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Urhobo Historical Society |
THE URHOBO VOICE, JULY 27, 2009 �
7
Clark Hails Urhobo Historical Society
*Gives condition for peace in the N-Delta
Chief Edwin Clark has showered praises on the Urhobo Historical
Society (UHS) for its statement on the
Gbaramatu situation, even has listed
conditions he says could lead to peace in the Niger Delta region
before December.
The Ijaw national leader and former
Federal Information Minister spoke in his country home,
Kiagbodo recently when he played host to
Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, Governor of Delta
State who was on a courtesy call to brief him on President
Umaru
Yar�Adua�s amnesty proposals.
According to Chief Clark, �No amount of rehabilitation will solve the
problem. It is an insult to them to be fed by other people. If
the war is over, let the Gbaramatu people
go home, to manage themselves. After this, there must be a pull out by
the JTF to their base, so that these boys will come out, but if you
are stationing military men in Camp 5 and
Okerenkoko; I heard that there are about
200 soldiers in Okerekonko, the boys will
not come out; the people will find it difficult to go back to their
homes. It is not enough for anybody to say that they can go home.
Government must prepare both at the state and the federal levels so
that the people could return to their homes in peace not as a
conquered people.�
The former federal Information Minister said the federal government
must also determine what they want to do for the Niger Delta people
between now and December in form of physical infrastructural
development. He added, �You know,
Your Excellency, that a 45-man committee led by
Ledum
Mittee was set up to look into all the
reports from 1958 to this day. The committee has done their job but
for the past seven months no report and nothing tangibly has been
done: One of the things you carry back to our President, is for him to
release that report. Let us know what each committee in the past have
recommended for the development of the Niger Delta.�
According to him, it is not enough for some people to sit in Abuja
and abuse their elders reminding them that if there is no justice
there will be no peace and if there is no peace no development can
take place in the Niger Delta.
Chief Clark was full of praise for the Urhobo Historical Society for their statement on the current situation in the Niger-Delta and advised other groups in the region to emulate them, saying that the Niger Delta people would not allow the Hausas, Yorubas and Ibos to determine what is best for the region.
Earlier in his comment, Dr Emmaneul
Uduaghan described his visit to Chief
Clark as a business one to discuss the current amnesty for the youths
fighting for justice in the region and the way forward. He stressed
that the engagement process, which he began some years ago was the
best way forward to achieve peace in the region despite the
reservation expressed by some people saying that the issue of
marginalization in Niger Delta was very serious.