By Francis Sadhere
Ex-militant leader, Commander Oduku Bibi recently drummed support for the incoming administration of the President-Elect, Mohammadu Buhari, noting that Buhari will tackle the issues of underdevelopment, sea piracy, environment degradation, youth unemployment and other problems facing the region.
Speaking at an enlarged meeting comprising ex-militant commanders and other Niger Delta Youths from the nine states of the region, held at Farm Kitchen, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, Commander Bibi also warned youths of the region not to allow themselves be deceived by unscrupulous leaders in the region to go back to the creeks.
Bibi lamented that some individuals who call themselves leaders and godfathers in the region have hijacked what rightfully belonged to the youths and freedom fighters for their own personal gains, assuring the youths that the incoming administration of Buhari will not tolerate any act of terrorism, corruption, godfatherism and action capable of disrupting the peace of the region.
The ex-freedom fighter said: I Commander Bibi Oduku and all under my command, will work in line with the roadmap plan of the incoming administration under General Mohammadu Buhari, to effectively and efficiently pilot the affairs of the Niger Delta to the general benefit of every youth and freedom fighter in the region.
While noting that the region had lost a lot of innocent lives during the era of the Niger Delta struggle, Bibi said the acceptance of amnesty without properly thinking about the benefits to the entire people of the region was a shame to the region as only a few people are enjoying the benefits to the detriment of other people in the region.
We have lost our innocent brothers and sisters to the struggle. Our bad leaders accepted amnesty without any proper agreement. Amnesty is a shame to the entire Niger Delta region. We are one of the richest regions in the world yet our people are living in poverty an suffering. My fight is for a better Niger Delta. It is our bad leaders that have brought us to this situation. Our leaders have failed us and we are going to go against all of them. Let us embrace peace. I will never relent in giving a better deal to my people. We should reach out to our poor people in the villages. We want to project the region forward, Bibi said.
However, Bibi warned his followers not to use his name to exploit anybody, stressing that anyone found doing that will be made to face the full wrath of the law as he does not want any criminal name to be associated with the group, urging all to support the government of day (APC) so as to bring lasting peace and development to the region.
