The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), an umbrella body of militants in the Niger Delta has raised an alarm that some elements in Northern Nigeria were inducing youths in the Niger Delta to rubbish Acting President Goodluck Jonathan as lacking in clout in his region.
They said the scheme was hatched to use the boys in the region to destroy oil facilities to give the impression that Jonathan was not on ground in his area and therefore tarnish his Presidency.
This is as the President of the Niger Delta Peoples Force, Mr. Sobomabo Jackreece, has warned against use of youths in the Niger Delta region to stall developmental projects by politicians who always push for their personal interests.
The alarm over use of Niger Delta youths to rubbish Jonathan was raised in a statement sent via email by Cynthia Whyte, the original Spokesperson of JRC before Bakabio Walter started signing their statements.
“On behalf of the Joint Revolutionary Council, I wish to inform and alert all men of goodwill of the attempt by an intensely dubious cabal to recruit young men from the Niger Delta to engage in acts that will destabilize the political status quo and question the ability of Goodluck Jonathan to act effectively as President of the Nigerian state.
“We are well informed that this cabal seeks to recruit high risk elements for the sabotage of key oil and gas infrastructures across the Niger Delta. Their intention is to create the impression that the Acting President is incapable of managing the Niger Delta question and running the affairs of this contraption called Nigeria.
We condemn this people and warn them to stay off the Niger Delta territory.”
We believe that this cabal is made up of politically frustrated Northern elements in collaboration with failing politicians of South-South extraction. We hereby declare that we cannot be used as pawns in a chessboard to fight against our own”, they said.
On amnesty, they said they were hopeful that he would try and do the right things even as the power blocks are working against his smooth running of affairs though they would not give an undertaking to his performance as they are not soothsayers.
Apparently miffed by the alleged heckling by politicians of some youths to go daily to protest against the management of the Niger Delta Development Commission based on their selfish interests, he warned them to desist.
Egberipapa said he would not mind to go back into the trenches to battle those who were working against the interest and development of the region, positing that the Managing Director of NDDC, Mr. Chibuzor Ugwoha has manifested the best programmes to empower the youths in the region.
“Because he is not agreeing to the politicians in the Board of the Commission for there to be business as usual, they are hiring all manner of youths and paying them to go there and stage protests, I want to warn that unless they stop that, I may be forced with the people under me to instill discipline in them”, he warned.