Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has reacted to reports that he is included in the Niger Delta negotiation team with the federal government.
He said that some Niger Delta militant groups had reached out to him in their efforts at interfacing with the government on the current militancy in the region, pleading with the government to genuinely listen to the agitators.
Prof Wole Soyinka also said he had passed on the message of what was happening in the region to some international figures in London, but emphasised that no international interventionist group had been formed on the matter.
Briefing newsmen, yesterday, in Lagos at an event convened to update the nation about the activities of Wole Soyinka Foundation, Soyinka pleaded with the government to come to the aids of the people of the region.
He said: “I wish to make an appeal to the government to respond positively to the outreach from the militant groups. That is the request which has been made by some of the groups.
“At the moment, they feel that the government of President Buhari is not seriously responding to them. And I will make a personal appeal to the government to respond positively and let us see where it ends.
“But I am not part of any international group, I was approached personally and I have been responding personally to some of these groups just as I did when President Jonathan was in power and MEND was the umbrella group of the insurgents.”
He said that some Niger Delta militant groups had reached out to him in their efforts at interfacing with the government on the current militancy in the region, pleading with the government to genuinely listen to the agitators.
Prof Wole Soyinka also said he had passed on the message of what was happening in the region to some international figures in London, but emphasised that no international interventionist group had been formed on the matter.
Briefing newsmen, yesterday, in Lagos at an event convened to update the nation about the activities of Wole Soyinka Foundation, Soyinka pleaded with the government to come to the aids of the people of the region.
He said: “I wish to make an appeal to the government to respond positively to the outreach from the militant groups. That is the request which has been made by some of the groups.
“At the moment, they feel that the government of President Buhari is not seriously responding to them. And I will make a personal appeal to the government to respond positively and let us see where it ends.
“But I am not part of any international group, I was approached personally and I have been responding personally to some of these groups just as I did when President Jonathan was in power and MEND was the umbrella group of the insurgents.”