By Francis Sadhere
Niger Delta activist and the National Convener of the South South Reawakening Group, Mr. Joseph Ambakederimo has said that the Niger Delta issues cannot be resolved through violence, just as he also condemned the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
Mr. Ambakederimo said this on Monday in a Birthday Breakfast media chat with journalists in Warri to mark his 55th birthday celebration.
The Niger Delta activist who was responding to a question on the activities of militant groups in the region who have continued to attack oil installations said what the militant groups were doing in the region cannot bring about the needed peace and development in the area.
He challenged the NDA and other militant groups in the region to come out of their comfort zone and face the government in a roundtable discussion and stop hiding in the creeks.
He said the only way that peace can be achieved in the region was for the militants to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue where they could put all their cards on the table for discussion.
Mr. Ambakederimo who had condemned the way and manner the Federal Government had been dealing with militant groups in the region, however, called on President Mohammadu Buhari to deal decisively with any militant group in the region.
He implored President Buhari to treat the militants as criminals because according to him, the Nigerian constitution does not give anybody the right to carry arms excerpt the military.
While describing the Niger Delta militants as criminals, Mr. Ambakederimo urged the Federal Government to treat the militants as criminals and use all its military might and intelligence to crush them.
“The Federal Government should crush the so called Niger Delta Avengers because we know that most of them will not come out to talk. They (NDA) know that what they are doing is bad. What are they avenging? These pipelines they are destroying belong to all of us. This is not a time for people to be destroying their property under the guise that they are being cheated. We cannot achieve the needed peace and development by destroying our things,” he added.
Commenting on the corrupt activities of some of our leaders, the National Convener of the South South Reawakening Group noted that it was because the citizens have been docile for a very long time that was why the leaders have continued in their corrupt activities.
He stressed that the only way the country can get rid of corrupt leaders was for the citizens to hold their leaders accountable, lamenting that Nigerians were too silent and have allowed greedy leaders to continue to steal the nation’s assets to their detriment.
On the political position of the South/South in the administration of President Buhari, Mr Ambakederimo noted that the South/South region has been relegated to the background because of ethnic politics played during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He said the South/South needs urgent political reawakening if it wants to be relevant in the scheme of things in the polity of the country.
He said, “It is my profound opinion that we must prepare and begin now to position ourself to become the ‘beautiful bride,’ once again that must be courted by those who seek the number one position, and never again shall we be so dumb to repeat the mistake of the last dispensation.”
On his assessment of President Buhari’s administration, Mr Ambakederimo said the President was doing his best and urged all Nigerians to support the president, saying that though the country was passing through economic hardship, President Buhari was still making steady progress.
On the poor power supply in the country, Mr Ambakederimo blamed the current situation on corruption, noting that unless corruption in the sector was tackled, the power situation will continue to get worse.
He also blamed recent privatization of the power sector as one of the reasons why the country was still groping in darkness,claiming that the privatization of the power sector was hurriedly done without taking so many things into consideration.
