The Movement for the Survival of Izon Ethnic Nationality in the Niger Delta, (MOSIEND) has urged stakeholders in the Niger Delta to embrace peace and shun crimes and criminality.
MOSIEND also appealed to the stakeholders to ensure that the Ijaw territories are peaceful, safe and conducive for businesses to thrive.
National President of MOSIEND, Ambassador Kennedy Tonjo West, made the appeal when speaking to newsmen in Port Harcourt, recently.
According to him, “Despite the insensitivity of government actors, multinational companies have kept the region and its citizens in a difficult situation, where weak minds engage in one form of criminality or another to survive. There’s need for a paradigm shift, as these activities, over the years, have brought nothing but pain, underdevelopment and misery upon the people.
“The people must now look inwardly and eke out a living through legitimate, business, favourable environment through the abundance of natural resources deposited in the Niger Delta such as agriculture, fishing and mining etc, rather than engaged in unholy practices”.
West urged the youths to desist from violent behaviours, such as killings, sea piracy, oil theft, kidnapping, armed robbery, militancy, blackmail and pull down syndrome among Ijaw sons and daughters, for selfish reasons.
He attributed the negative acts to poverty and unemployment amongst the youths across Ijaw nation.
“The time has come to draw the line between the Ijaw struggle and criminality; the two are like light and darkness which never mix.
“It is time for everyone to understand that the development they yearn for may never come if people continue to engage in activities that drive away investors or cause instability, panic and uncertainty”, he said.
The MOSIEND leader also emphasized the need for stakeholders and other players in the region to collaborate with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in a bid to attract development to various communities in the Niger Delta.
“There is more to achieve in working together with these federal government institutions rather than going to war over personal, insignificant matters which have never yielded any positive result”, he advised.
He appealed to those in authority at both local, State and federal levels to use their positions to attract positive development to the Niger Delta.
