ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
The President, Ijaw National Congress (INC), Prof. Benjamin Okaba, has asked the Federal Government to stop the incessant killings and destruction of public infrastructure and communities by bandits and terrorists across the country.
Okaba lamented that the heightened challenge of insecurity had assumed a more frightening proportion with gory tales of violence, killing, abductions and armed-ransacking of villages by dare-devil gunmen recorded everyday in many parts of the country.
He spoke on Friday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, as chairman on the occasion of the inaugural edition of the Boyloaf annual lecture, formal launch of the Boyloaf Foundation and 50th birthday celebration of Ebikabowei Victor-Ben also known as ‘General’ Boyloaf.
He condemned the dastardly acts, noting: “On a daily basis, Nigerians are hit by reports of killing, kidnapping and violent attacks by bandits and insurgents who invade communities and slaughter hapless people without any form of resistance by security agencies.
“The madness is taking a more frightening dimension as these hoodlums have taken over our roads, airports, waterways and railways, making life unbearable for the average Nigerian and movement difficult in most parts of the nation.
“The government must, as a matter of urgency, halt the wanton killing and destruction of property and save citizens from agony and misery.”
He insisted that restructuring remained the panacea for rescuing the country from imminent collapse.
He, therefore, urged the Federal Government to listen to the clamour from various quarters for restructuring.
Okaba also decried the magnitude of oil and gas pollution in the Niger Delta which had destroyed the marine environment and the livelihood of the people.
He noted that sustainable peace and development in the region could only be anchored on justice, equity and fairness.
Okaba, while congratulating Boyloaf on his 50th birthday celebration and the formal launch of a foundation, commended him for the active role he played in the Niger Delta struggle for self-determination which resulted in the proclamation of Presidential Amnesty Programme for the agitators.
In his keynote speech entitled, ‘Peace, a Priceless Asset for Niger Delta Growth and Development’, the Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dikio (retd), said that with peace, the Niger Delta would be best placed to live and do business in the country.
Dikio noted that the marine environment and oil and gas resources were the greatest assets of the region, stressing the need for the people to embrace peace and allow development to take place unhindered.
He said: “We do not discount the past, the past for which Victor-Ben Ebikabowei and his colleagues represented. As glorious as the past is, the future is better and that future lays open before us to mould and shape.
“We at the PAP, have chosen to advance a vision which is that the Niger Delta will be the best place to live and do business in Nigeria. We need peace and development but we also have to network, collaborate and build bridges of alliance.”
The Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Kombowei Benson, described Victor-Ben as a dogged fighter and a firm believer in his convictions.
He also felicitated with him on his 50th birthday celebration and the official launch of his foundation to promote the welfare and wellbeing of the Niger Delta boy-child.
