These two projects will change the Niger Delta region for good

Editor's Note: Israel Eshenakpe Akpodoro is President of Niger Delta Ex- Agitators, a former militant group in the Niger Delta. In this letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, he commended the president for two special projects, the proposed modular refineries and the $20billion proposed industrial gas park in Ogidigben, Delta state.

Your Excellency, on behalf of the leadership of the National Coalition for Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, I wish to congratulate you and fellow Niger Deltans on the ongoing peace process in the Delta region and the template to sustain the much needed peace in the region especially the laudable ideals of the proposed modular refineries and the $20bn proposed industrial gas park.

We dare say these two gigantic projects are life changing as it is capable of removing our youth population permanently from the streets of Nigeria which will enable them to meaningfully contribute their quota to both regional and national development.

Such proposals if achieved as planned is a road map to a new lease of life to the good people of the Niger Delta region in terms of human and material development.

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Coalition commends you, President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in your efforts at fulfilling the party's campaign promises to the people in entirely novel fashion. We wish you more power to your elbow as you lead us into a new Nigeria where the social contract binding the leaders and the led are carefully executed without let or hindrance.

However, it is of note that this coalition of ex-agitators comprising prominent Ex-militant leaders across the region has been in the forefront of bringing lasting peace in our region and our efforts in this direction can't be over emphasized, right from the electioneering campaigns to the inauguration of our president who we rolled out our machineries for his victory at the Presidential election. Since then we have been doing everything within our powers as a group to shore up the popularity of this administration amongst our people.

Also, as a group we were at the vanguard of the campaign against the hostilities of ethnic militias who sabotage our national patrimony, forcing them into the negotiating table with the federal government, the result of which we are beginning to feel in the oil and gas - rich Niger Delta region.

As a group, we noticed exclusion by the federal government in the peace process as our leadership was not invited to the negotiating table as major stakeholders in the process of ensuring lasting peace. By this medium we protest our exclusion because we have implicit confidence that the federal government has what it takes to do it better.

Additionally, our teaming members till date have been denied engagement by the government we worked for as foot soldiers right from the campaign field to inauguration and we have nothing to show for our support for the APC led government.

Israel Eshanekpe Akpodoro

When it was not fashionable to mention APC in the Niger Delta region, we were there with then General Buhari all the way.

During the era of impunity laced with regional loyalty for the then incumbent, the NCNDE-A defied all odds to support President Buhari and his utter ego - Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Today, the government we worked and live for has persistently left us in the limbo as our members are left without empowerment, no patronage of any kind as against the known norm of rewarding loyalty and support.

We have been abandoned by the government we helped to put in place. This government has denied us our rightful place in the scheme of things, especially in the area of empowering our group.

In view of the above, we still have that deep seated confidence in us that the President and his team have conscience and would deem it appropriate to place us in the right position particularly engaging our members favourably because we worked for their emergence.

The President Buhari led federal government owes us a duty of patronage. We need our 17,000 members to be empowered and meaningfully engaged.

While we await a positive response from the administration, we wish to appreciate the good work being done by the Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who has been able to responsibly fill the would - have been vacuum created by the vacation of our amiable President.

Professor Osinbajo has redefined loyalty, humility, respect, responsiveness, reliability, dependability in the discharge of his duties and to Nigerians, we are grateful.

As we humbly await favourable response from the federal government, we wish President Buhari a quick recovery and safe return home soon.

Thanks and God bless.

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