TO AVENGERS: WHERE WERE YOU IN 2011-15

The South-east caucus of All Progressives Congress, APC, has advised that if the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, has anything or anybody to avenge or blame for the alleged neglect of their region and by extension Nigeria, it should channel such grievance towards the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan.

Wondering if members of the NDA were sleeping when Jonathan, despite being a native of the oil-rich Niger Delta, failed woefully to develop the region while in office for five years, the APC caucus called on the militants to give President Muhammadu Buhari more time to look into their demands.

This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by the spokesman of the party in South-east, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, who said the appeal had become necessary “taking into cognizance of the laudable projects President Buhari has charted and lined up for the Niger Delta region, like Clean-Up of Ogoniland, completion of East-West road and Calabar-Lagos Railways.”
According to Okechukwu, “Were the Niger Delta Avengers in deep slumber when Jonathan for good five years failed to Clean-Up the Niger Delta, failed to complete East-West road, failed to review Oil Blocks, failed to Amend the Constitution to their taste, and failed to build the three Greenfield Refineries which he awarded?.

“Accordingly, we plead with our brothers, the Niger Delta Avengers for God’s sake, to do a deep re-think and graciously allow peace to reign; for our collective national interest and indeed to save the Niger Delta from ruins.

“No sane Nigerian will pray for the reoccurrence of the ugly incident of Odi in 1999, Zaki Ibiam in 2000 and Gbaramatu in 2009; unwarranted ugly scenario which the Niger Delta Avengers are consciously simulating.

“It is our candid view that bombing of Forcados pipeline, Bonga Oil field, Chevron trunk lines and other Oil and Gas installations will neither facilitate the implementation of 2014 National Conference Report, funding of the Amnesty Program, nor the Clean-Up of the Niger Delta region.

“Otherwise, may we honestly ask the Niger Delta Avengers, where they were, when our dear former president, His Excellency, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR, from 6 May, 2010 to 29 May, 2015 presided over Nigeria?” the party asked.

Today.ng