News Release: The Chief Edwin Clark And Governor Ifeanyi Okowa Communiqué

The attention of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has been drawn to a meeting of the Niger Delta Coastal States held in Warri, Delta State on Friday, August 19, 2016. The meeting was jointly convened by elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

MEND hereby advises the Federal Government to ignore the Communique which was released at the end of the meeting for the following reasons:

1. The Communique failed to categorically condemn the criminal and treasonable activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). This was principally because, notable promoter of the meeting, Chief Edwin Clark was recently named by the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) as a major supporter of the NDA.

2. Chief Edwin Clark lacks the moral authority to lead a discussion on the so-called
"re-structuring" of the Nigerian Federation, at this critical point in the country's history; given the fact that, through-out the 6 years his "son" former President Goodluck Jonathan was in power, the elder statesman kept mute and actively participated in the economic dismemberment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In fact, Chief Clark's Abuja residence was an extension of the State House.

3. None of the persons who attended the Stakeholders meeting convened by Chief Clark and Governor Okowa have the capacity to persuade the people of the Niger Delta region to support the current efforts of the Buhari Administration to bring peace and development to the region.

Consequently, MEND re-iterates its full support for the ongoing military presence in the Niger Delta region; even as we prepare to tour the region to drum support for the current Administration in an exercise code-named "OPERATION MOSES."

MEND shall continue to insist that; so long as these elders and stakeholders do not categorically and publicly denounce the NDA, the Federal Government should also continue to ignore them.

Jomo Gbomo