Gordini Gabriel DarahCriticsal stakeholders in the Niger Delta have urged the Federal Government to concede to the restructuring of the country, saying the amnesty programme cannot solve the myriads of problems confronting the region.
The eminent personnel include: The Amanyanabo of Abonnema, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, Prof G.G. Darah of the Literature in English Department, Delta State University and Evironmental rights activist and Convener, Niger-Delta Self-Determination Movement (NDSDM), Madam Ann Kio-Briggs among others.
They spoke yesterday in separate interviews at a ‘stakeholder’s meeting with selected leaders’ in the region, held at Eko Hotel, Lagos.
They contended that the amnesty programme, which was introduced due to protest and agitations from the region was a means to pacify them but insisted that it is not the solution to Niger Delta problem.
While lamenting that the region have suffered huge setbacks in terms of economic and infrastructural development in recent years, they maintained the amnesty program would not be needed if the country is restructured.
Specifically, Darah who noted that the amnesty is one of the processes of resolving conflicts in the Niger delta, added that it does not have capacity to resolve the essential problems in the region which has to do with resource ownership and controls.
“Issues of democracy are larger than amnesty, I am in the heat and in the center of this debate as chairman of The Guardian this is the debate we started and they call me professor of resource control, that issue is larger than amnesty.
Niger Delta urges restructuring, says amnesty not enough
