Newspaper review: NDAvengers write open letter to Buhari as gov ‘slaps’ Jonathan, others

Major Nigerian dailies for Tuesday, August 30, are focused on the various challenges facing the nation such as the militancy in the Niger Delta region, the missing Chibok girls and Boko Haram insurgency.

Not left out is the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party and the budget padding saga in the House of Representatives.

The Nation reports that the Niger Delta Avengers have decided to stop its hostilities.

In a letter posted on its website by its spokesman, Mudoch Agbinibo, and addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, the militants said they have listened carefully and halted hostilities in the Niger Delta.

The militant group said there was the need for regular dialogue to take place for the Nigerian union to survive.

According to the Avengers, the federal government was out to execute a predetermined genocide against the people of the Niger Delta through the recently launched ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’.

“Please also tell those foreign nations that your troops are about carrying out extrajudicial killings in the Niger Delta in violation of Article Four of the Geneva Convention with “OPERATION CROCODILE SMILE”. All sane minds know the meaning of “CROCRODILE TEARS” so by code-naming your military operation CROCODILE SMILES only betrays your motives and attitude to the whole world about the Niger Delta question,” the Avengers added.

Vanguard reports that Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina state has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan and Niger Delta Delta leaders of doing nothing meaningful with the oil money allocated to the region over the years.

He said Jonathan’s period in government did little to impact on the development of the region, while challenging the Niger Delta leaders to come clean on how resources channelled to the region had been spent over the years.

In reaction, leaders from the region accused him of only being mischievous and begging the issue.

Eric Omare belonging to the Ijaw Youth Council, said Masari’s statement was a careless one.

He asked what leaders from the north who have ruled Nigeria for the majority of years done to eradicate the endemic poverty that is in the region.

Meanwhile, new details have emerged on why President Buhari is not a hurry to negotiate for the release of the abducted Chibok girls.

This Day reports that Buhari is firm on his position that the federal government would only negotiate for the release of the abducted Chibok girls with those who are directly holding them.

According to report, two recent attempts in recent weeks by the federal government for prisoners swap with the so called representative of the terrorist sect may have reached a dead end as each time security officials arrive at designated locations with Boko Haram prisoners for the swap, Boko Haram representatives fail to show up as they are required to produce at least 50 verifiable Chibok girls for the first wave of the swap.

This prompted the federal government to return the Boko Haram prisoners to their prison cells, thereby frustrating efforts by the government to recover the girls.

There was panic among residents of Kuje community on Monday as security operatives fired gunshots and tear gas canisters at the Kuje Prison, Abuja, following a riot by some inmates, The Punch reports.

The inmates had resisted the attempt by prison officials to search their cells for banned items.

It was learnt that during the search, 25 mobile sets were recovered from a suspected Boko Haram inmate.

Sources in the prison said the violent protest was brought under control by the armed squad of the Nigerian Prisons Service supported by soldiers providing additional security cover for the formation.

On the front page of The Guardian is the headline, “Okogie writes Buhari, says Nigerians are hungry.”

The Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, in a letter to Buhari, said Nigerians are hungry and are urgently in need of succor.

He said Nigerians are waiting for the president to fulfill his campaign promises by providing good leadership that will check hunger and poverty in the land.

Okogie reminded Buhari that his party, the the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised the people ‘change’ but they are yet to see it.

“Change is not real when old things that we ought to discard refuse to pass away,” he added.

In other news, the crisis rocking the APC in Ondo state took a twist on Monday as the national secretariat of the party was turned into a shrine of some sorts.

Various fetish items, traditional cutlasses and palm fronts were placed at the state secretariat of the party in Akure, the state capital, Daily Sun reports.

Many party members were gripped by fear which prevented them from gaining entrance into the secretariat.

Also, residents of Oyemekun area where the party secretariat is located were scared as many traders and other shop owners could not open their shops due to the development.

Leadership reports that the Board of Trustees of the PDP may have conceded to one of the demands of embattled factional national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

After a meeting yesterday, the party BoT asked Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led national caretaker committee to work towards holding the next convention in Abuja.

The BoT also called for the constitution of a new convention planning committee to ensure a credible, transparent, free and fair convention.

Daily Trust reports that a source close to yesterday’s meeting said the BoT realized that Sheriff was not willing to give up as he kept insisting he won’t step down at every re-conciliatory meeting.

A source close to yesterday’s meeting said in the PDPs constitution, the BoT only plays advisory role which is not binding.

“In fact, the BoT had at a time begged ex-president Goodluck Jonathan and the likes of Malam Adamu Ciroma to talk to Sheriff but he refused, saying the constitution of the PDP must be respected and that is why the latest decision was taken,” the source said.

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