Niger Delta Avengers says ready for dialogue with FG

The militant group which calls itself  the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and has been blowing up oil installations in Nigeria’s Niger Delta of recent, says it is ready to dialogue with government under certain terms and conditions.

The group said in a statement yesterday that it  wants a “genuine attitude and conducive atmosphere that will make us commit to any proposed dialogue”.

It further says that it wants  the Federal Government to arrange for representatives of the countries of origin of multinational oil companies operating in Nigeria to act as independent mediators in the talks  and that it  believes that it is only in such an environment that  a framework for achieving its  demands can be met and that this will lead to lasting peace.

It adds, “The NDA high command is restating our commitment to attack the interest of oil corporation and international refineries operators that bring in vessels to the Niger delta territory to buy our oil that every successive government have (sic) refused to used and reapply the proceeds towards any development in the region since 1958.”

The NDA warns that “during this period of ‘Operation Red Economy’, until and/or after the dialogue”, no attempt should be made to repair pipelines and other oil and gas facilities damaged by its operatives, otherwise it would destroy two petroleum bearing vessels as a warning.

The message further reads, “The issues of the Niger delta are as old and as new as the days of Pa. Dappa Biriye, Major Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, to Ken Saro Wiwa and the government of President Musa Yar’ Adua. We are warning this government of President Muhammadu Buhari, not to turn the essence of genuine peace talk and dialogue to political jamboree that is prevailing now where all manner of social media agitators and criminals have being sponsored by the job seeking corrupt political class to safe faces (sic) before the government of the day.”

It further states that it could resort to taking lives if the trade in crude oil from the Niger Delta region is not suspended for now.

The NDA had earlier made demands including the immediate implementation of the 2014 National Conference report and that President Buhari, the director-general of the State Secret Services and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in Bayelsa State, Timipre Sylva, should apologise to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of the late  DSP Alamieyeseigha, for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliations.

It also asserts that the ownership of oil blocs in Nigeria must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people.

It also says that Ogoniland and all oil-polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up, while compensation should be paid to all oil-producing communities and that Radio Biafra director and Independent(sic) Indigenous Peoples of Biafra leader, Nnamdi Kanu, should be released unconditionally, while  the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme must be well funded and allowed to continue to run effectively.

It further demands that “all APC members indicted for corruption should be made to face trial like their counterparts in the Peoples Democratic Party.”