Niger Delta Youths demand inclusion in resolving hostilities in the region

Niger Delta Youths demand inclusion in resolving hostilities in the region Youth leaders in the nine states of the Niger Delta on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to quickly commence talks with them on the crises rocking the region with a vie a to resolving them. The youth leaders, under the aegis of the Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Council, made the call in Yenagoa, Bayelsa capital, after rising from their crucial meeting on the state of the region. The meeting was attended by youth leaders from Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) ,Urhobo Progressive Union Youth Wing, Itsekiri National Youth Council,Ndokwa Youth Council. Also in attendance were Edo Youth Council, Ikwerre Youth Council, and Ibibio Youth Council among others. The President, IYC, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, who briefed journalists on the outcome of the meeting, said the youth leaders were unanimous that if the Federal Government desired peace, security and development of the region, it should do the needful by constituting a negotiation team urgently. The youth leaders recalled that since the November 1, 2016 meeting between Niger Delta leaders and the Federal Government, the Federal Government had yet to set up a dialogue team to interface with youth leaders on the problems in the region. “We urge the Federal Government to quickly set up anegotiation team to urgently resolve the crises in the Niger Delta. You will agree with me that the whole world has been waiting for the government to do the needful. “As it stands, the knife and the yam are in the hands of the Federal Government when it concerns this Niger Delta crisis.” Eradiri said. The leaders also urged the Federal Government to stop the invasion of the Niger Delta communities, insisting that there were better ways to resolve criminal issues in the region. They urged the government to deploy its intelligence apparatus in the resolution of the crises in the region, saying that it had been discovered that intelligence had recorded more successes than the option of military invasion. “The recent invasion in Delta State had more of children, women and the elderly as the major casualties. So, we call on the Federal Government to do more on intelligence to resolve the issues. “But above all, the political will on the part of the government will better resolve the issues than military option.” He said. They also urged the government to quickly resolve the legal issues relating to the Maritime University in Delta, insisting that such a move would discourage vandalism and destruction of critical national assets in the region. “That the governors in the Niger Delta should do more in resolving the militancy and other criminal issues in the region.The governors should set up an economic plan to take the region out of the crises. “We are saying this because liberation itself cannot come from external but must be internally driven. What are the Niger Delta governors doing genuinely on their own part to resolve these crises? “We have yet to see that kind of action on the part of the governors. Everybody is just waiting for the Federal Government. State governors in this region must meet, engage stakeholders and begin to resolve the problems. “The country is facing an economic crisis; what are our state governors doing to come out with an economic plan to take this region out of poverty and militancy? “The conditions in the Niger Delta are getting out of hand; there is widespread poverty and criminality is going up everyday. “So we call on our governors to provide leadership, economic leadership, political leadership and developmental leadership.” They stated.