The leadership of the European Union
(EU) Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) has concluded plans to meet with President Muhammadu
Buhari over the rising wave of militancy in the Niger Delta and the
agitations by the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), it was gathered
at the weekend.
The 28-member Union, with a population
of over 500 million people, and a quarter of the global wealth, is one
of the most powerful organisations in the world.
The AUTHORITY gathered that, worried by
the deteriorating security situation in the Niger Delta and the
Southeast, leaders of the European Union spent the past weeks meeting
with opinion leaders from the zones to help their understanding of how
best to handle the situation.
According to The Authority, the EU
leaders hosted the opinion leaders from the zones to several meetings in
Abuja. At one of the meetings, said the source, one speaker from the
Niger Delta pointedly accused the EU of fanning the embers of the crises
in the zones, and advised the Union to stop “playing the ostrich in
Nigeria.”
An official of the Union who spoke under
the condition of anonymity told The Authority that it was wrong to
accuse the EU, which he said between 2009 and 2013, granted over €700m
aid to Nigeria, of bad faith.
“It is most unfortunate that an
organisation which committed over €200m to youth development, including
reintegrating ex-militants in the same Niger Delta, is accused of bad
faith.
The EU is committed to developing, not
only Nigeria, but the whole of Africa. “Between 2009 and 2013, EU aid to
Nigeria most of it from the 10th European Development Fund totalled
about €700m. Some €200m was allocated to the consolidation of peace and
stability, tackling poverty and creating job opportunities for young
people (ex-militants) in the Niger Delta.
“The highpoints of the EU 2009-2013
Country Strategy are peace and security, governance and human rights,
and trade and regional integration. The basis for political, trade and
development cooperation relations between the EU and Nigeria is the 2000
Cotonou Agreement otherwise called the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement,
which covers 79 developing countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the
Pacific.
“Aside from the fact that Nigeria is the
most populous country in Africa, it is the biggest economy on the
continent and a regional power. Besides, it is a very important trading
partner with the EU. This is why we want to meet with President Buhari
and share some of our thoughts on happenings in the Niger Delta and
South East with him,” said the official.
Meanwhile, IPOB on Sunday drummed
support for the militant group responsible for crippling Nigeria’s oil
production, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), as its “kith and kin.”
IPOB made its position known in a
statement endorsed by its spokespersons Emma Mmezu and Dr. Chukwuemeka
Iroanya.“The Indigenous People of Biafra under the leadership of Mazi
Nnamdi Kanu hereby state that we support our kith and kin, the Niger
Delta Avengers, who are fighting for the freedom of our people from the
enslaving Nigerian Government.
“We want to place it on record that IPOB
has no connection with some groups who are claiming on the pages of
Nigerian newspapers that they do not support our fellow freedom fighters
the NDA,” IPOB said in the statement.
IPOB said the Niger Delta Avengers were
not fighting for resource control and a restoration of the amnesty
programme, rather, the group was fighting for Biafra.
“The NDA have consistently stated that
the release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is a precondition for any
discussion with Nigeria,” it said.
“Unfortunately, the Nigerian government
has swept this demand under the carpet while magnifying the notion of
am¬nesty payments and resource control as reasons for the NDA’s actions.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NDA is
fighting for the freedom of the people of Biafra and not for amnesty
payment or for resource control as some commentators would like to
believe.”
According to IPOB, if the secession plan
is successful, resources will be controlled by the owners of the land
where those resources are located.
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