Soyinka To Lead Avengers’ Dialogue Group

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, may play a key role in resolving the current conflict between the Federal Government and the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the militant group which has claimed responsibility for the renewed militancy and bombing of oil and gas facilities in the Niger Delta.

Barring any last minute twists, Soyinka is expected to lead the dialogue team comprising about six other eminent Nigerians nominated by the NDA to meet with the Federal Government to explore ways of securing a ceasefire and restoring lasting peace in the region.
The resolve to dialogue with the Federal Government came after months of sustained violent campaign and economic sabotage, which has impacted negatively on oil production and revenue accruing to the federation.

Spokesman for the Dialogue Group, Mr. Ballantyne Agiri, who disclosed this in an exclusive chat with New Telegraph, confirmed that the NDA had constituted a contact and dialogue group to engage the Federal Government in meaningful dialogue as part of the initiatives to resolve the crisis.

Agiri, who declined to mention the names of the other members of the dialogue team, said Soyinka was chosen because of track records as a freedom fighter as well as a credible and detribalised personality.

The move to select a dialogue team, Agiri said, has been going on for months, but was delayed due to the fact that the leadership of the NDA was looking for credible personalities who are capable of presenting their grievances before the central government and insist on extracting useful commitments from the other side. “I was on my own when they invited me to work for them.

But I told them that one person cannot hold dialogue with the government, that we should look for eminent Nigerians who have the pedigree to do a good job. The moment I mentioned Professor Wole Soyinka, they became interested because, according to them, he is somebody who is not from the Niger Delta, but has a credible and detribalised personality.

The militants said they were looking for about five or, at most, seven persons to lead the negotiation on their behalf. “Right now, we are constituting the dialogue team, we are putting logistics in place. Some of the members of the team are coming from outside the country.

When you see some of them, you will even be shocked. Some of them are people who have served this country in different capacities,” he said. Agiri disclosed that at a certain stage, there were some elements of disagreement among the leaders of the NDA on the proposed dialogue.

A section of them, he said, believed that there was no need to dialogue with the Federal Government because of the perception that the current administration was not favourably disposed to listening to the cries of marginalisation of the Niger Delta people.

“There have been differences among the militants in terms of approach to ending the crisis. The Central Niger Delta is Bayelsa, then the East comprises Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Cross River states.
These two groups have agreed to work together towards the dialogue and they constitute about 70 per cent of the total fighting force now. Those from the Western Niger Delta that is Delta, Edo and Ondo constitute about 30 per cent of the fighting force of the NDA.
They were not too keen on dialogue because they felt that the body language of President Muhammadu Buhari does not suggest he was open to any dialogue. So the Central and Eastern blocks said that if the others were not ready for dialogue, we are ready for dialogue; go ahead and open talks with the Federal Government on our behalf,” he said.

On how far the dialogue process had gone, Agiri said: “We are in the process. You know, this thing is not one man’s business. Most of those we have contacted do not want us to disclose their names yet.
I only mentioned Soyinka to you because you remember that recently he went to Aso Rock to meet with Mr. President to brief him and he said that Mr. President was happy with our proposal for peace.”

Meanwhile, another militant group, Iduwini Volunteer Force (IVF), has embraced the proposed dialogue with government, saying it was in the best interest of the oil-bearing communities and the national economy.

Leader of the group, Commander Johnson Biboye, said it was heartwarming that the Federal Government has expressed readiness to listen to the agitators across the Niger Delta, but warned that government must remain committed and sincere during and after the dialogue.

In a statement mailed to New Telegraph, Biboye disclosed that the leadership of IVF decided to embrace peace and dialogue after it held a crucial stakeholders’ meeting with all its unit commanders and zonal commanders to review the security situation in the Niger Delta vis-a-vis the attacks on oil and gas installations in the oil-rich region.

According to him, “the meeting, which started on Sunday, August 21, lasted till the early hours of Monday, August 22, in one of our creek locations, deliberated extensively on the current security situation in the Niger Delta and the efforts of notable leaders to seek peace and dialogue in resolving the crisis.”

The militant group resolved that for peace to reign in the region, all freedom fighting groups in the Niger Delta should cease fire as a mark of honour to the concerted efforts of the leaders who have been working on the peace process.

They urged the Federal Government to show sincerity in the peace process and enhance its credibility by urgently re-opening the Nigeria Maritime University at Okerenekoko in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government Council of Delta State.

The group also demanded the immediate release of all those arrested by security agencies in the course of the crisis while the list of all ex-militants already submitted to the Special Adviser on Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd) should be attended to without any further delay.