The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has assured that the position of its leader, Mr. Henry Okah on the amnesty programme of the federal government while reflecting the truth of the situation will not lead to resumption of attacks by its commanders.
The Movement said it wanted to exhaust all channels of dialogue so that when the next phase of attack which he warned would be “ferocious” would commence, no one would lay any blame at their doorstep.
In an online interview with THISDAY, Gbomo Jomo said that the reason most government officials rushed to condemn what Okah said in the interview with a foreign Television station was because they feared it would truncate their money making venture with the exercise.
According to Jomo, the reason they would not commence attacks for now was that they wanted to give the federal government a long rope to prove itself right or wrong with the amnesty programme and for the fact that it would take one attack to destroy everything being repaired in the oil and gas sector.
“Those who have reacted negatively to the Okah interview see his truth as a threat to their new found avenue for making money. It will not in any way affect the ceasefire for now because we intend to give government a long rope before resuming hostilities,” he said. Because the next phase of attacks will be ferocious, we want to exhaust all channels of dialogue. It will take only few minutes to destroy what has taken years to build”, he said.
He insisted that there were still many unrepentant freedom fighters in the creeks with their weapons and warned that unless the right steps were taken, any gains made by the amnesty programme would be temporary as it would evaporate in seconds of launching of any attack.
“MEND had sounded this alarm from day one but we found governors like Timi Sylva going around media houses to campaign that all was well. Our fear is that with the numerous sycophants eager to partake in the amnesty bait of N50bn, the government will not be told the true situation on ground. There are thousands of weapons and unrepentant freedom fighters inside the creeks and the implication is that the gains of the amnesty program will evaporate in seconds with the next attack. Government should address the root issues to avoid a terrible unrest in the future.
“The amnesty program was rushed and this will suit those who want to use it in making money. In my opinion the non consultations with stake holders like the oil companies even before Okah was released puts the post amnesty phase in jeopardy as we are beginning to see”, he said.
On the way out, Jomo said that the federal government should discontinue all monetary inducements to the self acclaimed militants and open dialogue with the real militants if enduring peace would be hoped for.
On the state of affairs with illegal oil bunkering in the creeks, he said, “Oil bunkering has gotten worse and the perpetrators happen to be the military”.
He, however, confirmed that the federal government was yet to commence any talks with its reconciliation team which it tagged Aaron team headed by former Chief of General Staff, Vice Admiral Mike Okhai Akhigbe and Professor Wole Soyinka.
On his hope of peace arising from the exercise, he replied, “I cannot predict a good outcome for a process that has started on the wrong footing”
Nov62009