Niger Delta elders come under fire from youths

Different groups from the Niger Delta region tabled their requests o the presidency 

The youths from the region blamed them for not involving the younger generation  

They also criticised the different groups for not uniting Nigerian youths under the aegis of Nigerian Youth Organization have lashed out at Niger Delta leaders for having different groups presenting different demands to the federal government. 

They also criticised the different groups for not having youths represented in their delegates to the presidency. President Muhammadu Buhari had met with the Edwin Clark-led Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) where a 16-point agenda was submitted.

However, King Alfred Diete-Spiff led another group, the Niger Delta Peoples Congress (NDPC) to meet with vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to present another set of demand. A member of PANDEF said: “PANDEF is going to meet over it and a general decision will be taken. 

It is not a case of asking me my personal opinion of what HRM Diete-Spiff did. We have to meet and find out why something like this happened and issue a formal statement.” Another said: “The truth is that after the PANDEF meeting, some part of Niger Delta and some civil society groups felt not properly carried along in the scheme of things, hence this meeting with the Vice President.” 

A member of the new group said NDPC was not comfortable with the 16-point demand presented to the president. “The conveners of NPDC, I must confess, are not comfortable with PANDEF leadership, hence they went through King Diete Spiff. Though I am not too comfortable with the conveners, I had to attend because my people insisted. 

That is why I do not want to make comment openly for now, but at the appropriate time, I will speak my mind.” The youth group said: “Youths of the region are not happy with what is happening between the presidency and the leaders of Niger Delta. The leaders of this region are the people destroying this Niger Delta. 

They are using these different factions to cause more problems. The two parties are not considering the place of youths in this quest. They cannot get call for a meeting of the region and the youths are not represented. This shows total disunity.” Alagoa Morris who is a Niger Delta activist said: “I am not surprised for two reasons. 

Firstly, a lot of criticism trailed the first set of demands and, youths were also expressing displeasure for not being carried along. Secondly, I am not surprised because this is confirming that the people of the Niger Delta have spent more time in complaining and shouting than articulating issues in unison.”