President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress to probe the
administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and send him to prison on
trumped-up charges.
A statement issued by the spokesperson of VND, Mr. Osaghae Ogiemudia, in
Abuja said recent events in the country have revealed that the Buhari’s
regime was out to deal with the Niger-Delta people, especially the Ijaw
ethnic group in Nigeria.
The coalition therefore advised the Ijaws to support the re-election of
their “only son and only Ijaw governor, Henry Seriake Dickson in the
forthcoming elections in Bayelsa State and resist all moves by APC to take
over power through the back door. Ijaw people defecting to APC from PDP
are all traitors.”
According to them, the plot to imprison Jonathan has been perfected with
the ongoing controversy over Excess Crude Account and the allegation
levelled against the immediate-past Minister of Finance/Coordinating
Minister of the Economy, Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala by Edo State
governor, Adams Oshiomhole.
Ogiemudia said, “The whole plan has been perfected and we know the
direction of all the noise by Oshiomhole. We know their target and that is
Jonathan. We, the members of the Vanguard of Nigeria’s Democracy are aware
of some clandestine moves made by the APC led government to probe,
investigate, malign and imprison ex President Jonathan. We are already
aware of the trumped-up charges the APC government is leveling against a
man who has diligently served the Nigerian State at the highest level of
government.”
See full statement below…
We the members of the Vanguards of Nigeria’s Democracy (VND) wish to call
the attention of the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari
to the unsavory and patently repugnant action by the APC led federal
government, especially the anti-Niger Delta and the anti-Ijaw posturing of
the APC led administration. We believe the anti-Niger and anti-Ijaw
posturing is against democracy, good governance, equity and good
conscience.
1. There is no gainsaying the fact that the most liberal Political
Party that has ever ruled Nigeria is the Peoples Democratic Party. The
political Party demonstrated this in terms of appointments in line with
the federal character principle, of key appointments, which cut across
ethnic, religious and geographical barrier. This is why most objective
analysts described the PDP as a national Party in terms of spread, popular
support in all geo-political zones, appointments and structures. The
former President Dr, Goodluck Jonathan even conceded defeat to President
Muhammadu Buhari even before the presidential election results were
formally declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission. This
is the climax of political maturity and the aura of good governance and
political sportsmanship, which the PDP radiated in the political landscape
of the nation. Unfortunately the All Progressive Congress, APC does not
have these liberal characteristics. The
APC, within the short period it has been in office has demonstrated that
it is not only anti-Niger Delta but acutely anti-Ijaw in nature.
2. The anti-Niger Delta and anti-Ijaw posturing of the Party has been
demonstrated in several ways. No sooner the APC led administration took
office that the Director General of the State Security Service – Mr.
Bassey a minority man from the Niger Delta was relieved of his
appointment. No reason was given for the action. In his place a Fulani
man was appointed. Mr. Lawal who is in an acting capacity demoted Ms.
Marilyn Ogar another Niger Delta Director. The reasons of the demotion are
still shrouded in mystery.
3. Then President Buhari unilaterally cancelled the waterway
surveillance and security contract awarded to the Delta-born Ijaw peace
maker Mr. Government Tompolo. For those who know, this contract has
drastically reduced oil theft, oil bunkering and violation of oil
facilities in the Niger Delta waterways. The award of the contract was
necessitated by the incessant cases of oil theft, bunkering and
destruction of oil facilities.
4. The Amnesty students have written to President Muhammadu Buhari to
keep the Amnesty Programme running because the well-being of Niger Delta
Children is at stake. Let it be noted that the Programme was introduced by
a Northerner President Umar Musa Yar’Adua from the same State with
President Muhammadu Buhari to reduce militancy in the Niger Delta Region,
which provides the foreign exchange of Nigeria. Part of the letter written
to the President reads: “We are the 3,063 students/beneficiaries of the
Special Educational Scholarship under the Niger Delta Presidential Amnesty
program run by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger
Delta. We have not received our allowances for upkeep and Accommodation
for 3 months and we are now destitute in large numbers all over the world;
United Kingdom 625 students, South Africa 69 students, United States 275
students, Malaysia 180 students, Philippines 50 students, Russia
45students, Belarus 53 students, Dubai 23 students and the rest are spread
all over the globe from Grenada to Australia. That the acting head
Engineer Jaiyeoba Tikolo be authorized to pay our Allowances, Tuition,
Salaries and other attendant basic office cost.”
The students continued: “We were told that the former Special Adviser Hon.
Kingsley Kuku in the absence of Permanent Secretary handed over to the
most senior Director Engr. Jayeoba Tikolo on May 29, 2015. We are
appealing that the government authorize and appoint the Acting Head of the
Presidential Amnesty Program Engineer Jayeoba Tikolo as a signatory and
this should not be difficult”. Ordinarily, the APC led administration
should have understudied how the Presidential Amnesty Programme was run
before replacing Hon. Kingsley Kuku but President Buhari replaced the man
running the programme because Hon. Kingsley Kuku is an Ijaw man. This we
believe is the climax of APC’S anti-Ijaw posturing. Till date President
Muhammadu Buhari and the APC government has not considered the plight of
the students abroad. Why? because most of the beneficiaries of the
programme are Ijaw youths.
5. SACKING OF NIMASSA DG: The immediate past Director General of
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Patrick
Ziakede Akpobolokemi is one of the principal appointment given to the
Ijaws of Bayelsa State. Ex President Jonathan appointed Akpobolokemi for a
tenure of four years in 2010 and renewed his appointment in 2014. Such
appointment just renewed less than a year ago should have been kept until
his tenure expires but the APC led government threw caution to the winds
and sacked the DG of NIMASSA.President Buhari did not state the reason for
the sack.
6. We the members of the VANGUARD OF NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY are aware of
some clandestine moves made by the APC led government to probe,
investigate, malign and imprison ex President Jonathan. We are already
aware of the trumped-up charges the APC government is leveling against a
man who has diligently served the Nigerian State at the highest level of
government.
7. The APC led Government should take notice that the appointments made
so far are skewed in favour of the North, as no Ijaw man has been
appointed. While An Ijaw President did not discriminate in appointment,
President Buhari is implementing a Northern Agenda. (Vide: some of the
appointments)
1. Director-General of the State Services, Lawal Daura, Katsina State –
Acting Chairman, North
2. the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs. Amina Bala
Zakari, Jigawa State – North
3. Director, the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mordecai
Danteni Baba Ladan (North) – Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji
Ahmed Idris, Kano State –
4. Chief Security Officer, Abdulrahman Mani; (North) – State Chief of
Protocol, Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure; (North) –
5. Aide De Camp, Lt.-Col. Muhammed Lawal Abubakar, Kano State –
6. Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu;
(North) –
7. Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, South-West
WE are watching with keen interest.
CONCLUSION:
The Nigerian State and specifically the APC led government should take
notice that the Ijaw race, which is the dominant ethnic nationality, has
never been conquered. From the days of the slave trade, through the
legitimate trade to colonialism and to the present day, the Ijaw race has
never been conquered. The Ijaw race produces about 70% of the resources
sustaining the country and it will be foolhardy for any government to
undermine the capacity of the Ijaw ethnic nationality to be marginalized.
We are a peaceful and law abiding people and we believe in the
indivisibility and corporate existence of Nigeria, but certainly the Ijaws
have a way of resisting injustice, sectionalism and inequity AND NOT EVEN
THYE APC ADMINISTARTION CAN ATTEMPT TO CONQUER THE IJAW NATION.