BOMBSHELL FOR BIAFRA!!! EUROPEAN UNION (EU) TO MEET BUHARI OVER N/ DELTA, BIAFRA AGITATIONS

BOMBSHELL FOR BIAFRA!!! EUROPEAN
UNION (EU) TO MEET BUHARI OVER N/
DELTA, BIAFRA AGITATIONS (FULL
DETAILS)
BOMBSHELL FOR BIAFRA!!! EUROPEAN
UNION (EU) TO MEET BUHARI OVER N/
DELTA, BIAFRA AGITATIONS (FULL
DETAILS)
The leadership of the European Union (EU)
Delegation to Nigeria and the Economic
Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) has concluded plans to meet
with President Muhammadu Buhari over the
rising wave of militancy in the Niger Delta
and the agitations by the Independent
People of Biafra (IPOB), it was gathered at
the weekend.
The 28-member Union, with a population of
over 500 million people, and a quarter of
the global wealth, is one of the most
powerful organisations in the world.
The AUTHORITY gath¬ered that, worried by
the deteriorating security situation in the
Niger Delta and the Southeast,
leaders of the European Union spent the
past weeks meeting with opinion leaders
from the zones to help their understanding
of how best to handle the situation.
Sources close to the meetings told The
AUTHORITY that the EU leaders hosted the
opinion leaders from the zones to several
meetings in Abuja. At one of the meetings,
said the source, one speaker from the Niger
Delta pointedly accused the EU of fanning
the embers of the crises in the zones, and
advised the Union to stop “playing the
ostrich in Nigeria.”
An official of the Union who did not want to
be mentioned told The AUTHORITY that it
was wrong to accuse the EU, which he said
between 2009 and 2013, granted over
€700m aid to Nigeria, of bad faith.
“It is most unfortunate that an organisation
which committed over €200m to youth
development, including reintegrating ex-
militants in the same Niger Delta, is
accused of bad faith. The EU is committed
to developing, not only Nigeria, but the
whole of Africa.
“Between 2009 and 2013, EU aid to Nigeria
most of it from the 10th European
Development Fund totalled about €700m.
Some €200m was allocated to the
consolidation of peace and stability,
tackling
poverty and creating job opportunities for
young people (ex-militants) in the Niger
Delta.
“The highpoints of the EU 2009-2013
Country Strategy are peace and security,
governance and human rights, and trade
and regional integration. The basis for
political, trade and development
cooperation relations between the EU and
Nigeria is the 2000 Cotonou Agreement
otherwise called the ACP-EU Partnership
Agreement, which covers 79 developing
countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the
Pacific.
“Aside from the fact that Nigeria is the most
populous country in Africa, it is the biggest
economy on the continent and a regional
power. Besides, it is a very important
trading partner with the EU. This is why we
want to meet with Pres¬ident Buhari and
share some of our thoughts on happenings
in the Niger Delta and South East with
him,” said the official.
Meanwhile, IPOB on Sunday drummed
support for the militant group responsible
for crippling Nigeria’s oil production, Niger
Delta Avengers (NDA), as its “kith and kin.”
IPOB made its position known in a
statement endorsed by its spokespersons
Emma Mmezu and Dr. Chukwuemeka
Iroanya.
“The Indigenous People of Biafra under the
leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu hereby
state that we support our kith and kin, the
Niger Delta
Avengers, who are fighting for the freedom
of our people from the enslaving Nigerian
Government.
“We want to place it on record that IPOB
has no connection with some groups who
are claiming on the pages of Nigerian
newspapers that they do not support our
fellow freedom fighters the NDA,” IPOB said
in the statement.
IPOB said the Niger Delta Avengers were
not fighting for resource control and a
restoration of the amnesty programme,
rather, the group was fighting for Biafra.
“The NDA have consistently stated that the
release of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu is
a precondition for any discussion with
Nigeria,” it said.
“Unfortunately, the Nigerian government
has swept this demand under the carpet
while magnifying the notion of am¬nesty
payments and resource control as reasons
for the NDA’s actions.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the NDA is
fighting for the freedom of the people of
Biafra and not for amnesty payment or for
resource control as some commentators
would like to believe.”
According to IPOB, if the secession plan is
successful, resources will be controlled by
the owners of the land where those
resources are located.