Niger Delta: Clark gives FG ultimatum to constitute negotiation team

Leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark, has asked the federal government to, as a matter of urgency, constitute a negotiation team to engage in talks with region’s stakeholders before August 1.
The Ijaw national leader warned that youths of the region were becoming impatient over delay in the talks.

Clark disclosed that he has been receiving telephone calls over the seeming stalemate in negotiation, adding that since the November 1, 2016 meeting, PANDEF has not met with the federal government.
He decried the pace of work at the Maritime University, Okerekoko, Delta State, which Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, had hinted would soon take off.
Clark said: “They said the school will resume this year, July is almost ending, when will the staff be employed, what is the situation?

“So, between now and August 1, we are asking Mr. President to name a team and we will name our team because the boys are impatient and they have been disturbing me with telephone messages and some of them have even issued notices to disown us.
“We cannot be in a situation where the Federal Government is not listening to us, our boys will soon lose confidence in us and we cannot carry on with that situation. So we are asking the acting president to open discussion with us.”
Meanwhile, an environmental activist from the Niger Delta, Annkio Briggs, has lamented current system in Nigeria, saying the North was highly favoured in scheme of arrangement.

She said the region has more local governments, more lawmakers, among others, adding that the North clearly has the upper hand in Nigeria.