A coalition of Niger-Delta activists under the
aegis of Vanguards of Nigeria’s Democracy
on Saturday said it has uncovered clandestine
moves by President Muhammadu Buhari and
the All Progressives Congress to probe the
administration of ex-President Goodluck
Jonathan and send him to prison on
trumped-up charges.
A statement issued by the spokesperson of
VND, Mr. Osaghae Ogiemudia, in Abuja said
recent events in the country have revealed
that the Buhari’s regime was out to deal with
the Niger-Delta people, especially the Ijaw
ethnic group in Nigeria.
The coalition therefore advised the Ijaws to
support the re-election of their “only son and
only Ijaw governor, Henry Seriake Dickson in
the forthcoming elections in Bayelsa State
and resist all moves by APC to take over
power through the back door. Ijaw people
defecting to APC from PDP are all traitors.”
According to them, the plot to imprison
Jonathan has been perfected with the
ongoing controversy over Excess Crude
Account and the allegation levelled against
the immediate-past Minister of Finance/
Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr.
(Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by Edo State
governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
Ogiemudia said, “The whole plan has been
perfected and we know the direction of all the
noise by Oshiomhole. We know their target
and that is Jonathan. We, the members of the
Vanguard of Nigeria’s Democracy are aware
of some clandestine moves made by the APC
led government to probe, investigate, malign
and imprison ex President Jonathan. We are
already aware of the trumped-up charges the
APC government is leveling against a man
who has diligently served the Nigerian State
at the highest level of government.”
See full statement below…
We the members of the Vanguards of
Nigeria’s Democracy (VND) wish to call the
attention of the Federal Government led by
President Muhammadu Buhari to the
unsavory and patently repugnant action by
the APC led federal government, especially
the anti-Niger Delta and the anti-Ijaw
posturing of the APC led administration. We
believe the anti-Niger and anti-Ijaw posturing
is against democracy, good governance,
equity and good conscience.
1. There is no gainsaying the fact that the
most liberal Political Party that has ever
ruled Nigeria is the Peoples Democratic
Party. The political Party demonstrated this
in terms of appointments in line with the
federal character principle, of key
appointments, which cut across ethnic,
religious and geographical barrier. This is
why most objective analysts described the
PDP as a national Party in terms of spread,
popular support in all geo-political zones,
appointments and structures. The former
President Dr, Goodluck Jonathan even
conceded defeat to President Muhammadu
Buhari even before the presidential election
results were formally declared by the
Independent National Electoral Commission.
This is the climax of political maturity and
the aura of good governance and political
sportsmanship, which the PDP radiated in
the political landscape of the nation.
Unfortunately the All Progressive Congress,
APC does not have these liberal
characteristics. The APC, within the short
period it has been in office has
demonstrated that it is not only anti-Niger
Delta but acutely anti-Ijaw in nature.
2. The anti-Niger Delta and anti-Ijaw
posturing of the Party has been
demonstrated in several ways. No sooner
the APC led administration took office that
the Director General of the State Security
Service – Mr. Bassey a minority man from
the Niger Delta was relieved of his
appointment. No reason was given for the
action. In his place a Fulani man was
appointed. Mr. Lawal who is in an acting
capacity demoted Ms. Marilyn Ogar another
Niger Delta Director. The reasons of the
demotion are still shrouded in mystery.
3. Then President Buhari unilaterally
cancelled the waterway surveillance and
security contract awarded to the Delta-born
Ijaw peace maker Mr. Government Tompolo.
For those who know, this contract has
drastically reduced oil theft, oil bunkering
and violation of oil facilities in the Niger
Delta waterways. The award of the contract
was necessitated by the incessant cases of
oil theft, bunkering and destruction of oil
facilities.
4. The Amnesty students have written to
President Muhammadu Buhari to keep the
Amnesty Programme running because the
well-being of Niger Delta Children is at
stake. Let it be noted that the Programme
was introduced by a Northerner President
Umar Musa Yar’Adua from the same State
with President Muhammadu Buhari to
reduce militancy in the Niger Delta Region,
which provides the foreign exchange of
Nigeria. Part of the letter written to the
President reads: “We are the 3,063
students/beneficiaries of the Special
Educational Scholarship under the Niger
Delta Presidential Amnesty program run by
the Office of the Special Adviser to the
President on Niger Delta. We have not
received our allowances for upkeep and
Accommodation for 3 months and we are
now destitute in large numbers all over the
world; United Kingdom 625 students, South
Africa 69 students, United States 275
students, Malaysia 180 students, Philippines
50 students, Russia 45students, Belarus 53
students, Dubai 23 students and the rest
are spread all over the globe from Grenada
to Australia. That the acting head Engineer
Jaiyeoba Tikolo be authorized to pay our
Allowances, Tuition, Salaries and other
attendant basic office cost.”
The students continued: “We were told that
the former Special Adviser Hon. Kingsley Kuku
in the absence of Permanent Secretary
handed over to the most senior Director Engr.
Jayeoba Tikolo on May 29, 2015. We are
appealing that the government authorize and
appoint the Acting Head of the Presidential
Amnesty Program Engineer Jayeoba Tikolo as
a signatory and this should not be difficult”.
Ordinarily, the APC led administration should
have understudied how the Presidential
Amnesty Programme was run before replacing
Hon. Kingsley Kuku but President Buhari
replaced the man running the programme
because Hon. Kingsley Kuku is an Ijaw man.
This we believe is the climax of APC’S anti-
Ijaw posturing. Till date President
Muhammadu Buhari and the APC government
has not considered the plight of the students
abroad. Why? because most of the
beneficiaries of the programme are Ijaw
youths.
5. SACKING OF NIMASSA DG: The
immediate past Director General of Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency
(NIMASA), Patrick Ziakede Akpobolokemi is
one of the principal appointment given to
the Ijaws of Bayelsa State. Ex President
Jonathan appointed Akpobolokemi for a
tenure of four years in 2010 and renewed
his appointment in 2014. Such appointment
just renewed less than a year ago should
have been kept until his tenure expires but
the APC led government threw caution to
the winds and sacked the DG of
NIMASSA.President Buhari did not state the
reason for the sack.
6. We the members of the VANGUARD OF
NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY are aware of some
clandestine moves made by the APC led
government to probe, investigate, malign
and imprison ex President Jonathan. We are
already aware of the trumped-up charges
the APC government is leveling against a
man who has diligently served the Nigerian
State at the highest level of government.
7. The APC led Government should take
notice that the appointments made so far
are skewed in favour of the North, as no
Ijaw man has been appointed. While An Ijaw
President did not discriminate in
appointment, President Buhari is
implementing a Northern Agenda. (Vide:
some of the appointments)
8. Director-General of the State Services,
Lawal Daura, Katsina State – Acting
Chairman, North
9. the Independent National Electoral
Commission, Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari,
Jigawa State – North
10. Director, the Department of Petroleum
Resources, Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba
Ladan (North) – Accountant-General of the
Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, Kano State –
11. Chief Security Officer, Abdulrahman
Mani; (North) – State Chief of Protocol,
Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure; (North) –
12. Aide De Camp, Lt.-Col. Muhammed
Lawal Abubakar, Kano State –
13. Senior Special Assistant on Media and
Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu; (North) –
14. Special Adviser on Media and Publicity,
Mr. Femi Adesina, South-West
WE are watching with keen interest.
CONCLUSION:
The Nigerian State and specifically the APC
led government should take notice that the
Ijaw race, which is the dominant ethnic
nationality, has never been conquered. From
the days of the slave trade, through the
legitimate trade to colonialism and to the
present day, the Ijaw race has never been
conquered. The Ijaw race produces about 70%
of the resources sustaining the country and it
will be foolhardy for any government to
undermine the capacity of the Ijaw ethnic
nationality to be marginalized. We are a
peaceful and law abiding people and we
believe in the indivisibility and corporate
existence of Nigeria, but certainly the Ijaws
have a way of resisting injustice, sectionalism
and inequity AND NOT EVEN THYE APC
ADMINISTARTION CAN ATTEMPT TO
CONQUER THE IJAW NATION.l
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