News Release: MEND To Resume Niger Delta Oil War

After a careful deliberation and other considerations, with effect from 00:00 Hrs, Friday 05, April 2013, The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (M.E.N.D), will commence with a plague of sustained attacks codenamed “Hurricane Exodus”.

Hurricane Exodus is a direct repercussion of a forged threat letter contrived by the Nigerian and South African governments purporting to have originated from MEND. This fake letter was used as evidence against Henry Okah for which a thirteen (13) years sentence was passed. To make matters worse, the prosecution’s second witness Mr Sele Victor-Ben exclaimed in court that the letter was a fake after failing to catch the prosecutor’s eye who wanted him to lie under oath.

We are now determined to conjure this imaginary trumped up threat into a painful reality.

The attacks will be sustained until an unreserved apology is offered to MEND and the Nigerian government shows their willingness to dialogue. The same way they are willing to dialogue with Boko Haram.

Jomo Gbomo

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U-Report: CD Raises Concern Over Non Presence Of SURE-P In South-Eastern Nigeria

Dr. Christopher Kolade; SURE-P Chief

Report By: Campaign For Democracy South-East Region Publicity Arm

The Campaign for Democracy (CD) South-East Region has raised concern over non-presence of the Subsidy Re-investment Programme (SURE-P) in the South-Eastern Nigeria.

``There is a worsening unemployment challenge, which the fund should have tackled"  The statement, jointly signed by Dede Uzor A. Uzor and Dr. Jerry Chukwuokolo, Chairman and Secretary of the group respectively, said.

It would be recalled that the SURE-P initiative, which came after the Federal Government and Civil Society groups had a show-down for a week in January 2012 over partial removal of subsidy on petroleum products, was meant to cushion the effect of the removal.

``In the South-West, the governors have started utilizing the funds released to them through the programme”.

``Presently in Ondo, Osun and Lagos States, their various governments had employed 3,000 youths with the monies released”.

``It is very sad that up till now, South-East governors have not made any move to start the programme and spread its benefits to her people, after allegedly collecting their own share of the money from the Federal Government,’’ The statement further said.

The statement also blamed the high rate of crime, criminality and kidnapping due to the prevailing rate of unemployment and zero human capital development in the zone.

CD has also issued a 14-day-ultimatum to South-East governors on the issue.

The Civil Liberties group said that it would summon the governors to the National Industrial Court if the ultimatum is unheeded.