Barely 48 hours after Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, rose from a meeting in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, alerting the Federal Government that the patience of youths and stakeholders of Niger Delta region was running out over its lackadaisical approach to the group’s 16-point demand, a militant group, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, has asked the assembly of eminent leaders of the region to stop further engagements with the Federal Government.

PANDEF in a communique by the convener, Chief Edwin Clark, had noted with regret the failure of the government of Nigeria to take positive actions to tackle the urgent matters of the Niger Delta as contained in its 16-point demand, adding: “As a consequence of the government’s sluggish approach, the patience of the youths and other stakeholders is running out.”

Spokesman of NDRC, WOI Izon Ebi, in a statement, said: “Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, a pan-Niger Delta advocacy and liberation movement posed for equity and justice for the people of the Niger Delta honestly advises our eminent royal fathers and distinguished personalities of the PANDEF to stop all engagements on behalf of the people and resources of the Niger Delta.

“Though we appreciate their sacrifice and service over the years, it has not been able to unshackle our people from the chain of slavery. The sacrifices of Chief Clark at 90, HRM Alfred Diete Spiff, Chief Victor Attah and all distinguished personalities of the PANDEF are well recognised, but we want to state that slave masters do not and would never understand the language of platitude.

“We, therefore, advise them to step down so that we can take our future and that of our children in our hands. We the NDRC and the 21st century youths of the Niger Delta equivocally state that there is nothing we will not give to unshackle our people from the chain of slavery.

“We will fight until the last drop of our blood, until justice and equity is enthroned in our land because we cannot afford to bequeath this type of society to our children. Peace without justice is not the same as justice before peace. We will not allow anybody to bequeath peace of the grave yard on us.”

Commending Niger Delta youth leaders for the recent Niger Delta Young Leaders Stakeholders’ roundtable in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, NDRC said: “What was over the social media is just a tip of the iceberg because the 21st century youths and the NDRC are determined to achieve justice and equity. The NDRC and the 21st century youths of the Niger Delta are very proud of our future leaders that converged on Port Harcourt under the name, Niger Delta Young Leaders Stakeholders roundtable meeting on July 5, 2017.”

“The NDRC and the 21st century youths support the stance of the Niger Delta young leaders on true federalism and resource control. Therefore, the 21st century youths of the Niger Delta do not have confidence in their slave-master advocacy,” it added. (Vanguard)

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