From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Sixteen days after the Pan Niger Delta Forum met with President Muhammadu Buhari as part of measures meant to put an end to the renewed militancy in the region, another group, Niger Delta Peoples Congress (NDPC), presented fresh demands, saying it was misrepresented.
The group, which met with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, said: “You cannot be finding peace without taking into consideration problem of the boys in the creeks.”
According to the 38-member delegation, certain salient issues were left out in the earlier presentation to President Buhari.
According to the delegation, the issue of derivation was completely delisted from the demands, the restoration of 6,000 jobs loss from the multinationals and the democratisation of amnesty programme to capture some legitimate beneficiaries who were left out in the first exercise.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the closed door meeting, Coordinator of the group, Chief Mike Loyibo and Head, Media and Publicity of the group, Hendricks Opukeme, said they came to correct the impression that they were out to get oil blocs for themselves, which has put them at loggerheads with those who were not at the meeting.
Asked if their mission was different from that of Pan Niger Delta Forum, Oloyebo, said: ”The mission is the same, we are trying to find peace whether we are talking about differences or not, we are all one people.”
He described the meeting with the vice president as very positive, adding, “we have a president that is very honest with governance and the issues that affect Nigerians and I am very sure that what he told us that the issues are very legitimate and we should go back and try to get a roadmap for permanent peace and that is what we are doing.”
Osinbajo was said to have told the delegation that they should first address the issue of continued vandalism in the region which he said is the most important thing.
According to a government source, who would not like to be mentioned, the vice president told the delegation that the problems in the region have always been there. He said if the elite in all regions of the country decide to end the problems in their regions, the problems will be resolved.