The National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to look into the plight of its members.
The group made their appeal in an open letter by its National President, Eshanekpe Israel a.k.a. Akpodoro following a national retreat in Abuja by members and leaders at the weekend.
According to the letter, the group had been lamenting the pitiable condition of members who mobilized for Buhari in Niger Delta during the 2015 presidential election, which he won.
It recalled that the coalition met with Buhari in 2013 in his Kaduna home and agreed to work for him.
The letter reads: “Mr. President, please remember the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A), led by Eshanekpe, who you met in 2013 in your Kaduna home in company with Col. Abdul (rtd).
“That year, you had lost hope of becoming Nigeria’s president, which of course was why you wept openly after losing the election.
“Members of my coalition pitied you. That was why we came to see you in Kaduna two years before the 2015 general election.
“Your Excellency, remember also how we begged you to open up your mind for the 2015 general election, as we promised you our support from the South-South, leading a coalition of ex-militants.
“You failed to remember Mr. President that in 2015, members of this coalition gave you that support that enabled you to emerge victorious in that keenly contested poll.
“We have made efforts to reach you since 2015, but we have been unable to get access to you due to the bottlenecks at Aso Rock Villa.
“We have been fleeced several times in our bid to meet with you. We have suffered deprivation and denial by your administration even though our collective efforts brought you to the limelight.
“Your Excellency, we were hungry before, but are now dying of starvation. Your government for eight years has kept us in a state of waiting perpetually. No patronage and no empowerment of any kind and in the midst of that, believing that you will change for the better, in 2019, we repeated the same feat as in 2015, but your administration’s neglect became harder in your second term.
“We are begging that you should reward our loyalty to you. This coalition, headed by Eshanekpe led the Army into the creeks during the war against Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). The victory recorded by the armed forces against the NDA was not without the collaboration between our coalition and security agencies.
“Mr. President, you have neglected us. Your Excellency, shortly after your victory in 2015, I (Akpodoro) met with you at the Defence House in Abuja and you asked me to stabilize the Niger Delta. That assignment I have carried out with clinical efficiency, with nothing to show for it.
“In as much as we know you won’t come over to the region directly to effect any action, Your Excellency should kindly direct the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Amnesty Office, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) and other agencies, to work with us to enable us to contribute our quota to national development.
“You should direct the above agencies to consider us for jobs. Youths and others who fought the Avengers are still jobless. Members of our coalition should be enrolled in the Armed Forces. Our members should be engaged favorably and meaningfully.
“Mr. President, this correspondence becomes important because we have been bullied, fleeced, and embarrassed in our attempts to see you. Kindly look into the above and act accordingly.”
