Ahamefula Ogbu
Former agitator and Royal Father in Azuzu Ama, Southern Ijaw, Bayelsa State, His Royal Highness Kile Selky Torughedi, has appealed to all stakeholders in the Niger Delta to stop bickering and forge a common front in pursuit of developmental goals of the Niger Delta region.
The Royal Father in a statement expressed worry over the abandonment of causes that led different people in the region to go up in arms about development, warning that the quarrels risked blurring the vision for the development and pulling them in different directions.
He therefore asked all to relegate personal interests and come together to pursue development after which other concerns would be addressed.
Torughedi appealed that they should not brook losing sight of the common goal of attracting development to the region which current disagreement risked, adding that such would mean failing generations unborn in the region
He appealed to traditional rulers, ex-agitators, youth leaders, elders, and other opinion moulders across the Niger Delta to unite for peace, progress and development of the region.
He particularly appealed to all aggrieved ex-agitators to sheath their swords and embrace the path of reconciliation.
“At this critical juncture in our national discourse, what the Niger Delta requires is synergy, not sabotage. This is not a time for the politics of attrition or pull-down syndrome. It is a time for strategic alignment and nation-building,” he stated.
“The Niger Delta struggle was founded on the principles of equity, justice, resource control, and the emancipation of a historically marginalised people, never about selfish aggrandisement. Why then this internecine conflict and vendetta among brothers who share the same mandate and the same history? Our strength has always been in our unity,” he wondered.
He charged ex-agitators to draw inspiration from the enduring legacies of two icons of the region, the late Governor Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieseigha and the late Elder Statesman, Chief (Dr.) Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.
He described both leaders as epitomes of sacrifice, pan-Niger Delta solidarity, and selfless advocacy.
Torughedi further called for a recalibration of approach, urging all factions to come together as one formidable and monolithic bloc to advance the demand for true resource control and the socio-economic emancipation of the Niger Delta people.
“In this season, what we need to deploy is not more division, but love. Love for our homeland. Love for our people. Love for the unborn generations. It is this love that will reposition the Niger Delta into a splendid dimension of peace, prosperity, and relevance,” he concluded.
He reaffirmed his commitment to peacebuilding and pledged to continue engaging all stakeholders to ensure lasting stability and development in the region.