Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Political office holders from the Niger Delta region who are in the federal cabinet will be stoned and embarrassed, if nothing is done to fast track the development of the region, a pro-Ijaw group has warned.
The group known as Movement for the Survival of the Izon Ethnic Nationalities in the Niger Delta, MOSIEND, particularly said that federal appointees like Godswill Akpabio, Timipre Sylva, Rotimi Ameachi, Festus Keyamo, Engr. Simbi Wabote and other sons of the region occupying political offices, should be ready to face the wrath of the youths.
MOSIEND rising from its meeting with leaders of other Niger Delta ethnic nationalities held in Warri on Friday, said youths of the region have resolved that these political appointees would be ostracised, embarrassed, stoned and booed anywhere they are seen in the region.
National Vice President of MOSIEND, Thompson Fuoye, regretted that instead of the said leaders to unite and ensure that the long years of neglect and under-development of the Niger Delta is addressed by the federal government, they were busy fighting themselves over selfish interests.
Fuoye maintained that the Niger Delta people need development and not infighting between politicians, warning that the people having been pushed to the wall, would no longer tolerate politicians who are in the habit of gambling with their destinies.
“As MOSIEND, we are sending a message to all the Niger Delta representatives in the federal cabinet.
“They must be up and doing. We have resolved that if they don’t find a way to ensure that the region is properly developed that we are going to embarrass them anywhere we found them in the Niger Delta.
“We are warning all those people in the federal cabinet, Akpabio, Sylva, Ameachi, Keyamo, Simbi Wabote who have refused to talk to the federal government on how to develop the region that when they have any event in the Niger Delta, we cannot guarantee their safety anymore because they would be booed.
“This is a clear message to all the Niger Deltans in the federal cabinet because you cannot gamble with us because you are PDP or APC or whatever party you belong to, we don’t care to know. All we want is for our region to develop.
“Whether you are Amaechi, you are enemy with Wike, Sylva you are enemy with Diri we don’t care to know. Don’t bring all those nonsense to shortchange us.
“If they can’t bring development to us we cannot guarantee them, anytime they have an event in the region they will be embarrassed and we will make the region uncomfortable for them. Enough is enough of this nonsense.
“We are not safe anymore and our territories have been taken over by Fulani herdsmen and nobody is making any effort to address these matters.
“And they are there talking about APC and PDP, you are to represent us in the Niger Delta, we don’t care what party you belongs to.
“How can we have board matter in the NDDC that has lingered for so long and we have the likes of Akpabio, Ameachi and Sylva causing confusion everywhere.
“They are just killing us with their unnecessary interest in politics. Nobody is guaranteed anymore. We will embarrassed them right from the airport.
“Ameachiy you are fighting with Wike and you refused to bring development to our people and Sylva you are fighting with with Seriake, Diri and you don’t want to bring development to Bayelsa State.”
The group further throw its weight behind the one month ultimatum given by the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, to shut down the region over the federal government’s refusal to inaugurate a substantive board for the NDDC, insisting that delay in constituting the board was a ploy to under-develop the region.