Connect with us

Politics

Buhari afraid of Niger Delta militants — Fayose

Published

on

Jimoh, agent of destabilization will never be Ondo gov, Fayose vows

The Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose has again taken on President Muhammadu Buhari, accusing hım öf surrendering to the superior fire power of Niger Delta militants, especially the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, over his last minute cancelation of his trip to Ogoni land.

The governor also counseled the President to dialogue with the militants, so as to end hostilities in the oil rich region and save Nigeria’s economy from imminent collapse.

It would be recalled that the NDA had warned President Buhari to stay away from the Niger Delta region if he desired to live. He was represented at the flagoff of the Ogoni land clean up project by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

The governor, in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said it was shameful and embarrassing that President Buhari, a retired military General could succumb to threat from militants despite that he told Nigerians that he was going to lead from the fronts.

Fayose also wondered why the President was not always interested in visiting states in the country as against his penchant for overseas trips, adding that it was time the President stopped acting like a foreign president.

Read also: War’ looms as N’Delta militants draw battle line, to launch missiles

He said it was obvious that the President’s approach to civil unrests of any kind under the government was causing more security problems in the country, adding that “the President cannot afford to continue to talk tough on issues that dialogue can resolve.”

The statement reads in part: “Now that the President has surrendered to the threat and intimidation of the Niger Delta Avengers, he should emulate late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua by having a roundtable talks with the Niger Delta militants.

“By not going to Ogoni, because of threat from the NDA, our president has shown that he is actually afraid of the militants and the best thing to do in a situation like this is to dialogue with the militants so as to save Nigeria economy from imminent collapse.

“It also shows that the President’s ability to secure Nigeria and its people is suspect because if the President could succumb to threat from militants and abandon his official function for his deputy, ordinary Nigerians should seek help elsewhere.

“The President should therefore save Nigeria the agony of military misadventure in the Niger Delta by holding dialogue with the militants with a view to resolving their grievances.

“The Niger Delta region as at today is still the golden goose laying the golden egg on which all other regions are surviving.

“Diversification, as good as it sounds, takes time. We need to appreciate these regions as our only source of income.”

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now