Politics
Niger Delta leaders give Buhari ultimatum to restructure Nigeria
Leaders of thought in the Niger Delta have given President Muhammadu Buhari a three month ultimatum to restructure Nigeria or they will be forced to break away from the country.
The ultimatum which came at the end of a South-South zonal conference on restructuring held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Saturday, also mandated the Buhari-led government to convene a national dialogue within the same time frame.
The leaders also called for the of powers to states so that can operate independently instead of depending solely on the Federal Government.
The meeting which had in attendance prominent leaders of the region including a career diplomat and Nigeria’s former Ambassador to Czechoslovakia, Dr. Godknows Igali, National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Senator Emmanuel Ebok-Essien and a representativeof Chief Edwin Clark, insisted that if the government fails to accede to their request, the consequences will be damning for the nation.
Read also: FACT CHECK… Bill to restructure Nigeria concluded and ready for ratification. True or false?
“We the people of the Niger Delta hereby give the Government of Nigeria a three months window, within which to cordially address our concerns towards re-federalising the polity, by convening a national dialogue of the representatives of the ethnic groups in Nigeria to chart a new course for the country.
“At the expiration of this three-month window, we the people of the Niger Delta will commence the process that will guarantee our freedom and progress.
“Our people should mobilise all human resources to see that fiscal federalism and devolution of powers are included in the constitution.”
By Isaac Dachen…
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