FlashBack: Just Like Buhari, Read How Jonathan Cancelled a Trip to a Niger Delta Community

 

We reported it here earlier today that President Muhammadu Buhari's scheduled one-day trip to Ogoniland, Rivers State for the flag-off of Niger Delta clean up, was canceled, as the president was represented by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

 

As expected, the cancellation generated uproar online and on social media, as the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), a militant group, earlier threatened the life of the president. The group had asked Buhari to sign his 'death warrant' before coming to the region.

 

Today's incident triggered a flashback of a similar situation in November 2014 when former President Goodluck Jonathan cancelled his trip to Ogidigben, a community in Warri south-west local government, under a similar circumstance.

 

Jonathan was supposed to launch the $16 billion Export Processing Zone (EPZ), in the area, but the Ijaws who felt cheated protested because the site of the project was named after an Itsekiri community, without 'giving credence to the contributions of the Ijaws whose land also hosted the EPZ.'

 

Militant warlord, Government Ekpomukpolo, popularly known as Tompolo, a former commander of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), asked the former president to stay off from the ceremony until their demands were met.

 

The security men placed on alert for the planned visit of the president were withdrawn and the protesters celebrated the cancellation.