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"Live Patiently in the world; know that those who hate you
 are more numerous than those who love you" {african proverb}
----- Original Message -----
From: <disera@infoweb.abs.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list SHELL-NIGERIA-ACTION
<shell-nigeria-action@essential.org>
Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 1999 5:39 AM
Subject: IJAW YOUTHS DISMISS ABUJA PARLEY


> IJAW YOUTH COUNCIL
>
> C/O IJAW NATIONAL CONGRESS
>
> #1, AGGREY ROAD, PORT HARCOURT, NIGERIA
>
>
> April 16,1999
>
> PRESS STATEMENT
>
> IJAW YOUTHS DISMISS MEETING WITH ABUBAKAR, VOW TO FIGHT ON
>
> IJAW youths organised under the Ijaw Youth Council have dismissed last
> week's  meeting between the head of the out-going military regime
> General Abdulsalam Abubakar and some elders of Niger Delta origin.
> The youths in a statement signed by Messrs Felix Tuodolo and Oronto
> Douglas on behalf of the seven-man collegiate leadership of the IYC
> said  although the meeting was  advertised as an all round platform for
> the  peoples of the Niger Delta to  discuss the problems of the region
> with representatives of the  outgoing military junta, it was in reality
> designed  to endorse the N15.3 billion development plan recommended by
> the Major General Oladayo Popoola Committee on Developmental Options
> for the Niger Delta. The IYC described the meeting as  an April Joke ,
> saying any discussion outside the context of the Kaiama Declaration or
> the Urhobo Economic Summit Resolutions, or  the Aklaka Declaration of
> the Egi people or the Ogoni Bill of Rights is useless to the Ijaw
> people in particular and the peoples of the Niger Delta as a whole.
>  " More than three months after our appeal for a discussion of the
> Kaiama Declaration,  the only solution the military have to offer as a
> balm to our complaints of injustice is this N15.3 billion  carrot,
> dangled very shamelessly as a development programme. We understand the
> strategy is face-saving",  observed Oronto Douglas of the IYC. "It is
> clear they cannot use the Niger Delta agitation to hang on to power. We
> want to say emphatically that we will not allow this all-embracing
> injustice, now paraded as "development" to becloud our vision for
> justice for our people. Above all,  we will also not allow it to divide
> our people. They want to throw money around so that our people will be
> scrambling for it and abandon  the struggle. Never, never, will our
> generation abandon the struggle for justice"
> The IYC said it refused to attend the Abuja parley in spite of
> overtures made to it because:
> (1) There had been no time in the history of our country when any of
> the component units of the Nigerian State was called to TALKS  before
> the basic necessities of life like roads, potable  water, electricity,
> schools, telecommunications facilities etc were made available to them.
> Specifically,  there was no time the people of Northern Nigeria were
> assembled in  Aso Rock to talks before the numerous express ways and
> countless local government areas that they now control were built or
> given to them.
> (2)  Nigerians will recall that the IYC addressed a press conference on
>  January 17, 1999. In that conference we reaffirmed our belief in
> peaceful means of achieving our objective and suggested NEGOTIATIONS
> with the military rulers on our demands as espoused in the Kaiama
> Declaration. In that conference, which we  tagged ON KAIAMA WE STAND,
> we implored the government and the transnational oil companies to
> create the necessary condition for "genuine dialogue" by : (a)
> Demilitarising Ijawland (b) Extinguishing all gas flares (c) And by
> setting up a government NEGOTIATING TEAM to discuss the Kaiama
> Declaration with the Ijaw people  who shall be entitled to elect their
> own representatives made up of  our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters
> and elders.  As we all know, the simple conditions listed above have
> been met only in contempt, violence and out-right intimidation of our
> people by agents and supporters of the military dictators.
>
> The IYC noted that the Ijaw people have passed that stage of PEANUTS
> AND CRUMBS which the N15.3 billion recommended by the military panel
> for the development of the Niger Delta represents. "If you divide that
> money for projects to the various ethnic nationalities in the Niger
> Delta what you will have is nothing but a mockery of the Kaiama
> Declaration and all such aspirations of our people for justice. The
> funds voted for us by our oppressors do not measure up to one tenth of
> what General Sani Abacha,  a single man in the military stole before he
> died mysteriously. Neither is the amount comparable to a fifth of what
> former military president General Ibrahim Babangida pocketed as self
> payoff for superintending over our treasury during the Gulf War.", the
> self determination  movement said  in its statement.
>
>
>
>
>
> FELIX TUODOLO
>
>
>
>  ORONTO DOUGLAS
>
> ( For members of Council)
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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> ERA - PROTECTING THE  ENVIRONMENT, DEMOCRATISING DEVELOPMENT
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>