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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
Aggrieved former agitators have threatened to disrupt the peace in the Niger Delta over alleged failures of their governors to provide palliatives to poor communities despite receiving N5 billion from the Federal Government
The former agitators under the aegis of Coalition of Ex-agitators of Niger Delta (CEND) said their governors seemed to have diverted the money released by President Bola Tinubu to alleviate the suffering caused by the removal of fuel subsidy. Its Chairman, Gershom Mpakaboari Gbobo, at a press briefing alongside other members in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said whereas Tinubu was sensitive enough to make provisions for palliatives, their governors appeared unconcerned with the level of hardship in their various states, especially Bayalsa and Rivers states.
“Where is our palliatives?” Gershom queried, insisting that there was no deliberate activities and programmes by the governors targeted at providing reliefs to the people.
“ We will compel them to bring out the money in a mother of all protests across the states. It will no longer be business as usual. Our people are suffering untold hardship while these governors are junketing in profligacy and living large without showing any concern to our problems.
“We expected the governor’s to have started deliberate programmes aimed at reaching the people with palliatives. We expected them to add a reasonable amount of money to the N5 billion and float far-reaching programmes that will practically ameliorate the pains of the people. But they are less concerned. We can see what the Borno Governor is doing for his people but our entire region is quiet.”
National spokesman of the coalition, Ellington Bakumor, called on the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), the Chief of Staff to the President and other relevant authorities to prevail on the governors to release the palliatives.
