Militant leader Ateke Tom surrenders

A key Niger Delta militant leader Ateke Tom, renounced militancy yesterday – 72 hours to the expiration of the amnesty deadline.

President Umaru Yar’Adua, who received Tom and his lieutenants at the State House, Abuja, said the militant leader’s action was his 49

th Independence Anniversary gift.

Tom, the leader of the Niger Delta Vigilance Force (NDVF), and his team were flown from their Camp 4 in Rivers State to meet with the President in Abuja.

They were first taken in a private helicopter to the nearest Air Force military base, from where they were flown in a military aircraft to the Owerri Airport in Imo State. The group was flown to Abuja in a presidential aircraft.

Tom was accompanied by his lawyer, Uche Onyeagocha, and nephew, Akinaka Richard, Executive Director Grassroots Institute for Peace and Democracy.

Five militant commandants under him – Friday Itaekoha, Joshua Opia, Felix Itwida, Roland Okugbo and Gilbert-Amos were on his entourage.

Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, Chairman of the Amnesty Panel and Minister of Defence, General Godwin Abbe (rtd), National Security Adviser, General Sarki Mulktar (rtd), Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Paul Dike, Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ogbonna Onovo among others joined the President to receive Tom.

Under the amnesty package, militants are to surrender their arms in return for unconditional pardon within 60days. The deadline expires on Sunday.

Describing Tom’s action as his Independent anniversary gift, Yar’Adua pledged that in two to five years, Niger Delta would witness massive infrastructural development.

The President fixed another meeting for tomorrow with Tom, who demanded a private meeting to trash out some thorny issues. Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi is expected at the meeting.

Yar’Adua said his administration understood the challenges of the Niger Delta and its people. The challenges, he promised, would soon be over.

He added that the amnesty is not an end in itself but a means to an end.

Assuring the militants that the government would work with them to ensure that Niger Delta youths a meaningful life through the kind of programmes that would evolve, Yar’Adua called on other militants, who are yet to take advantage of the amnesty, to do so.

He said: "First I would like to praise and thank God Almighty for this afternoon’s visit today. Chief Ateke Tom has just given me my 49th Independence anniversary gift. This independent anniversary gift you have given me I cherish, very much. Of all those things I cherish, one of them is peace and security in the Niger Delta.

"It has always pained me to see our brothers and sisters taking up arms against fellow Nigerians and ready to live in the creeks under very difficult conditions because of issues that agitate their mind but by the grace of God and the kind heart and the goodwill you have brought to this amnesty programme this is coming to an end.

"I want to commend you and members of your delegation and to thank you very much. You may not know what you are doing for your people and the nation now; it will become evident in the future. Continue with the peace and security in the Niger Delta region. In a few years, five years or so, you will see the kind of development that would have taken place then you will thank God that you decided to take advantage of this amnesty so that together we join hands to work diligently for the welfare and wellbeing of our people.

"This administration understands the challenges of the Niger Delta region and the challenges people are facing and that is why from the beginning I made Niger Delta a top priority in our seven-point agenda. I want to say that the amnesty is not an end in itself but a means to an end. It is a means to peacefully and lovingly with brotherly understanding bring to an end all insurrection and misunderstanding between brothers. It is a means to bringing stability peace and security to the Niger Delta region. It is a means of making the two of us work together to ensure that our youths do not take up arms again.

"We will work together to ensure that youths in the Niger Delta have a meaningful life through the kind of programmes we will evolve; train them, help them to establish businesses, those who want to further their education to whatever level to help them to do that to ensure that each and everyone of them has a career and a life to be proud of and that he would stand to be proud of himself, his family and his country and he would be proud that he is a Nigerian.

"You have told the Minister of Defence that you will like to see me but this is the first time we have met but this will not be the last time.

"Secondly, I am calling on other militant leaders who have not yet taking advantage of this amnesty programme to do that because I want us to work together into the post-amnesty period. I am hoping that in the remaining three days, 4th October, the remaining militant leaders will please consider and follow the example of Chief Ateke Tom so that if they do that, after 4th October we will sit down with them and discuss as brothers the kind of programmes that will help in the rehabilitation and reintegration of their followers and other militants that are under them so that together we plan a future for them. A future they will be proud of. That is one of the things we will do.

"The other thing is to look at the problems that caused the agitations in the Niger Delta in the first place. These are problems that have been well known for a very long time. We will not just say you have dropped your arms and so you go, no.

"Come we will sit down and see what are the problems that have made you to take up arms against your state; then you will say these are the problems, we work out the solution together with you, then we go ahead to implement and then you also participate in implementing the solutions to these problems. That is the essence of this amnesty. To stop the violence but also to unite with you to solve other problems so that the issue of militancy and grievances we will put behind us."

Replying, Tom who spoke in pidgin English called on the President to help address the Niger Delta problems.

He said his confidence in the President led him to embrace amnesty from the first day.

Tom said: I meet with Defence Minister, them come our camp, ask us say wetin be our problem, we tell them our problems and the problem, this Niger Delta problem no be new story na story we the whole world know and your amnesty, immediately you announced the amnesty, I be the first person wey embrace the amnesty because I like the amnesty.

But things wey we talk we dey worry us make una try do am for us because we dey suffer for Niger Delta and we believe you.

Me particularly, I believe you well well. I know say the things dem wey you promise you go fit do am for us but the people wey no fit endure am na him no fit endure am so I thank you very well for this amnesty.

Make you try help us, we the Ijaw people, try commot us from this problem wey we dey get. Our arms we go drop am; like me, I don promise I go drop my arms. Na im make I say make I come see you; take all our problems dem, try solve am for us, that is why I dey here today.