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• as PANDEF inaugurates high-level committee, gives 14 days to resolve Rivers political crisis
• we are uncomfortable’ with Rivers crisis media frenzy – Diete-Spiff
• Don’t let feud feed the Fisherman – Agabi
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) National Chairman, Godknows Igali has declared the forum is determined to end the Rivers State political crisis “once and for all,” urging regional unity, noting that President Bola Tinubu must not be distracted from focusing on national issues of insecurity and the economy.
“President Bola Tinubu has a lot he is dealing with, we (South-South region) cannot continue to be the sick child of this country,” Igali declared, announcing PANDEF’s seven-member reconciliation committee chaired by Chief Kanu Agabi. “We are working closely with elders of Rivers State to discuss and find solutions.”
Praising Agabi: “I commend Kanu Agabi who is the chair of the committee for abandoning his professional duties for this.”
Igali recalled prior efforts: “This is not the first time we are intervening. The last time before the state of emergency was declared we tried to secure peace too but then our father, Pa Edwin Clark died and then it was overtaken by events.”
Optimistic, he affirmed: “Rivers State crisis will be resolved once and for all. The actors will listen to us as they are our children. Together we can work and solve this problem.”
He lauded the panel: “Members of the committee are made of men and women who have served the nation in various capacities.”
According to him, the committee is mandated to de-escalate tensions arising from the political standoff between Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
PANDEF directed the committee to fully identify the principal actors involved in the crisis, particularly those at the centre of the dispute between the Governor and the Speaker of the House of Assembly.
The committee is also expected to reach out to other key stakeholders, including the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesome Wike, former governors, elders of the Niger Delta, traditional rulers, and leading political figures whose influence could help facilitate peace.
The committee is to also facilitate dialogue with specific emphasis on encouraging open and constructive communication between Fubara and the State House of Assembly in order to address grievances and work towards a mutually acceptable resolution.
PANDEF further tasked the committee with recommending concrete steps for restoring reconciliation and political stability in Rivers State, as well as identifying measures to restore law and order and safeguard the welfare and security of citizens.
The committee is also tasked with ensuring emphasising the need to promote tolerance, compromise, and political balance among all stakeholders to prevent further escalation of the crisis.
In addition, the committee is required to ensure that any resolution aligns with the democratic will of the people of Rivers State and complies strictly with constitutional provisions.
PANDEF directed that all confidential information shared during engagements must be protected in order to build trust and encourage frank discussions among parties.
The Forum also charged the committee to consult widely, engaging individuals, groups, and institutions directly or indirectly affected by the crisis, with the goal of building broad consensus for sustainable peace.
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PANDEF gave the committee a timeline of 14 days to conclude its assignment and submit a comprehensive report containing findings and recommendations. The report will be forwarded to the President Tinubu as well as the Co-Chairmen of the PANDEF Board of Trustees.
Igali said PANDEF is committed to peace, democratic governance, and stability in the Niger Delta and Nigeria as a whole.
His Royal Majesty King Alfred Papapraye Diete-Spiff, Amayanabo of Twon Brass and PANDEF BOT Co-Chairman, on his part voiced deep regional unease over the Rivers State political firestorm dominating headlines.
“We from the region feel very uncomfortable with all we hear in the media about the region,”he declared while inaugurating PANDEF’s seven-member reconciliation committee chaired by Agabi.
“There’s nothing that cannot be resolved,”Diete-Spiff affirmed, urging committee members to cooperate fully with Agabi and thanking for accepting to serve in the committee.
In his response, chairman of the PANDEF reconciliation committee Agabi, begged Rivers State’s warring giants—Fubara, Wike, and pro-Wike assembly—to sheath ambitions before national fishermen feast on their folly.
Agabi said: “It is our privilege to serve on this Committee. For this privilege we are grateful to God and to His Excellency, Ambassador Godknows Igali, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PANDEF and the other respected members of the Board of Trustees,” he proclaimed. Singling out King Alfred Diete-Spiff: “I single out for particular mention His Royal Majesty, King Alfred Papapraye Diete Spiff… He goes down in history as the first governor of Rivers State when that state included Bayelsa State. It is the sacrifices of men like him that bequeathed the States of the South-South to the people of that area. The duty of respect that we owe to a man like that demands that we take his intervention seriously.”
He noted that the crisis has dragged on for too long. “We are appointed to explore ways of bringing the escalating political crisis in Rivers State to an end. This crisis has persisted for too long. If it continues any further, it will call into question the commitment of the parties involved to the interest of the people of Rivers State and of the nation that is compelled to share in the pains and anxieties of that State.”
Agabi added: “Let the parties involved not be as the Clam and the Oyster which left their abode in the depths of the sea and came to the sea shore to fight. They went on fighting even when they saw the fisherman coming. The fisherman picked them up, took them home and made a nice fine meal of Clam and Oyster. May it not be with Rivers State as it was with the Clam and the Oyster.”
To Wike whom he described as his confidant, he appealed: “The Minister, His Excellency, Nyesom Wike, is my friend. He is my benefactor. He is a man I love. He is a man I respect. I bear witness to his courage and patriotism. The work he did as Governor of Rivers State and the work he is doing as Minister of the FCT have since immortalized him. The mighty hand of God is upon him. That great Hand demands that he should lead this reconciliation.”
To Fubara, Agabi said: “I say the same thing about His Excellency Governor Fubara, I happen to have been a member of the team that defended the petition that arose from his election as governor. That is my bond with him. I trust him to respect that bond.”
He also entreated members of the State Assembly: “We have great respect for the members of the House of Assembly of Rivers State and we have no doubt whatsoever that their motives are genuine and patriotic. We pray for a change of heart on their part. It is in forgiving the Governor whatever wrongs he has committed that they will demonstrate their restraint, their public spirit and their maturity.”
Agabi rejected faith-free cynicism: “The resolution of this matter is something that the parties can handle themselves without the intervention of third parties. They must be willing to go the extra mile with one another, to turn the other cheek and to pray for one another. Let them not dismiss this as weak or sentimental… The misconception that God has no place in our politics has harmed and continues to harm the nation.”
In his final charge, he said: “Whether we are governors or ministers or legislators, whoever we are, it is to God that we owe our appointments and promotions… We urge the parties to proceed with caution. We urge them to make allowance for error. We appeal to them to proceed with a prayer for forgiveness just in case they may be wrong… This Committee is not appointed to sit in judgment over the parties… We appeal to the parties to embrace reconciliation. We urge them, we beg them, we appeal to them. Sacrifices are called for. Make them and let there be peace.”
