Niger Delta leaders condemn FG’s ‘harassment’ of Jonathan’s family

Niger Delta leaders have condemned President Buhari for what they described as an attempt by his govt to humiliate the family of former president Goodluck Jonathan

- They say it is worrisome that Buhari has kept mum on the frequent “harassment” of Jonathan’s family by EFCC

- The Niger Delta leaders also condemned the serial killings in Southern Kaduna

Prominent leaders of the Niger Delta region including Chief Edwin Clark, on Thursday, January 5, faulted the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for what they described as the attempt to humiliate the family of former president Goodluck Jonathan.

According to the Niger Delta leaders, it is worrisome that President Buhari has kept mum on the frequent “harassment” of Jonathan’s family members by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), The Punch reports.

Niger Delta leaders condemn FG’s ‘harassment’ of Jonathan’s family

Their comment comes on the heels of reports that security operatives, on Wednesday evening, raided an Abuja house belonging to a brother-in-law to Nigeria’s former president Goodluck Jonathan.

In a statement issued at the end of a meeting organised by the Pan Niger Delta Forum at the residence of Clark in Kiagbodo, Burutu local government area of Delta state, the Niger Delta leaders claimed that the obvious intention of the Buhari-led government was to humiliate Jonathan.

The communiqué was signed by Clark and the Acting Chairman of PANDEF’s Central Working Committee, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd).

The communiqué read: “PANDEF expresses concerns at the orchestrated assault on the family of former President Goodluck Jonathan with the obvious intention to humiliate him and find the silence of President Muhammadu Buhari worrisome.”

The Niger Delta leaders also condemned the serial killings in Southern Kaduna, Kaduna state and called on the federal government to take proactive steps to forestall further killings in the area.

They noted that if the situation was not urgently addressed by the federal government, it was capable of generating into an inter-religious crisis in the region.

They said: “The Forum condemns the wanton destruction of lives and properties in Southern Kaduna and calls on the federal government to urgently ensure the safety of lives in the area.”

The forum also condemned a recent statement credited to the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Femi Adesina, insinuating that the Presidency was still searching for credible representatives for the region.

While it called on the federal government to immediately constitute its dialogue team for the speedy resolution of the region’s crisis, PANDEF charged the federal government to urgently release over N1tn owed the Niger Delta Development Commission for the speedy development of the region.

They said: “The Forum takes very strong exception to the statement credited to the Special Adviser on Media to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, that the President was still in search of credible leaders of the Niger Delta with whom to negotiate with. This is an assault on the sensibilities and integrity of the people of the Niger Delta.

“The forum reiterates its earlier position on the urgent need for the restructuring of the Nigerian federation along the lines of fiscal federalism as the only sustainable solution to the Nigerian crisis.”

Meanwhile, Chief Edwin Clark has claimed that the people of Niger Delta are facing more hardships than the many Almajiris that litter the North.

The Ijaw chieftain made this statement recently when he hosted the Ijaw Professionals’ Association (IPA) Homeland chapter.

He noted that some selfish elements in the country want to perpetually dominate the region.