Avengers.

Though the elders and the monarchs commended President Buhari’s decision to lead the proposed dialogue, they expressed concern over the alleged show of deceit, insincerity and discordant tunes among the presidential aides from the region.

They claimed the development had created a huge doubt between the militant youths and the Federal Government.

The position of the concerned elders and monarchs, under the aegis of Bayelsa Elders for Progress, Peace and Good Governance, led by their Coordinator, Chief Ayibatonye Goodnews, and ‎the Secretary, Chief Lucky Ebifaghe, is contained in an open letter to the President.

They declared that the recent activities of key aides from the region such as the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, and the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.), were allegedly frustrating the peace efforts of the Federal Government.

They insisted that Buhari should investigate the genuiness of purported meetings held between Boroh and Kachikwu.

They wondered, “How can they claim to have met stakeholders and the militant attacks continue? They met some fake militants and stakeholders and wasted scarce resources of the Federal Government on jamboree.”

“The Amnesty boss, who claimed to have relocated to the creeks of the region was only sighted in a certain community holding clandestine meetings without solution to the continued bombing of the oil and gas facilities.

“Buhari should investigate the money expended on the jamboree without result. We insist that the Presidential Amnesty Office should be probed following the alleged meeting with fake Avengers.”

They contended that the lack of knowledge of the key issues of the region and wrong signals sent to the militants ‎in the creeks were frustrating the needed peace process.

They alleged that many of the purported stakeholders had made money from the self-created jamboree in the region, insisting that the genuine Niger Delta stakeholders should be consulted for sustainable peace in the region.