Leader of the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF) and foremost Ijaw nationalist, Chief Edwin Clark, has rejected President Muhammadu Buhari’s claim that his administration brought peace to the Niger Delta, saying instead, that it was a result of the effort of the people in the area.
In an open letter to the president made available to the media in Abuja, on Thursday, the elder statesman pointed out that the assumption of Buhari to power saw a resurgence in the insecurity in the Niger Delta, causing the leaders in the region to act.
He recalled what the administration did was to set up a military operation named “Crocodile Smile,” which he said failed to solve the problem.
Clark said: “Your Excellency was specifically quoted to have said that your government has succeeded in improving upon peace in the North East and South-South, from what you inherited.
“Your Excellency, I beg to, somewhat, disagree with you on the general state of insecurity in the country, which is presently, in a state of near collapse. Of more concern to me is your claims with respect to the Niger Delta or the South-South zone.
“If you will recall, Your Excellency, before your government came on board, insecurity which had reduced substantially during the tenure of your predecessor, resumed in a very alarming rate.
“The period saw the emergence of a new group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which virtually held your government hostage, oil production went down to as low as about 800,000 barrels per day. Your government adopted a military approach to quell the agitations, by deploying the so-called ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ in August 2016, which did not in any way solve the problem.
Credit: Nigerian Tribune