The on-going interface between the Federal Government and the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) may fail due to what some stakeholders described as the lack of the presence of the core oil and gas grass-root representatives, especially of host communities.
This was the position of the Urhobo Ethnic Nationality leaders, as both the congress of the presidents-general and the chairmen of the oil and gas host communities expressed dismay over their non-inclusion in the dalogue team.
They said they were the actual leaders who have the feelings of the people and therefore better placed to present the people’s cases in a high profile meeting with the Federal Government.
Chairman of Urhobo Ethnic Nationality, Comrade Efe Okovwurie stated that “after the courtesy call on Mr. President by the Central Working Committee (CWC) of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) selection of the dialogue team should have been based on the ethnic nationalities (especially in Delta State with multiplicity of ethnic nationalities).
Comrade Okovwurie argued that the ongoing meeting between the Federal Government and the Pan Niger Delta Forum may fail because of not adequately accommodating the leadership of the various oil bearing communities from Urhobo Ethnic Nationality who can table the demands of the Niger Delta before the federal government.
“The entire process will still fail because the aspirations of the aggrieved people will not still get to the federal government as most of the members drafted into the CWC are not from the oil producing communities but are politicians who are either representing themselves or the state governors because they were never nominated or selected by the communities”, he declared.
“It amounts to the height of insult on the Urhobo Ethnic Nation for some people from any other ethnic nation to encroach into matters of nomination for representation of the Urhobo people on issues bordering on oil and gas when the leadership of the host communities are there”, he added.
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