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Tag: Niger Delta region.

  • CDS inaugurates Naval War College in Rivers

    CDS inaugurates Naval War College in Rivers

    In its bid to tackle insecurity in Rivers state and in Niger Delta region, the Nigerian Navy on Wednesday inaugurated Naval War College in Ubima, Ikwerre LGA of Rivers.

    The Chief of Defence Staff, Lt.-Gen. Gabriel Olonishakin, who inaugurated the college, said the facility was temporal.

    He said the college is equipped with state-of-the-art security facility for effective combating of crime in the Niger Delta region and the nation at large.

    “The Navy has relentlessly engaged in massive overhaul of operation support structure, fleet recapitalisation and decency priority.

    “The college will improve both physical and mental proficiency of troops to deal effectively on both land and marine operations across the country,” he said.

    Also speaking, the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Ibok-Ete Ibas, described the college as the “highest and most advanced naval training centre’’ in the country.

    He said that aside military equipment; the college had accommodation, medical space and lecture halls, among others.

    “Naval staff would be trained in essential components of naval operations as obtainable in other top naval forces which have committed enormous resources to training.

    “The war college will improve the effectiveness of the Nigerian Navy while expanding knowledge, confidence and operation,” he said.

    Ibas commended President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Transport Chibuike Amaechi and Gov. Nyesom Wike for providing logistic support for the establishment of the college.

  • Buhari’s committed to N/Delta development, says Olu of Warri

    Buhari’s committed to N/Delta development, says Olu of Warri

    Olu of Warri, Godfery Ikenwoli Emiko has said that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is serious and committed to the development of Niger Delta region.

    He made the remark while speaking with State House correspondents after paying a courtesy visit on Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was in the Villa to express gratitude to the government on the proposed modular refineries and the commencement of academic activities at the Maritime University.

    He said: “The federal government is doing everything possible, yes, they have been promising but this time around we are seeing signs of seriousness. For instance the Export Processing Zone, EPZ project started by Jonathan, he did the ground breaking but since then, nothing happened. But since the recent visits of the Vice President, we have seen seriousness.

    “For sometime now there has been peace in the Niger-Delta area because the people have seen seriousness in the government. So if the government keeps up the pace, there will be more peace it will be better for everybody. More oil will be produced and there will be more money, development will come to the Niger-Delta area. We will support them in achieving that,” he said.

     

  • Okowa hails Buhari Presidency over peace in Niger Delta

    Okowa hails Buhari Presidency over peace in Niger Delta

    Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa on Friday hailed President Muhammadu Buhari’s government for the current peace in the Niger Delta region.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said “If you find out in the past few months there has been peace in Delta state so I wanted to appreciate his visit to Delta state because that definitely helped us in the peace process.”

    Speaking further on the Niger Delta, he said “Definitely it’s very peaceful and we will continue to consolidate on the peace.”

    He also commended the Senate for the Maritime university Okerenkoko bill that passed third reading in the Upper legislative chamber.

    “Just Friday the bill for the Maritime University Okerenkoko passed third reading at the Senate that is definitely a very strong plus for us.

    “We are also aware that a committee has been set up led by the Minister of Education, my Deputy Governor is part of the committee to work out the processes to enable the Maritime university take off in October. It’s a step in the right direction so I came to appreciate him and to discuss some other issues with him.” he said

    On the progress on the Modular refineries, he said “I think the process are being put in place, you realise that the President has talked a lot about it and I believe the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and the NNPC have been working in that direction.

    “You know it’s not something that you can just bring up all in one day or in one month, I believe that the processes are being put in place to ensure that we have some of them in some of our communities in the creeks and in the Niger Delta generally,” he said.

  • NOA, Amnesty office partner to promote agri-business in Niger Delta

    NOA, Amnesty office partner to promote agri-business in Niger Delta

    The National Orientation Agency (NOA) and Amnesty Office in the Presidency have entered into a strategic partnership to promote agriculture and allied businesses among former militants in the Niger Delta region.

    The NOA Director General, Dr Garba Abari, and the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty, retired Brig.–Gen. Paul Boroh, formalised the partnership at a meeting in Abuja.

    Abari said that the partnership was aimed at developing the new Federal Government policy of strategic engagement with the leaders and people of the region.

    He said that the project would result in increased federal revenue as well as ensure peace in the region.

    He encouraged the Amnesty Office to sustain its work in the region in order to achieve the Federal Government’s developmental goals in the region.

    According to him, the Amnesty Office must ensure the inclusion of youths in the region’s development plan for sustainability.

    “I encourage you to ensure the social inclusion of youths in the region because they have the advantage of age, strength, education and population.

    “About 67 per cent of our population is below the age of 35 years and every effort must be made to factor the youth into the national development policy.

    “NOA is willing to partner in the task of creating awareness on agriculture in the region because it has began a programme of promoting the “Eat What You Grow and Grow What You Eat” campaign,’’ Abari said.

    Earlier, Boroh said the Amnesty Office was focusing attention on the agricultural potential of the region.

    According to him, the partnership with NOA is designed to make agriculture an occupation of choice for the people of the area.

    He said that the Amnesty office would initiate other partnerships with other stakeholders, including the Ministry of Environment, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and NNPC, among others.

  • Troops recover cache of arms, ammunition in N’Delta

    Troops recover cache of arms, ammunition in N’Delta

    Troops of Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe (ODS), have arrested 10 suspected militants terrorizing various creeks in the Niger Delta region.

    The troops were said to have intercepted and recovered cache of arms and ammunition in one of their operations in Cross River State, that led to the arrest of the militants.

    The new Commander, ODS, Rear Admiral Apochi Suleiman, said that in the Cross River operation, troops of Sector 4 acting promptly on a tip-off  intercepted a gang of militants robbing innocent traders around Ikang axis.

    The victims were said to be conveying bags of rice from Cameroon in wooden boats when two flying boats of militants armed with sophisticated weapons ambushed them.

    But the troops reportedly stormed the area, isolated the eight-man gang of militants and engaged them in a gun battle that lasted over 15 minutes.

    While seven of the militants were said to have escaped with various degrees of bullet wounds, one of the hoodlums identified as Mr. Kingsley Effiong Essien, was arrested.

    It was gathered that a General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) was mounted in one of the flying boats used by the militants.

    Suleiman listed items, arms and ammunition recovered from the militants as two speed boats, two General Purpose Machine Gun, 200 Horsepower boat Engine (HP), two 150 Horsepower boat Engine, one 75 HP Engine boat and one small wooden boat mounted with 9.9 HP Engine.

    Others are three AK47 magazines, 306 rounds of GPMG 7.62 millimeter (mm), Browning  Machine Gun (BMG) ammunition, one round of 12.7 millimeter BMG feeding tray, three empty ammunition boxes, one dagger knife, empty cases and links.

    Also recovered were six touch light, seven tins of magi, two school bags, three tecno handsets, one Nokia handset, two Etisalat sim cards, two Airtel lines, one memory cards and charms.

    Four military camouflage jackets, one Nigerian Navy head warmer, Camel bag (water bottle), four big raps of Indian hemp, packets of condoms and 12.7 millimeters BMG rounds and accessories, were further seized from the militants.

    It was further learnt that the troops raided militant shrine at Ube Okobo in Akwa Ibom State owned by a notorious militant leader.

    Though the militant leader was said to be on the run, the troops arrested six fleeing suspected militants.

    Also, troops raided militant camp at Bilabiri community following a tip-off and nabbed four suspected militant.

    Suleiman said since he assumed the command of ODS on November 16, his determination to sustain and improve on the pace introduced by his predecessor, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, yielded successes.

    He said the ODS would continue to live up to its mandates of protecting oil and gas infrastructure and preventing militancy, sea robber, crude oil theft and other forms of criminal activities in Bayelsa, Rivers, Ondo, Akwa Ibom and Cross Rivers states.

    “ODS is primarily here to protect and preserve national oil and gas installations.  But I must also warn that criminals will have no hiding place in the region.  Few disgruntled elements will no longer be allowed to hold this nation to ransom”, he said.

    He said the security and economic challenges in the country required concerted efforts of everybody including the press.

    He appealed to the journalists not to fall into the traps of helping the militants and other criminals to propagate their nefarious activities.

    Suleiman insisted that the media had a major role to play in the war against militancy following their closeness to members of the public.

    He also thanked members of the public for their cooperation in providing timely information to the troops and assured them of their safety.

    “Operation Delta Safe will continue to ensure the sanity of the Niger Delta region even in this Yuletide season”, he said.

  • Navy plans fresh strategies to counter militancy

    Navy plans fresh strategies to counter militancy

    The Nigerian Navy has formulated fresh strategies to flush out militants from the Niger Delta region and end ongoing attacks on oil installations.

    It was gathered that the strategies when fully implemented would enable the navy through their formations in the region to gather intelligence on planned attacks and stop their execution.

    The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral, Ibok-Ete Ibas, and his team of senior officers were in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Monday, to tour formations of the Central Naval Command (CNC) in preparation to roll out the new order.

    Ibas in company with the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), CNC, Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba and unit commanders of CNC assessed military hardwares and the readiness of the command to tackle security challenges in its Areas of Responsibility (AoR).

    Ibas spent time to evaluate equipment at the Nigerian Naval Ship (NNS) SOROH; naval gunboats at the Government House jetty and later received briefs on challenges facing the CNC.

    He further went to the Brass Island where he was conducted round the naval installations at a major command base of the CNC, the Forward Operational Base, FORMOSO.

    Ibas, who paid a courtesy visit to the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, said the tour was aimed at getting all the formations in the region ready to professionally and effectively key into the strategies of riding the region of criminally and militancy.

    As part of the fresh strategies he said the navy identified all the flash points in the region and was creating mobile stations to stop illegal activities of criminals and militants.

    He said more areas had been identified along the waterways for the establishment of checkpoints and naval security posts.

    He said: “The Navy came into the state about five years ago. I am also aware that the presence of the Navy has changed the maritime security landscape of the state and indeed the Niger Delta area in fighting maritime crime which is of concern to all well-meaning Nigerians.

    “I want to assure you that the Nigerian Navy together with our sister security agencies will do all within our powers to ensure that we create an enabling environment that will allow for legitimate use of maritime space.

    “I wish to use this forum to commend the state for its logistics support to the Navy. We have expanded our bases and units now to create mobile stations which enable us to be closer to the people and to tackle maritime crimes. We are also in the process of creating additional checkpoints to cover flash points in the region.”

    Ibas said he was able to appraise and evaluate the security architecture on ground adding that the Navy had enhanced its operational capacity by acquiring more gunboats that had been allocated to various units.

    He also said that the Navy had been able to put in place, infrastructure to support its operations in various bases and units.

    He said the navy conducted training both locally and abroad to prepare the personnel to be able to man the various equipment in place.

    He said: “We are hoping that when we put all these together, the Navy is going to be more proactive in delivery of services and with the various exercises we are conducting,  we will be able to rid Bayelsa State and the maritime environment of the criminal elements in the region”.

    He commended Dickson, who was represented by his Deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) for his support to the CNC and congratulated him on his electoral victory at the Supreme Court.

    He disclosed that the governor provided 100 hectares of land for the navy to build a permanent site for NNS SOROH.

    Ibas further said the navy was planning to establish its welfare school in the state to contribute to learning and strengthen military-civilian relationship in the state.

    But the naval chief appealed to the governor and other governors in the region to play their roles in ensuring peace in the Niger Delta region.

    Addressing the governor, he said: “The responsibility lies on those of you in government and security agencies.

    “While we commend you for your support, we are also asking you to appeal to Bayelsans to maintain the peace. Tell your people that development cannot come without security”.

    Responding, Dickson said his government was always determined to rid the state of criminal elements.

    He said his government was anchored on zero tolerance for crime and criminality.

    He said: “For Bayelsa State to be secured,  the waterways must be secured. That does not mean that we will leave the land.  We know that people go to river to harvest for land use.

    “But the area of harvest is where the contest is now and the national establishment that has the responsibility, resources and training to do that for the country is the Navy.

    “So, the Nigerian Navy needs the encouragement from all of us to ensure that the riverside areas and maritime environment are safe.

    “If we continue to collaborate more with sister security services, consistent with availability of logistics to carry out operations,  we are going to have a very peaceful Christmas. Again, even after Christmas,  we are going to sustain operations.”

    He appealed to the Naval authorities to create more of those mobile stations in the state, insisting that Bayelsa is “more riverine than Rivers State and more delta than Delta State”.

    Dickson said that his belief was hinged on the fact that if the security agencies and the relevant authorities continued in the same spirit, the state and the region would be rid of criminals.

  • NBA expresses concern over Niger/Delta, North East crisis

    NBA expresses concern over Niger/Delta, North East crisis

    …Inaugurates groups to aid FG’s efforts

     

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has expressed concern over the destructive activities of militants in the Niger Delta region and Boko Haram in the North Eastern part of the country.

    As its contribution to Federal Government’s efforts to curb the crises, the NBA yesterday inaugurated two task forces to work in both regions of the country.

    Speaking while inaugurating the task forces Monday, NBA President, Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) noted that the twin challenges of insurgency and militancy in the North East and Niger Delta constituted a threat to national security.

    Mahmoud said the country has suffered from insecurity as a result of the activities of insurgents and militants.

    “Although the 1999 constitution provides that the security, protection of life and property is the primary duty of the government, the Bar and the general public have roles to play in tackling the security problems in Nigeria. Let me also commend the commitment and political will exhibited by the Buhari Administration in the fight against insurgency in the North East.

    “We have in the last year and half seen the liberation of most of the areas previously held by the insurgents and the restoration, to a large extent, of normalcy in the region.  Earlier this month Nigerians were delighted to receive the heart-warming news of the release of 21 out of the 219 Chibok school girls held in captivity for more than two years”.

    Mahmoud equally commended the military and security agencies for the success achieved.

    ‎”The NBA has reviewed the state of affairs in the North East region of Nigeria, especially the severe security problems confronting our members in particular and innocent citizens in general. In the last 12 months, I have visited the IDPS in Maiduguri 3 times the last being a campaign tour in my quest to occupy this office.

    “I recall during our last visit, some of my colleagues on the campaign broke down in tears on sighting the hundreds of malnourished children who were orphaned in the camps.

    “It is also worthy of mention that the insurgency in the North East has affected the independence of the legal profession and the welfare of our members.

    “Legal practice in North Eastern Nigeria has been largely disrupted as a result of the insurgency in the region. Our noble colleagues in that part of the country are besieged and endangered.

    “There are even many of our members from other parts of Nigeria who have lived and practiced in North Eastern Nigeria for years. Some even married and settled there. But as I speak most of our members have not only lost their practice as professionals, but have also lost their livelihoods and physical wellbeing.

    “Even some of our members are regarded as insurgents and threatened with prosecution. Also judicial officers are loathe to adjudicate on certain types of cases in the absence of adequate protection of their lives and families. This is the situation in which our members have found themselves in the North East of Nigeria”, Mahmoud said.

    On the trouble in the Niger Delta, Mahmoud said: “the devastating impact of the conflict on the various communities and citizens living in the region. It is clear that the environmental destruction and the human suffering and the general impact on the national economy are huge.

    “We believe that there is need to inculcate law into the development plans and objectives for the Niger Delta region. We consider law to be crucial to unlocking the potential key areas in the Niger Delta. Law can be applied to the framework for maritime and coastal security, ocean governance, trade, natural resources development, peace and conflict resolution initiatives.

    “It is our hope too that we can make our services available to address any possible negotiations between the various communities and actions in the region aimed and at achieving resolution of the conflicts”.

    Members of the task force for the North East are, Prof. Mohammed M. Tabiu – SAN – (as Chairman), Prof. Ayo Atsenuwa – Alternate Chair, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, Rakiya Mukhtar Tofa,  Altine Ibrahim, Hafsatu Mohammed and Hassan Maidoki.

    Others are Lauretta Adaeze,  Hauwa Shekarau, Amina Ibrahim, Ronke Ige, Alfa Ibrahim, Isa Muhammad Nurudeen and Kunle Adegoke.

    Members of the task force on Niger Delta are;  Albert Akpomudge, SAN – (as Chairman),  Ledum Mitee Esq (as  Alternate Chairman), Mia Essien (SAN),  Mba Ukweni, SAN,  Q. E. B. Offiong (SAN), Charles Ajuwa (SAN) and Sosoprieye Long Williams.

    Others are Kelvin Ejelonu, Muyiwa Olowokure, Sagir Gazawa,Mrs. Lillian Ene Ogar , Nkiruka Maduekwe, and Alex Mouka Esq.

     

  • Ijaw youths to militants:  Give Buhari a chance

    Ijaw youths to militants:  Give Buhari a chance

    …Youths hail President for seeking more funds for amnesty office
    Ijaw youths, Wednesday, urged militants operating in the Niger Delta region to sheathe their swords and allow President Muhammadu Buhari to implement his developmental projects in the region.

    The youths under the aegis of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, said they were excited at the recent letter the President sent to the National Assembly seeking more funding for the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

    Speaking in Yenagoa, the state capital, the President of IYC, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, said the request for more funds for the Amnesty Office portrayed Buhari a listening President.

    Eradiri said though the action of the President came later than expected, it would go a long way to calm the frayed nerves in the region adding that it was in conformity with the position of IYC.

    He advised the President to show similar commitment in improving the lots of other institutions created to develop the region such as the Niger Delta Ministry and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    He said: “The President just sent a letter to the National Assembly requesting for more funds especially to support the amnesty programme. The breakdown of law and order in the Niger Delta is largely attributed to shortage of funding to the office.

    “We want to commend Mr. President and thank him because once we have this kind of commitment, Niger Delta question will be resolved. We look forward to doing everything possible on our part to ensure that there is peace.

    “We are appealing to the President to in the same spirits look into the Niger Delta Ministry as well as funds that are owed NDDC”.

    Eradiri further asked the President to activate his anti-corruption drive in the monitoring and tracking funds allocated to Niger Delta interventionist agencies.

    Apart from ensuring discipline in the usage of allocated funds, he said Buhari should ensure that the funds were managed by people who understood the issues and problems in the region.

    He said: “We want to also state that while approving funds to institutions like this, the anti-corruption drive must be activated to ensure that the institutions live up to expectation to ensure that funds are not diverted.

    “Those in the position to manage the amnesty office and other institutions addressing the issues of the region must be people who have knowledge of the issues. If he doesn’t have the right people to address the issues, even the funding will be misplaced”.

    While asking militants to give the president a chance, he said: “Yes, the militants should give the government a chance. But the government needs to be proactive and not falling into this stereotype attitude.

    “The President may be doing the right thing but when there is delay, his body language may be misinterpreted. Like if this current step of the President had come earlier and other steps we expect like pronouncing the resumption of the maritime university, l don’t see any sane agitator going against him.

    “The President has taken an action. But did we have to lose all these lives, economy and all the constraints and emotional crisis before such a letter should be transmitted.

    “Sometimes when you do something late, it has repercussions. If the actions Mr. President is taking now had been taken earlier, we wouldn’t have gotten to this point where the economy will be lying prostrate. We need more proaactive steps from the President”.

    To ensure general peace in the country, Eradiri further advised the President to extend Olive branches to other parts of the country and ethnic nationalities causing distractions for him.

    He suggested that Buhari should look into the issues of the detained Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Shia Muslim cleric, Ibrahim Zakzaky to ensure total reconciliation and peace in the country.

    “We want to commend Mr.President for the bold steps; he should extend it to other parts of the country. He should make decision that will bring everybody to the roundtable.

    “The issue of El Zakzaky, the IPOB leader and other issues that are creating more divisions and distractions for the President should be looked into in the spirits of reconciliation.

    “He had negotiated with Book Haram. He is negotiating with the Niger Delta. He should extend the Olive branch to other facets of the polity creating distractions for him. We desire him to succeed because if he does, Nigeria will succeed. If he fails, all of us will fail”, he said.

  • Ex-Militants to Amnesty Coordinator: Stop bribing NASS members

    Ex-Militants to Amnesty Coordinator: Stop bribing NASS members

    Some ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region currently enrolled in the Presidential Amnesty Programme on Tuesday raised the alarm on a coordinated scheme by the leadership of the Programme to use huge sums of money from the Amnesty Office accounts to settle  members of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta.

    The Senate Committee is currently conducting investigative hearing on the Programme.

    The ex-militants decided to raise the alarm as leaders and critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta led by a former Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Ckark, are billed to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, October 31,

    Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the Amnesty Programme’s beneficiaries, who spoke under the aegis of the forum of Truly Transformed former Niger Delta Agitators (TTNDA), swore to drag the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) if he persists in the plot to use favoured contractors to move large sums of money out of the account of the Amnesty Office towards sharing the money to members of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta.

    The National President of the forum, Preye Bosco Amasoma said: “Out of respect for President Muhammadu Buhari, who we believe means well for Nigerians, including Niger Deltans, we have been tolerating the shortcomings of the current Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen Paul Boroh (rtd); we have been tolerating his incompetence but we will not accept this extremely corrupt scheme that he is hatching using the name of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta,”

    “Very reliable and courageous staff of the Amnesty Office have informed us and have even shown us series of documents, including vouchers of urgent and sudden payments to some contractors being used for this scheme.

    “These contractors are in turn placed under immense pressure to pull out the money to help Boroh settle members of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta led by Senator Peter Nwoboshi,” the National President of TTNDA alleged.

    The group also said that they were compelled to speak out given the reluctance or inability of the Buhari administration to discipline the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in spite of the plethora of administrative and financial maleficence that have been linked to him.

    He said: “For a man who has not paid us our monthly stipend for four months and has not paid delegates in training centres across the country for several months, to be using contractors to pile up money for himself and some so-called Senators, is a shame and the EFCC and President Buhari himself will hear this matter. This is the era of total war against corruption and there must be no sacred cow.

    “Any time we ask for our money, all they tell us is that the Amnesty Office is under immense pressure from the Senate Committee on Niger Delta and that all the available money is going into settling the members of this committee. Is this fair, especially this season that President Buhari has launched a full-blown war against corruption?

    “If the President does not put a stop to the thieving currently going on at the Amnesty Office under his aide, Paul Boroh, we will consider taking to the streets of Abuja in protest,” Bosco Amasoma, who was flanked by several members of his group, said at the Press Conference in Gwarimpa, Abuja.

    The Senate Committee on Niger Delta, which is currently conducting investigative hearing on the Amnesty Programme, held a public hearing two weeks ago where several persons claimed they were ex-agitators from the Niger Delta who were unjustly excluded from the programme.

    The aggrieved groups included youths from the Ndokwa ethnic nationality in Delta State.

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Peter Nwoboshi, had at the public hearing frowned at the purported exclusions and directed the Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, Paul Boroh, to write to the President to secure requisite approvals to include the youths in the Amnesty Programme.

    However, at the public hearing Senator Peter Nwoboshi announced that the committee had decided to schedule a later date to meet with contractors handling training or capital projects for the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

    The Niger Delta ex-agitators protesting “reckless spending” at the Amnesty Office at the press conference in Abuja alleged that Senator Nwoboshi was acting out a script he co-wrote with the Amnesty Programme’s Coordinator, Paul Boroh.

    “Since when did Senate Committees began staggering public hearings on one issue. The delay by the Senate Committee in discussing issues related to contracts awarded by the Amnesty Office is just to buy time for Boroh to intimidate his account staff and contractors to structure out more money for the Senate Committee on Niger Delta.

    “The truth however is that the bulk of the money raised from contractors usually goes to Boroh and some amount possibly go to members of the Senate Committee,” the forum’s President alleged.

    He added: “Well, we stand to be proved wrong by members of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta. All we are saying is that the Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme is using the name of the committee to award phony and urgent contracts and money is being extorted  from the beneficiaries of the contracts.

    “So, we are challenging the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta to come out boldly to declare to Nigerians that they are not involved in this dangerous scheme at a time President Buhari is ruthlessly fighting corruption,” the President of TTNDA added

    To buttress their claim, the leadership of the forum of Truly Transformed Niger Delta ex-agitators, showed Journalists who attended the press conference, a letter purportedly written to the Amnesty Office by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, Senator Peter Nwoboshi wherein he introduced to Paul Boroh the firm of Candour Capital Limited as the duly appointed consultant of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta charged by the committee to “conduct the inspection and investigation of the books and accounts of the Presidential Amnesty Programme from inception to date.”

    In the letter, Senator Nwoboshi further informed the Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme that the firm of Candour Capital Limited “will report (at the Amnesty Office) for the assignment on Tuesday 25th October 2016” and urged the Amnesty Coordinator “to grant the consultants maximum cooperation and support to enable them perform and deliver urgently the required report for the Committee to finalise its mandate”

    The ex-agitators however queried the propriety of subjecting what they say are very sensitive national security documents to the firm of Candour Capital Limited.

    “The whole thing is a scam. What level of security clearance has this private company received to qualify it to have full and unfettered access to a national security programme like the Presidential Amnesty Programme? I pity this country,” the leader of the transformed Niger Delta ex-agitators stated.

  • Niger Delta crisis requires political solution – Tambuwal

    Niger Delta crisis requires political solution – Tambuwal

    The crisis in the Niger Delta region requires more of political solution than military, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State said on Tuesday.

    Tambuwal made the remark in Sokoto when he hosted participants of Course 25 of the National Defence College, who were on study tour of the state.

    “The crisis in the Niger Delta is one that requires more political engagement by all stakeholders.

    ‘“Rather than use military might, we should lay much emphasis on engaging all parties in a dialogue.

    “The militants especially, must seize the initiative to restore peace in the region and ensure socioeconomic stability,” the governor said.

    He further said that the ability of the country to rise up to current challenges would ultimately define the true worth of its leadership.

    Tambuwal added: “Every country of the world is facing some form of challenges

    “What is important is the ability of the leadership to rally round, discuss and engage all stakeholders to come to a peaceful resolution of such issues.”

    Tambuwal commended the Nigerian military and other security services for their efforts in ensuring internal security.

    He said the successes recorded in the fight against Boko Haram should inspire them to look for solutions to the challenges of kidnapping and armed robbery bedeviling other parts of the country.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has good intentions for the country, Nigerians should support his efforts and embrace peace at all times.”

    On the theme of the tour, which is `Enhancing food security for national development: the role of state governments,’ Tambuwal said Sokoto had embraced modern agriculture.

    “In the recent past, we have embraced many cash crops because of the need to diversify.

    “In Sokoto today, we are leading producers of crops like millet, rice, sorghum, onions, tomatoes, cowpea and variety of vegetables.

    “From next farming season, we are including sesame among crops to be cultivated because of its economic value,” he added.

    In his remarks, leader of the team, Prof. Istifanus Zabade, said the participants were made up of Nigerians and their counterparts from other countries.

    He stated that they were required to study cultural, social and political environment of chosen localities, to broaden their knowledge base of all sections of the country.