Ex-agitators Threaten Protest over Governors’ Inaction 

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The coalition of ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region has threatened to disrupt the peace in the region over the inability of the governors to provide palliatives to poor communities despite receiving N5 billion from the federal government.

The ex-agitators under the aegis of the Coalition of Ex-agitators of Niger Delta (CEND) said their governors seemed to have diverted the money released by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to alleviate the suffering caused by the removal of fuel subsidy.

The Chairman of the group, Gershom Gbobo, in a press briefing alongside other members of the coalition in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said whereas Tinubu was sensitive enough to make provisions for palliatives, their governors appeared unconcerned with the level of hardship in their various states, especially Bayalsa and Rivers States.

“Where is our palliative?” Gershom queried, insisting that there were no deliberate activities and programmes by the governors targeted at providing reliefs to the people.

He said: “Does it mean that as usual, these governors have pocketed the money? We will never allow it to happen. We will compel them to bring out the money in a mother of all protests across the states.”

It will no longer be business as usual. Our people are suffering untold hardship while these governors are junketing in profligacy and living large without showing any concern for our problems.

“We expected the governors to have started deliberate programmes aimed at reaching the people with palliatives. We expected them to add a reasonable amount of money to the N5 billion and float far-reaching programmes that will practically ameliorate the pains of the people. But they are less concerned.”  

“We can see what the Borno State governor is doing for his people, but our entire region is quiet.”

Gbobo wondered why some leaders of ex-agitators like the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme Committee on Strategic Communications, Nature Dumale, and the Chairman/President of all first phase ex-agitators in the region, Henry Binidodogha Ekes, had been silent over the attitude of the regional governors on the palliatives.

“Are our leaders, the likes of Hon Kakas, the leader of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), who is very close to the presidency, including Nature Dumale, who is also the secretary of the First Phase Ex-agitators part of the conspiracy to divert the palliative money? They must all speak out against these governors because when we begin our protests we will not listen to anybody,” he stated.

Also, the National spokesman of the coalition, Ellington Bakumor, called on the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), the Chief of Staff to the President, and other relevant authorities to prevail on the governors to release the palliatives.

On his part, the National Secretary of the Coalition of Ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region, Jeff Johnson, also lamented the ongoing massive gas export to European countries by the federal government without creating the desired benefits and stakeholders’ engagement among the Niger Delta communities producing the resources.

He said: “If not for the crisis in Niger Republic, we would not have known that pipelines from Niger Delta communities are supplying massive gas to European countries through the Niger Republic. The federal government must develop a template to accommodate the leadership of the Niger Delta communities and make them benefit directly from this gas taken from their communities.”