The United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, has opted out of his appointment as the Steering Committee chairman of the proposed Niger Delta summit.
His decision followed opposition by Niger Delta governors, elders and groups to his appointment by the Federal Government.
�I wish to be excused as the Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Summit,� he said in a statement in New York, United States on Wednesday.
Empowered Newswire, a US-based Nigerian news agency, quoted him as arguing in the statement that �the laudable objectives of the Federal Government should not be defeated because of the person in charge of the steering committee.�
Gambari, a former Minister of External Affairs, added that since the crisis in the country, especially in the Niger Delta, was bigger than an individual, no one must stand in the way of resolving it.
The statement reads, �I am grateful to His Excellency. President Umaru Yar�Adua and Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing me as chairman of the steering committee for the summit on the Niger Delta and particularly for the confidence reposed in me to help resolve one of the most intractable problems facing our country.
�I wish to put on record that I did not seek the position and I am not desperate to retain it. I felt it was my patriotic duty to accept the appointment and to discharge my duties to the best of my abilities.
�I have nothing but the highest regard for the people of the Niger Delta as an integral part of the Nigerian nation.
�It is my belief that the focus of this enterprise should be the Niger Delta but the perspective should be national while the international concern should not be ignored. Furthermore, I believe that with my decades of experience in conflict resolution and management, I could make a contribution towards finding a just and lasting solution to the problem in the Niger Delta.
� I could also help mobilise international support for the implementation of the concrete outcomes of the summit.
�However, in spite of the best intentions of the President as well as my own commitment in accepting the position, my appointment has attracted what appears to be a well-orchestrated and relentless opposition from some quarters, institutions, groups and individuals who may nonetheless be central to the resolution of the crisis in the Delta.
�As a result, my name has become the issue in place of the attempt at finding a just and lasting solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta.
�In the light of this, I wish to be excused as the chairman of the steering committee of the summit. The laudable objectives of the Federal Government should not be defeated only because of the person in charge of the steering committee.
�The crisis in the Niger Delta and the country is much bigger than an individual. And no individual must stand in the way of the resolution of the crisis, including my humble self.
�I thank the President and the Federal Government of Nigeria for the opportunity and their understanding on this matter. I stand ready to continue to make my contribution, as a Nigerian and based on my experience as a national and international civil servant, towards the peace, stability and social economic development of our country.�
The Ijaw National Leader, Chief Edward Clark, and the President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities, Chief Bello Oboko, in separate reactions described Gambari�s withdrawal as a good omen for the region.
Clark, who is also a former Minister of Information, said the opposition against his appointment was based on principle.
He said, �The objection of the people of the Niger Delta was on the ground that he has no sympathy for us. His antecedent on �Ogoni 9� where he said they were tried according to the law; that they were represented by lawyers and that they were properly convicted, that they were common criminals, angered our people.
�Our people, especially Ogoni people, said they could not sit with Gambari because he did not understand our problems and he did not like our people. They said they could not sit with him because of his antecedent. The man wanted all Nigeria Conference because of the belief that oil belongs to the whole Nigeria but we want an exclusive Niger Delta forum.
�We want a conference of Niger Delta people for the Niger Delta. There is no way Gambari could be a good chairman. We are happy that he has withdrawn and we wish him good luck and farewell as he goes to his job in the UN.�
Clark urged the Presidency to quickly set up a committee of experts to coordinate all previous reports on the Niger Delta from 1958 to date to determine the way forward for the region.
He added that a mini conference could be set up thereafter to evaluate and assess the recommendation of the group.
In his comment, Oboko said the withdrawal of Gambari from the summit was a good omen for the region. He called on the Federal Government to proceed on dialogue to proffer answers to the Niger Delta question.
Gambari had while fielding questions from journalists on June 25, 2008 said he would not reject the appointment.
He had said, �The President and the vice-president requested the UN to have me released for this appointment. As long as they will like to continue this and I have reaffirmation that this is their position, I will continue.�
Before then, the Federal Government had defended Gambari�s appointment on the grounds of his international stature and credential in conflict resolution.
But an indication that the Presidency had realised that the opposition to Gambari�s chairmanship of the steering committee was real emerged on Friday when the Cross River State Governor, Dr. Liyel Imoke, told journalists that his colleagues in the states in the Niger Delta were waiting for a directive on the appointment of a new chairman.
Imoke had said, �We have not had any consultation yet as to who may chair the summit. I think it is more appropriate to get some direction from the Federal Government in that regard.
�We don�t want to just present any person after the last experience. I think there is a need for us to consult extensively and agree on that before any presentation.�
THE PUNCH had on Monday reported that the Federal Government was shopping for Gambari�s replacement.