"We were shocked and bemused by the claims by some elders from the region accusing Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh and Dr. Ibe Kachikwu of frustrating the planned dialogue between the militants and the federal government. These are wicked and paid elders who have no shame. Most of those involved in the campaign of calumny are failures in those positions they held in the past, including the Niger Delta Development Commission."
On Monday, hundreds of elders and traditional rulers from Ijaw communities in the nine states of the Niger Delta region absolved the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Implementation Committee, Paul Boroh, from the alleged slow pace in consultation and dialogue between the federal government and the Niger Delta Avengers.
According to the elders and traditional rulers, though the duo of Mr. Boroh and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu toured some communities in the Niger Delta to consult and secure a ceasefire agreement from the militants, the slow pace of the dialogue was caused by some known dissidents and their sponsors in the region.
The Niger Delta elders, under the aegis of the Progressive Elders Forum for Peace and Progress (PEFPP) and led by Alabo Joseph Whyte, argued that those blaming Mr. Boroh and Mr. Kachikwi for the slow pace of the proposed dialogue and the bombing of oil pipelines are unfair and wicked.
"We were shocked and bemused by the claims by some elders from the region accusing Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh and Dr. Ibe Kachikwu of frustrating the planned dialogue between the militants and the federal government. These are wicked and paid elders who have no shame. Most of those involved in the campaign of calumny are failures in those positions they held in the past, including the Niger Delta Development Commission,” one elder stated.
“They claimed Boroh discussed with fake militants. At least it confirmed the fact that Paul Boroh is working and doing something on behalf of the President to link the militants with the federal government. If they claim he discussed with fake militants after relocating to the creeks, they should be honorable to own up and show us the genuine militants they paid to destroy the region. Negotiation is always open but the sponsored dissidents have vowed to make the proposed dialogue fail. The federal government should monitor and investigate these socalled elders and their sponsors.”
