CONFAB: No To 'No Go Areas' —N/Delta Group

A group, Voice of Amalgamated Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities-VANDEN has

condemned in strong term the stand of the Federal Government on the 'No Go Areas' in

the forthcoming National Conference. In a statement after its meeting, the

group threw its weight behind the removal of the clause 'No Go Areas'; insisting that

the so called 'no go areas' must as a matter of national security and priority be

expunged from the recently released modalities for the confab, as prescribed by the

Federal Government. The statement was signed by Comr. Daniel Idonor (Delta), Barr.

Kiki Dan Esueme (Bayelsa), Chief Shedrack Akaloku (Rivers), Hon Andrew Uquang (Akwa

Ibom), Rt. Hon. Mkpanam Ekpo (Cross River), and Hon. Gabriel Oghogho (Edo).

It will be recalled that the Secretary to the Government Of The

Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, on the 30th January, 2014 released to the media the modalities

for the National Conference. The government had said that “The National Conference ….shall discuss

any subject matter, except the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a nation,

therefore the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable.”The group praised the

position of the Federal Government as plausible, patriotic, well intentioned and fell

nothing short of what is expected of a responsible government which no doubt the

administration of President Goodluck Jonathan is. The group stated that

“However the realities of our post-independence political developments, more especially

in recent times, make it necessary for us not to hold any issue sacrosanct,

including the continuous existence of Nigeria as a nation.”It is true that the many ethnic

nationalities that composed the Northern and Southern Protectorates were

never asked of their opinions on staying together before they were summed into this false

republic called Nigerian state by the colonial masters and since then

subsequent administrations and their various conferences have always taken the

question of unity for granted”.”Yet until we boldly ask ourselves whether we want to stay

together or not and proceed to sincerely convince ourselves on why we

should remain together as a nation or not, the various national questions and issues of

derivation, true federalism, indigene/settler differences,

marginalization, zoning, corruption, tribalism, credible census and elections, religious tolerance,

insecurity amongst others, may never be genuinely resolved”.

“That we have continuously taken for granted that Nigeria must be one,

have also made some sections of the nation take it for granted that they are always

more demographically and therefore must rule over others and so whenever those

they considered as 'not supposed to rule' find themselves in power, they should

be forced out irrespective of the constitutional provisions.”The group stressed

further that “the lot of the minorities especially the Niger-Delta minorities who for

years, though produce the resources on which the nation's economy is run, but

could not get the opportunity to preside over the affairs of the nation until the

emergency of President Goodluck Jonathan and since he is not from the 'anointed

majority' he must be pressurized out of power by making the country ungovernable for him and

his administration. This formed the centre of the insecurity in the Northeast

and the intra party crisis within the national ruling party. This is in addition

to several thousands of our people that have been killed in North since the unfortunate

almagamation due to socio-political and religious intolerance”. “In

essence, in a nation where these high level of injustice, lopsidedness and impunity

prevail, it is only pertinent that whenever there is an opportunity for a national

dialogue as provided for by the soon to be held national conference, the primary

question of whether we should exist as one nation or not should not only be asked but

must be honestly answered and addressed. Suffice to say that the answers we get

from that question will form the very basic base upon which we address all other

national questions and issues”.The group therefore demanded that the 'No Go Areas'

must be discussed at the confab.