My encounter with Niger Delta Avengers - Dalung

The Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, at the weekend narrated
how he travelled to Oporoza in Gbaramatu kingdom in Delta State for a meeting
with the militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
Dalung who spoke to a selected group of journalists at the end of a
stakeholder’s meeting of the Southern senatorial zone of Plateau State in
Shendam, said he took a two-hour journey on the sea to Oporoza in Gbaramatu
kingdom where he met with the leadership of the NDA who gave him a sealed
hand-written letter to deliver to President Muhammadu Buhari.
He said, “On reaching the community after the two-hour journey on the high
sea, I met with the members of the communities who told me that their dream
was to be included in the Nigerian project, that the education facilities and
other basic social amenities are almost non-existent in the communities. They
also raised concern of incessant attacks by the Nigerian Military.”
The Minister said he took the trip last Wednesday as part of federal
government’s commitment to good governance and his strong concern for the
Nigerian youths, adding, “As a youth minister, I know there the Avengers are
mostly youths who have potentials to be great citizens of this country.”
Dalung stated that after meeting with the communities, he was escorted by the
Niger Delta ambassadors to the leadership of Avengers who gave him a hand-
written letter specifying their demands which he said he was yet to present to
the President.
Although the Minister said he did not unseal the letter, he said the Avengers
had raised three important issues to him; “The issues include the Niger-Delta
Maritime University, pipeline community policing which they said the
government had denied them, and the inability of the government to continue
with the amnesty programme established by former President Umaru Musa
Yarádua Yar’Adua.”
While speaking on the level of degradation and poverty in the area, he said past
administrations had been unjust to the Niger-Delta communities, adding, “After
going round some of the communities, I noticed that government projects were
almost non-existent. I saw a secondary school signboard somewhere but the
school is yet to be developed, the community has a clinic but still at the
foundation level and a borehole that is not functional.”