FULL       PRESS TEXT          DELIVERED           BY

COMRADE MARK OLISE,

DIRECTOR OF ADMINISTRATION & PUBLICITY,

ON BEHALF OF THE NIGER DELTA PEOPLES SALVATION FRONT (NDPSV)

ON THE 30^TH  OF JANUARY, 2006.

QUESTIONING THE AUTHENTICITY OF A FEDERATION:

RESTATING THE NEED FOR A SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE.

INIRODUCTION:

 Gentlemen and ladies of the Press, we welcome you to this all important Press briefing. We are all aware of the unusual events that have characterized our country in recent times. Let us observe a minute silence in honour of those who lost their lives as a result of the break down of law and order in the Niger-Delta, arising from the insensitivity of the government of the Nigerian State to the plight of the people. May their blood water the tree that will bear forth the fruit of freedom for the masses of the various ethnic nationalities.

This is a press briefing by Niger Delta Peoples' Salvation Front (N.D.P.S.F). The Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Front is the political umbrella of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force with a mission to provide a political/democratic means to address the issues of mass unemployment/under employment, political violence, youth restiveness educational collapse, miseducation, executive legislative and judicial lawlessness, economic slavery, violation of human rights, environmental degradation/ecological collapse etc, which has characterized our society since the fraudulent 1914 amalgamation.

This we hope to achieve through electoral contest, struggle for power, self-­determination, participation and facilitation of a Peoples' Sovereign National Conference. Presently, we have a membership strength of over 200,000 and we have a welfarist world outlook. We are welcoming membership from the peasants, working class intelligentsia, royalty and employers of labour with a good heart.         

STATE OF NIGERIA

 The recent happenings within our society points to the fact that Nigeria is just mere political expression that has failed in the process of nation-building. The attempted removal of Dr. Chris Ngige as governor of Anambra State and his subsequent molestation, arrest and intimidation by the Late A. I. G. Ige of the Nigerian Police and other agents of the Nigerian government throws up the questions of separation of power, rule of law and autonomy for federating units. This is further emphasized in the manner of removal of Governors D.S.P. Alamieseigha and Rasheed Ladoja of Bayelsa and Oyo States respectively from office. This is about to repeat itself in Plateau State where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which has become larger than the law establishing it - has single-handedly frozen all its known accounts. The judicial and political tuzzle between Lagos State and the Nigerian government over Local Government Creation Funding and Administration is another major pointer to the fact that the expression "Federal Republic of Nigeria" is a political sarcasm which Is as false as the opening expression of degree 24 of 1999 which they call the 1999 constitution which reads thus: "We, the people of Nigeria...

Another major feature of a Federation is the control of natural resources by the federating units. The contrary is the provision is this slave colony called Nigeria where the natural resources are maximally exploited by the government of the center with effective collaboration by the Transnational Oil Corporation. This has thrown up bogus and corrupt government agencies like the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). We were not surprised when we heard that the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) have discovered that the NNPC withheld a staggering sum of N317.158 billion between January 2005 and January 2006. This can only be possible in a neo­colonial/ society like our where the resources must be plundered and the accruing revenues exported to further develop the Western economies. This has formed the basis for the agitation of several groups for self determination, resource control/take-over, sovereign National Conference, which will ultimately lead to the production of the truly peoples constitution that will recognize the ethnic nationalities as the federating units with regional/financial autonomy, in dependent law-making and enforcement system.

IHE WAY FORWARD

However, the efforts of Patriots in calling for restructuring through the demand for a Sovereign National conference are being disregarded and insulted by the government. This is reflected in the deceptive arrest and detention of our leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo - Asari and other leaders of self­-determination groups. These persons are saying, let us meet and talk about Nigeria: her origin, vision and mission and the place of ethnic nationalities in the union. The S.N.C. when convened will address all the socio-economic and cultural imbalances in Nigeria. This will bring government closer to the people and make it more responsible. Corruption will be properly checked because of patriotism and high sense of belonging. Crimes will be drastically reduced. Youths will be engaged in the production process and hence have no time for restiveness. As a result, there will be no need for "Operation Restore Hope; EFCC and ICPC.

Gentlemen and Ladies of the press, if you go into research, you will agree with us that the Nigerian State has collapsed. This is reflected in the manner of power change - coup detat and electoral manipulation - the inability of the State, to meet its obligation to the people. Its inability to command voluntary respect and loyalty from the people. Its inability to address the identity question. Sporadic occurrence of armed uprising in different parts of Nigeria and many other conditions that time will not permit me to mention. In view of this reality, it will be expedient that urgent steps be taken to prevent the Nigerian State from failing. It is better to dialogue than to go to war because the cost of war in this age of hi-tech will be very expensive and devastating.

Furthermore, all the existing indices point to the fact that there could be no better time in our modern history to convene a Peoples Sovereign National Conference. The science of history has shown that history, just like nature, is in eternal motion, opening up contradictions. It has provided us with enough lessons to learn from. The major task before us is to build a nation out of Nigeria because there was never a time. Nigeria is a country with many unharmonized ethnic nationalities! which encourages tribalism! nepotism! mediocrity and corruption. We in the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Front (NDPSF) know that the Peoples Sovereign National Conference is now or never. Let us remember that the last traces of the early rulers of Nigeria and Nationalist who had the privilege to interact with the colonial powers before and immediately after their exit will soon pass out. We need them to seat at a conference with the younger generations so that they can tell us about our origin, what went wrong and the way forward. Chief Anthony Enahoro, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Senator Abraham Adesanya, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Alhaji Umaro Tanko Yankassai, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, General Yakubu Gowen, General Odumegwu Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, Chief Ganl Fawehinmi and a host of others know about the Structural deformity that is responsible for our perennial problems.

We need to meet at a peoples conference to discuss and fashion out an efficient Peoples Constitution, up-to-date foreign and defense policies etc.

Finally, it is in the light of this that the Niger Delta struggle led by Isaac Adaka Boro, Ken Saro Wiwa and now Miyahid Dokubo-Asari represented by us today is calling on the Nigerian government to convene an S.N.C. urgently. We want to use this medium to salute the courage of all those who have remained consistent even in the face of the threat of incarceration and threat to life. We salute the courage of those who have joined us in one way or the other in demanding for the immediate and unconditional release of our leader, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo- Asari. We send our undiluted gratitude to you gentlemen and ladies of the press who have tried to carry our message across inspite of the organizational, governmental and material limitations. We salute your courage. The struggle to emancipate a people is like a machine with several' parts, complementing one another. Every little step we take today, bring us closer to freedom.

Thank you.

Aluta continual Victria Accerta!!

COMRADE MARK OLISE

Director of Administration & Publicity (NDPSF)