Why Dickson cancelled meeting with ex-MEND leaders


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By on COVER
From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
FRESH facts have emerged on how security and intelligence reports made Governor Se­riake Dickson of Bayelsa State to cancel the meeting of former leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which was convened by Government Ekpemu­polo aka Tompolo.
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, had in a terse state­ment announced the cancellation of the meet­ing, promising the former agitators that he would meet with them to discuss their griev­ances in the overall interest of the Niger Delta.
Dickson, investigation revealed, was forced to cancel the meeting when he received a secu­rity report that some politicians in the state had sponsored a parallel meeting of some former militants.
The motive, according to a source, who was in the know of the security report, was to insti­gate crisis, which would portray Dickson and Bayelsa State in bad light in the eyes of the Presidency.
On moves by Dickson to meet with the for­mer militants’ leaders and take up the issue of the amnesty programme with the Federal Gov­ernment, the source said the governor had re­alised that the Ijaw people now look up to him to project their interests at the national level.
According to the source, Dickson enjoyed enormous goodwill from politicians across party divide and there was the belief that be­cause of the respect the Federal Government had for him, he would be able to resolve the issue.

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