Niger Delta Leaders Reject Government Representative

Various elders, youth leaders and organizations in the Niger Delta have rejected the government’s choice of former foreign minister Ibrahim Gambari to preside over the upcoming Niger Delta summit. According to Oghenejabor Ikimi, chairman of a local Human Rights organization, the locals believe Gambari knows very little about their problems in the oil-rich delta. Nigeria’s Special Duties Minster Godsday Orubebe however urged the leaders to give Gambari a chance, saying he had done Nigeria proud as a minister and, currently, as UN Undersecretary-General. The summit seeks to find lasting peace in the region, which has experienced years of violent conflict waged by militant groups claiming to fight against the exploitation of local communities by oil multinationals. [P.E]