Annkio Briggs, an environmental and human rights activist, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s “anyone who has another country is free to leave” remark to Niger Delta leaders as offensive and unwarranted.
President Buhari made the comment during his meeting with the Pan-Niger Delta Forum in Aso Rock on November 2, 2016.
“It is a pity, sad and offensive for Mr. President to make such statement as at no point during the meeting did the group raise such issue of anyone leaving Nigeria,” Ms. Briggs told Vanguard on Monday, November 7, 2016.
“The comment shows very clear the level of insensitivity and mindset of the government towards the people of the Niger Delta. The government should know that we had Ijaw land just as other ethnicities like Itsekiri, Urhobo and others have their lands before the existence of the Nigerian state.”
“When the Lamido Adamawa, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Mustapha told his fellow delegates during the 2014 National Conference under President Goodluck Jonathan that him and his people are prepared to secede from Nigeria to Cameroon if the country disintegrates, President Jonathan did not make counter remarks against them.
“So how can anyone tell us to leave? We existed before Nigeria hence they should know that I have Ijaw land to go to if I choose to,” she remarked.
The prominent Niger Delta leader who missed the meeting of the president with leaders of the troubled oi-rich region, had published a list of demands for peace ahead the meeting. In her opinion edition, Ms. Briggs indicated that the Niger Delta people wanted resource control, a devolution of powers to the region, and a UN sanctioned and supervised referendum to determine the future of the people.
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