Members of the Niger Delta Dialogue Team, otherwise known as Pan Niger Delta Group, led by former Information Minister, Chief Edwin Clark, will today (Saturday) meet in Abuja to decide on the key issues to be discussed when they meet with President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday next week.
The meeting, which sources told our correspondent is expected to hold at the Abuja residence of Clark, would be attended by members of the committee, many of whom were said to have arrived Abuja on Friday evening.
Aside from the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate, which is opposed to the committee, other militant groups, including the Niger Delta Avengers, had given the Clark-led dialogue team their consent to negotiate on their behalf to resolve the renewed hostilities in the region.
It was learnt that various issues affecting the region, including corruption charges levelled against ex-militant leader, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, and the halted Nigerian Maritime University in Okerenkoko, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, are to be considered at the meeting in Abuja today.
It was also learnt that the reservations some ethnic nationalities had about not being carried along in the process leading to the meeting with the President would also be discussed.
Clark, who is the leader of the delegation, confirmed today’s meeting in Abuja when contacted, but declined to give details of the meeting.
According to him, “We are having our meeting tomorrow (Saturday). It is at the meeting that we will finalise what we are going to discuss with Mr. President. It’s the group that will harmonise our position.”
A former Minister of Police Affairs, Chief Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, also confirmed today’s meeting, noting that he was on his way to Abuja when our correspondent contacted him.
Although, Bozimo declined to name specific issues the committee would be deliberating on at the meeting, he said, “All issues affecting our region will be holistically discussed.
Bozimo said the outcome of today’s meeting would lay the foundation for what they would discuss with Buhari on Tuesday.
But one of the leaders, who will be attending Saturday’s and Tuesday’s meetings, told our correspondent on condition of anonymity, that the immediate commencement of academic session at the Okerenkoko Maritime University and massive infrastructural development of the region would be some of the prominent points at the meeting.
The source noted that the delegation would also consider putting pressure on the Federal Government to drop corruption charges against Tompolo.
According to the source, they were also likely to consider and agree that President Buhari should direct the various security forces in the region to pull out and stop the indiscriminate arrest of people there.
“We are going to certainly demand for resource control and true federalism. Our people should also own the commonwealth in their land rather being denied,” the source said.
Punch
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