By Our Reporter
LAGOS, MAY 16TH (URHOBOTODAY) If history is the best teacher, then, President Goodluck Jonathan, and his government should relocate Vice President NamadiSambo to Borno, Bauchi, Kano,Kebi and other Boko Haram-based sates and be joined by the northern governors to seriously brainstorm with members of the sect and fashion out a lasting solution to the rampaging insurgency foisted on Nigerians since the last few years.
Niger Delta activist, Comrade Joseph Evah, stated this in the Ketu area of Lagos over the weekend during the inauguration of the women’s wing of the Niger Delta Peoples Forum (NDPF).
He said when the late President UmaruYar’Adua was in government and he was faced with the crises engendered by militants in the Niger Delta, the President came up with the idea that since Jonathan was from the area, he was the best person to champion the cause of a ceasefire and solution to the problem.
According to him, Yar’adua had to relocate Jonathan who was then the Vice President to the Niger Delta creeks to discuss and negotiate with the militants.
The idea eventually produced a solution which was the beginning of the relative peace thatexists in that region today and the eventual offer of amnesty, he added.
Said Evah: “Jonathan should take that political decision and relocate his Vice, Sambo, to those Boko Haram-troubled spots in the North along with the governors of the states concerned and sit with all their kinsmen who constitute the sect for serious discussion; and if it becomes necessary, the President should declare a full state of emergency in the states involved just the way former President OlusegunObasanjo did during his tenure in Plateau State, suspending the governor and the state House of Assembly and appointed a sole administrator. With such an action, all other governors who are still hobnobbing with the sect will sit up, and run round to caution their subjects who are still courting Boko Haram. But if Jonathan is scared or pretending over this type of decision, then he should declare amnesty for Boko Haram so that innocent people will not die.”
However, while regretting that the President was being advised on his unpopular decisions by dishonest aides, Comrade Evah who is the coordinator of the Ijaw Monitoring Group as well as grand patron of the NDPF, cautioned the likes of AlhajiMujaheedDokubo-Asari of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, whose recent utterances seem to have been hitting up the polity, to mellow down.
His words: “We are trying to caution some our people who are making certain statements that could put us into trouble. We are trying to caution people that we need to build bridges instead of trying to break those that we have build; else, as from next year we may be in serious trouble. Those of our people who are making certain statements ought to realise that we need the support of others if we are to have the presidency in 2015.
“We that are from Jonathan’s area are telling him to perform very well so that the Nigerian people can vote for him again. We are trying our possible best to make the President reason with the aspiration of the Nigerian masses.”
But the president of the NDPF, Barrister George Utomhim is of the belief that Dokubo-Asari has every right to speak on any issue over which he is provoked.While admitting that there is no reason for anybody to be unnecessarily worried over the former war lord’s utterances, BarristerUtomhim said government only needs to understand his grouse and seek to address them.
Said he: “All that Dokubo-Asari is saying is that he is provoked; something is annoying him.Because of what is going on, he is provoked and he is talking. That doesn’t mean that he is going to cause trouble. We know and recognize him as a power broker in the Niger Delta. Let the government call him and ask him what the problem is. Let us get to a round table conference to talk.”