The much-awaited summit on the Niger Delta crisis is being delayed to allow for wider consultations with particular ethnic nationalities of the region, Vice President Goodluck Jonathan has said. And if all goes well, the conference will hold in the New Year.
Explaining the seeming delay in holding the summit, the Vice President stated that after the meeting with the youths and other stakeholders, he had to "fully engage" all the ethnic nationalities in the region in order to reach a consensus, which would form the basis for such a conference.
The engagements are to get the nationalities' inputs into the blueprint and have their agreements on the issues, which would form the final report to be presented before the summit for adoption.
Jonathan yesterday began the final exploratory process for the holding the conference, meeting with leaders of the Ogoni ethnic nationality, where they signed into the government's comprehensive development plan for the "final resolution and holistic development" of the Niger Delta.
Sources told The Guardian that the summit would likely be a formal event where the agreement would be adopted as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The source added that based on the programme for the final stretch of meetings, the summit would likely hold by the New Year.
The meeting with the about 20 top Ogonis, held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja was led by His Royal Highness, GNK Ginning.
Among the attendees were: the leader of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Dr Ledum Mitee; Senator Lee Maeba, Emmanuel Giniwa and Olaka Nwogu (members of the House of Representatives).
Others were Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Befii Charles Nwile; Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Dr Roseline Konya; Sen Ben Birabi, Dr. Magnus Kpakol (NAPEP Coordinator), Marvin Yobana (Ogoni Youth Council) and Justice Peter Akere (rtd).
The Vice President said that the "frank discussion" with the Ogonis is the first in the long line of meetings scheduled with all the ethnic nationalities in the region within the next few weeks.
Explaining why the government had to initially engage the Ijaws, Jonathan likened the Niger Delta to "a decrepit house requiring extensive renovation, but in which some walls needed urgent propping up. And having propped those walls threatening to bring the structure down, it is now time to commence work in the rest of the house."
He remarked that, "today, it is the turn of the Ogonis. Tomorrow, it will be the turn of the Urhobos, Itsekiris, Ibibios, the Ikwerres, the Isokos, the Ukwuanis, and so forth, until we have engaged all groups in the Niger Delta. All the consultations will take place before the Niger Delta summit proper."
He commended the Hassan Kukah Committee for the interventions in Ogoni saying, "they have done well. But all is not well yet in Ogoniland. There is still a lot of work to do. That is why I called this meeting, so we can figure a way forward and fix the problem once and for all."
The Vice President expressed happiness that violence had subsided in Ogoniland and that the Ogonis were willing to engage with the government on the way forward.
He noted that the Ogoni ethnic group had been locked in agitation against the authorities since the era of colonial rule, citing the Willinks Commission report of 1958, which specifically noted the Ijaws and the Ogonis as the flashpoints of colonial governance.
Earlier, Chief Gininwa expressed the appreciation of the Ogonis over the efforts of the Vice President in bringing up the meeting to dialogue on the way forward.
He noted that contrary to insinuations, the Ogonis had always believed in dialogue and peaceful resolutions to all problems, saying, "we are not violent. And we do not believe in violence."
MOSOP leader, Dr Mitee said the Ogonis had become the metaphor for the Niger Delta problem all over the world, adding that interventions by the government would naturally be a statement of success or failure in the resolution of the Niger Delta question.
After the meeting with the Vice President, the Ogonis resolved to go back, consult and then return with their position on the way forward.
The Vice President also met with the delegation of the Okerekoko community, Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South local government of Delta State, informing them of government's resolve to ensure that "there is significant socio-economic development of the area."
Okerekoko community was the flashpoint of militant activities in the Niger Delta. The Vice President visited the community in June, where he held a breakthrough meeting with all the militants in the region.
FROM MADU ONUORAH, ABUJA
The Guardian
Sunday, September 23, 2007
