A FRESH opportunity to stop the violence in the Niger Delta apparently emerged yesterday with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) releasing the names of those who would represent the group at peace talks with the Federal Government.
MEND disclosed its latest position barely four days to the expiration of the Federal Government's amnesty on October 4. But MEND has emphatically declared that it will not accept the deadline until the root causes of militancy and agitation in the Niger Delta are addressed by the government.
The team of eminent persons whom MEND described as the Aaron Team include former Chief of General Staff, Vice Admiral Okhai Mike Akhigbe (rtd), Prof. Wole Soyinka, Maj.-Gen. Luke Kakadu Aprezi (rtd) and Prof. Sabella Ogbobode Abidde. MEND has also nominated Annkio Briggs to liaise on behalf of the group with the team.
Yesterday, The Guardian contacted Soyinka, Abidde and Briggs who confirmed that they are on the MEND's list of negotiators. Akhigbe who is expected to be the leader of the team was said to be out of the country as at yesterday.
MEND's spokesperson, Jomo Gbomo, said that these eminent Nigerians had graciously accepted to dialogue on their behalf with the Federal Government, "whenever the government realises the need to adopt serious, meaningful dialogue as a means to halting the violent agitation in the Niger Delta."
MEND said that the Akhigbe-led team would have the mandate to oversee a transparent and proper disarmament that conforms with international standards as the current disarmament is flawed and lacks integrity.
"The hope for peace in the Niger Delta and Nigeria in general now rests squarely on the shoulders of the Nigerian government," MEND said.
In an online interview with The Guardian, Gbomo said: "MEND will not heed the October 4 deadline to disarm. This we have stated categorically in our recent (yesterday) statement announcing the MEND's Aaron Team. We are looking beyond the 4th of October because we do not even recognise the deadline in the first place."
He continued: "We are not expecting the government to extend its deadline out of pride and fear of being seen as weak. When our ceasefire ends and the government is still not willing to talk now that we have mediators, then we will do what we do best to force them to negotiate the future of the Niger Delta."
Gbomo accused the government of not showing willingness to dialogue with MEND. According to him, the government has instead continued to make what he described as "wild unrealistic threats, purchase more useless military hardware, and dole out bribes to traitors to our noble cause as has been obvious in its so-called disarmament process.
"Those that hide under the cloak of government to perpetrate the injustice and rape against the Niger Delta have realised we cannot be compromised and that is a major concern to them. But we are confident that at the right time they will be the ones seeking out the Aaron Team to save Nigeria from destruction," he said.
Besides, the Ijaw National Congress (INC) has advised the Federal Government to tackle the core issues that led to the emergence of militants groups in the Niger Delta and stop treating the amnesty offer as an end in itself.
INC spokesperson, Victor Burubo, told The Guardian yesterday that the government should be concerned about the reason some of the key militants are still reluctant to embrace the amnesty.
He said: "The amnesty itself, is a contraption of government. It was not a bilaterally agreed matter. It was government that said we are granting amnesty and of course there was a threat of military attack on anyone that does not accept amnesty. The amnesty is not the solution."
The INC said "we are accepting it cautiously as a means to an end. The government is treating it as if it is an end."
He continued: "As long as you do not remove politics from what you are doing, the result will constantly be the same. Right now, there are a lot of factors that have come into play that should not have been the case. If they remove politics from this deal, we will begin to see results."
Soyinka said in a terse response to The Guardian e-mail inquiry: "All that I consider appropriate to say, at this stage is: Yes, I was
contacted, and I agreed to serve in the capacity of Observer."
Abidde who is in the United States (U.S.) replied: "Yes, MEND, indeed solicited my inclusion in the Aaron Team of negotiators; and it is my hope that the wellbeing of the people of the Niger Delta and of all Nigerians will be paramount."
Briggs said on her part: "Yes, it is true I saw the confirmation of my nomination by MEND online."
On whether MEND gave the Aaron Team any guidelines when they eventually meet the Federal Government, Briggs said: "My role is very clear to me".
And to the question on what she hopes for from the talks, she said: "Honesty, transparency, and justice."
Tony Uranta, who also travelled outside the country last week, said that as the Secretary-General of the United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy (UNDEDSS) he helped to confirm the acceptance of all five members before MEND issued their statement yesterday. "I personally got the confirmation of their readiness to serve from Prof. Soyinka, Admiral Akhigbe, Gen. Aprezi, Dr. Abidde and Ms Briggs before and after the Aaron Team was announced.
"We seize this opportunity of The Guardian reaching out to us to call on the Federal Government of Nigeria to seize the time and promptly invite this Aaron Team to meet with government, in a bid to speedily resolve the Niger Delta impasse and avoid any further economic or social pains being inflicted on the longsuffering people of the cheated region."
By Onajomo Orere (Lagos) and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt)
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