Oscarline Onwuemenyi
11 January 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, a militant group in the Niger Delta, yesterday, joined the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, in declaring its plan to resume fresh hostilities in the Niger Delta, following the Federal Government’s alleged decision not to dialogue with the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF.
This came as deputy governor of Delta State and Chairman, Delta State Advocacy Committee Against Oil Facility Vandalism, DSACAOFV, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, said dialogue option towards resolving the Niger Delta crisis was still open, urging militants to abort the plan to recommence bombing of oil installations.
But NDRC in a statement by its spokesperson, WOI Izon-Ebi, said: “After a keen observation of our ceasefire, declared on the 17th day of November, 2016, the Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders want to resume attacks with a warning to the Nigerian government and the oil multinationals to be ready for the consequences of their oppressive and devilish politicization of the Niger Delta agitation and failure to utilize the precious intervention of our distinguished royal fathers and elders of PANDEF.”
Alleging that the Federal Government had turned the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to All Progressives Party, APC, secretariat, it warned that the Commission “will be the first casualty of the renewed hostilities in the region because what we have discovered is so outrageous and shameful.”
The group claimed its findings showed that N80 billion which was supposed to be used in developing the Niger Delta was used to prosecute the election of a former South-South governor, while N40 billion was also withdrawn from the NDDC coffers to prosecute the last re-run election in Rivers State.
According to the statement: “We want to sound it loud again to the Federal Government that we are fully in support of the Niger Delta Avengers’ Operation Wall of Jericho and Hurricane Joshua to knock all oil operations down in the country because enough-is-enough, our next line of action is not to warn the federal government again, because we have the capacity as the gods are with us. We are freedom fighters that respect our elders, leaders, and royal fathers.
“But we take our directives from the gods of the Niger Delta. Any planned humiliation of our elders, leaders, and royal fathers could give room to the gods to pour their blessing to all genuine agitators and freedom fighters to defend their motherland from external aggression that is being spearheaded by the Fulani caliphate of systematic cleansing and grabbing of territories.
The statement added that, “We have confidence in the convener/leader of PANDEF, former Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, former military governor of Old Rivers state, HRM King Alfred Diete Spiff, former governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, both co-chairmen of PANDEF and other leaders of the group, contrary to the claim of the Presidency that the group lacked credible leaders.
“These are well-respected leaders that control respect in the Niger Delta region. So, why is the Federal Government politicising and trying to discredit these distinguished personalities of the Niger Delta for their sincere effort to appease the agitators and freedom fighters of the Niger Delta to give peace a chance and halt all hostilities.
“The Federal Government was never sincere, all they were looking for was just to buy time to enable them to prepare, acquire sophisticated arms to commit genocide against the defenceless people of the Niger Delta. It has been revealed and every right thinking Nigerian is now aware that the Buhari-led administration is more clueless than the past administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.”
On NDDC, the group asserted: “The Federal Government has turned NDDC to APC secretariat, NDDC that was established by the past administration of Olusegun Obasanjo because of the sacrifice of the Niger Delta youths for the development of the region and the empowerment of the Niger Deltans, irrespective of their political affiliation, but it has come to our notice that instead of the NDDC to be responsible to its primary responsibility of developing the Niger Delta and empowering its people, it is now used as a political machinery of the APC to cause disunity among the Niger Delta youths and its people.”
“NDDC will be the first casualty of the renewed hostilities in the region because what we have discovered is so outrageous and shameful. We are sounding it as a warning to the Executive Director of Finance directly and all board members to retrace their steps because the NDDC was born out of the blood and sacrifice of Niger Delta youths. They should be warned because they and their family members could pay dearly for this sinful and devilish conspiracy against the Niger Delta.”
Meanwhile, Deacon Otuaro, who spoke in Asaba, yesterday, said: “The dialogue option has not been exhausted, so there is no need for militants to bomb critical national oil assets as a way of expressing their grievances.”
