Some prominent elders and traditional rulers in Bayelsa State have alleged that some of the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari are frustrating the Federal Government’s proposed dialogue with the Niger Delta Avengers.
Though the elders and the monarchs commended President Buhari’s decision to lead the proposed dialogue, they expressed concern over the alleged show of deceit, insincerity and discordant tunes among the presidential aides from the region.
They claimed the development had created a huge doubt between the militant youths and the Federal Government.
The position of the concerned elders and monarchs, under the aegis of Bayelsa Elders for Progress, Peace and Good Governance, led by their Coordinator, Chief Ayibatonye Goodnews, and the Secretary, Chief Lucky Ebifaghe, is contained in an open letter to the President.
They declared that the recent activities of key aides from the region such as the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, and the Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.), were allegedly frustrating the peace efforts of the Federal Government.
They insisted that Buhari should investigate the genuiness of purported meetings held between Boroh and Kachikwu.
They wondered, “How can they claim to have met stakeholders and the militant attacks continue? They met some fake militants and stakeholders and wasted scarce resources of the Federal Government on jamboree.”
