Niger Delta militants withdraw quit notice to northerners, Yoruba

The coalition of Niger Delta militants, yesterday, withdrew the
October 1 quit notice they issued to northerners and Yoruba living
in the region.

The Pan Niger Delta People’s Congress (PNDPC), a new group that
claimed to have the mandate to negotiate for the Niger Delta with
the Federal Government and other interested stakeholders, said the
issuers of the quit notice gave them the mandate to withdraw
it.

The coalition had disbanded the Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger
Delta Forum (PANDEF) after passing a vote of no confidence in the
group and constituted PNDPC as the new negotiator for the
region.

The militant groups appointed His Royal Majesty Pere Ayemi-Botu,
paramount ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom as the head of the PNDPC and
named Chief Mike Loyibo as the coordinator/ convener of the
group.

The coalition comprises the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers; Niger
Delta Joint Revolutionary Crusaders Council; Niger Delta Supreme
Egbesu Fighters; Niger Delta Red Scorpion Fighters; Niger Delta
Youth Mandate for Justice; Niger Delta People’s Liberation Force;
Niger Delta Fighters for Resource Control; Niger Delta for Urhobo
Resource Control; and Bakassi People’s Liberation Force.

Loyibo, whom the coalition said was appointed following his
track records of integrity and honesty, confirmed that the
coalition mandated the PNPDC to announce the withdrawal of the quit
notice.

He said the youths were remorseful after he and members of the
new group met with them and told them the implications of the quit
notice to the peace and development of the region.

He said: “People should disregard the quit notice from our
youths. I have spoken to many of them and they mandated me to
withdraw it on their behalf.

“They have called off the quit notice and discharged it.
Everybody in the region in the west, east and north should go about
their normal business. I can guarantee them of their safety.

“The entire Niger Delta people are not in agreement with the
quit notice issue. The boys that issued it are very remorseful. So,
they have asked me, because they mandated me to speak for them and
the region, to discharge the quit notice.

” Loyibo noted that such unpatriotic remarks like issuance of
quit notices had their origin from the cold war involving the
country’s founding fathers during the precolonial era.

“This quit notice and counter quit notice found their
foundations from the precolonial days. The three leaders that
negotiated the independence of Nigeria did not love themselves.

“It was the crisis that extended to our era where everybody
begins to struggle for their own. I don’t believe in regional or
tribal considerations. As Ijaw people, those that had been good to
us did not come from our region,” he said.

He said the youths were only suspicious that the Federal
Government was trying to weaken them through promises that they
might not fulfill at last.

Loyibo said the leaders also told the youths to also hold their
governors, appointees and regional interventionist agencies
responsible for lack of leadership and development.

He blamed the Arewa youths for causing tension in the polity and
frowned on the way and manner the government treated them.

He noted that nobody should be treated as a second class citizen
adding that all must be held as equal stakeholders in the Nigerian
project.

The Ijaw leader, however, said the youths in the region still
believed in the integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice
President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and their ability to fulfill the
promises they made to the region.

He said: “We are peaceloving people. Our diversity is our
strength. Mr. President has brought a lot of integrity to
governance and he came in with massive goodwill. So, I believe that
this is the time he should be addressing the issue.

“The late President Yar’Adua took the bull by the horn and
declared amnesty and today amnesty is working. The place is being
transformed in human capacity building.

This is not the time for us to bring violence. When the
militants and the agitators and the people of the Niger Delta named
us to represent the Niger Delta as the new face, it did not come to
us as a surprise because some of us have long history of integrity
and openness.

“We believe that Nigeria will continue to remain as one under a
peaceful situation. So, I hereby, use this medium to formally
discharge that quit notice. It is of no effects and there is no
element of seriousness and the people that did it are very
remorseful after we met with them and scolded them.”

The coalition of Niger Delta militants, yesterday, withdrew the
October 1 quit notice they issued to northerners and Yoruba living
in the region.

The Pan Niger Delta People’s Congress (PNDPC), a new group that
claimed to have the mandate to negotiate for the Niger Delta with
the Federal Government and other interested stakeholders, said the
issuers of the quit notice gave them the mandate to withdraw
it.

The coalition had disbanded the Chief Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger
Delta Forum (PANDEF) after passing a vote of no confidence in the
group and constituted PNDPC as the new negotiator for the
region.

The militant groups appointed His Royal Majesty Pere Ayemi-Botu,
paramount ruler of Seimbiri Kingdom as the head of the PNDPC and
named Chief Mike Loyibo as the coordinator/ convener of the
group.

The coalition comprises the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers; Niger
Delta Joint Revolutionary Crusaders Council; Niger Delta Supreme
Egbesu Fighters; Niger Delta Red Scorpion Fighters; Niger Delta
Youth Mandate for Justice; Niger Delta People’s Liberation Force;
Niger Delta Fighters for Resource Control; Niger Delta for Urhobo
Resource Control; and Bakassi People’s Liberation Force.

Loyibo, whom the coalition said was appointed following his
track records of integrity and honesty, confirmed that the
coalition mandated the PNPDC to announce the withdrawal of the quit
notice.

He said the youths were remorseful after he and members of the
new group met with them and told them the implications of the quit
notice to the peace and development of the region.

He said: “People should disregard the quit notice from our
youths. I have spoken to many of them and they mandated me to
withdraw it on their behalf.

“They have called off the quit notice and discharged it.
Everybody in the region in the west, east and north should go about
their normal business. I can guarantee them of their safety.

“The entire Niger Delta people are not in agreement with the
quit notice issue. The boys that issued it are very remorseful. So,
they have asked me, because they mandated me to speak for them and
the region, to discharge the quit notice.

” Loyibo noted that such unpatriotic remarks like issuance of
quit notices had their origin from the cold war involving the
country’s founding fathers during the precolonial era.

“This quit notice and counter quit notice found their
foundations from the precolonial days. The three leaders that
negotiated the independence of Nigeria did not love themselves.

“It was the crisis that extended to our era where everybody
begins to struggle for their own. I don’t believe in regional or
tribal considerations. As Ijaw people, those that had been good to
us did not come from our region,” he said.

He said the youths were only suspicious that the Federal
Government was trying to weaken them through promises that they
might not fulfill at last.

Loyibo said the leaders also told the youths to also hold their
governors, appointees and regional interventionist agencies
responsible for lack of leadership and development.

He blamed the Arewa youths for causing tension in the polity and
frowned on the way and manner the government treated them.

He noted that nobody should be treated as a second class citizen
adding that all must be held as equal stakeholders in the Nigerian
project.

The Ijaw leader, however, said the youths in the region still
believed in the integrity of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice
President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, and their ability to fulfill the
promises they made to the region.

He said: “We are peaceloving people. Our diversity is our
strength. Mr. President has brought a lot of integrity to
governance and he came in with massive goodwill. So, I believe that
this is the time he should be addressing the issue.

“The late President Yar’Adua took the bull by the horn and
declared amnesty and today amnesty is working. The place is being
transformed in human capacity building.

This is not the time for us to bring violence. When the
militants and the agitators and the people of the Niger Delta named
us to represent the Niger Delta as the new face, it did not come to
us as a surprise because some of us have long history of integrity
and openness.

“We believe that Nigeria will continue to remain as one under a
peaceful situation. So, I hereby, use this medium to formally
discharge that quit notice. It is of no effects and there is no
element of seriousness and the people that did it are very
remorseful after we met with them and scolded them.”