Niger Delta Elders Forum gives condition to turn in, hand over trouble makers in the region to FG

As part of the efforts to find a lasting peace to Nigeria's troubled Oil-rich Niger Delta,  Niger Delta Elders and Leaders Forum, NDELF, have vowed to turn in troublemakers in the region to the Federal Government.

The condition given by the Elders includes developing infrastructures in the region to Lagos and Abuja standards.

The condition was made in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital in a chat with journalists.

Speaking through its spokesperson, the Elders said, “In the Niger Delta, we want true federalism; we want derivation to increase from 13 per cent to 50 per cent; we want the infrastructure in the region to be upgraded to the standard of Abuja and Lagos, we want schools, hospitals, roads and empowerment, among others.

“We are averse to cosmetic peace approach by the government. We have a situation, for instance, when there are bombings, the government comes and deceives you with one approach and you will forget your agitations.  


“After that one, there will be another set of freedom fighters that will come and fight for a better deal for the area. So, what we want is, if you address and turn the Niger Delta to Abuja and Lagos standards, it is we the leaders that will even help the Federal Government to identify the troublemakers in the area.

“Good things do not hide: your development will swallow every pocket of criminal aspects in the struggle. That is why we do not want cosmetic peace. We insist on a holistic approach by solving the problem once and for all. By so doing, there will be peace, growth and development of the Niger Delta.”

“During that era, the West was producing cocoa and paying tax to the Federal Government and the North, groundnut and they were paying tax to the government and that is true federalism.

“We must restructure Nigeria for every section to develop at their own pace. That is the thinking of the ordinary people that I represent in the Niger Delta. We are concerned about the environmental problems, the economic problem, the infrastructure problem and even the political problem.

“We want to be seen to be actually involved because we are not second class citizens; anywhere in the world, we are first class citizens and Nigeria belongs to all of us. All of us are equal people, there is no part that can intimidate any other.”

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