Leadership (Abuja) 17 August 2009
Abuja — A University Don, Prof. Benji Egede, has said that true federalism and not amnesty is the way out of the Niger Delta crises.
Egede, a professor of English, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, in Edo State, said that granting amnesty to the militants would only offer a temporary relief to the crises in the region.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that addressing the fundamental issues by giving the people what rightly should be theirs, would offer a long-lasting peace.
"The amnesty package as an issue, could be an aspect of a way out of the Niger Delta crises, but it is only true federalism that will bring an end to the problems of the area.
"For me, I see the amnesty package as something that will not last long. For how long are you going to settle the militants?
"The moment you settle a group of people, obviously some people will be disgruntled from time to time. "Government ought to have taken care of the land that has been servicing this country over the years.
"This brings us to the issue of true federalism. The state or area that produces particular resources ought to have been allowed to take care of the resources and pay royalty to the government," he said. Egede also advised the government to look at certain technical reports that had been submitted.
He said: "We have had Mittee's Report, which I think the Federal Government did not thoroughly look into in terms of implementing the points that were raised."
While appreciating the efforts of the genuine people fighting for a better deal for the region, he advised the government to be careful about those parading themselves as militants.
