Youth Forum Backs Inclusion Of Itsekiri, Others In PAP

The Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum for Peace and Development has enlisted support for the inclusion of the Itsekiri Nation alongside other ethnic nationalities in the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

The call for inclusion recently made by Dr. Shola Mese was met with purported sponsored attacks by the Izon Cultural Heritage Centre (ICHC) and other pseudo groups which seek to undermine Dr. Mese’s interventions and portray his position as self-serving.

The forum in a statement issued after an emergency meeting in Port Harcourt signed by its national president, Snr. Comr. Amb. Tamuno James (Rivers State), alongside representatives from all major ethnic groups in the region, reaffirmed support for Dr. Shola Mese’s position on the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), stressing the need for fairness and equitable inclusion of the Itsekiri Nation alongside other ethnic nationalities.

Other signatories on the statement include

Oritse Meyiwa (Itsekiri – Delta State),

Comr. Udoh Akpan Bassey (Ibibio – Akwa Ibom State), Comr. Paul Oromosele (Edo State), Comr. Aruwotonye (Ogoni – Rivers State), Comr. Fred Tijala (Ilaje – Ondo State),

Snr. Comr. Asuquo Akpan (Efik – Cross River State), Comr. Hope Agadaba (Bayelsa State),

Comr. Amos Keledichuwu (Igbo – Imo State),

Snr. Comr. Ejiro Oghenerume a.k.a. Last Don (Urhobo – Delta State), Comr. Ufuoma Oterioghene (Isoko – Delta State) and Snr. Comr. Ifeanyi Ebele (Ndokwa – Delta State emphasizes that Dr. Mese, a United Nations–recognized International Peace Ambassador and respected security consultant, has demonstrated unwavering commitment to peace, equity, and inclusion in the Niger Delta region.

In the statement made available to newsmen via electronic mail, the Forum stated that “As the sole Itsekiri representative in the Presidential Amnesty Office, appointed on the recommendation of the Olu of Warri in 2024, Dr. Mese has worked to ensure that the Itsekiri Nation is not sidelined in the distribution of benefits from the PAP. His track record in conflict resolution and his role in the original disarmament process of ex-militants in Delta State have positioned him as a credible voice on matters relating to the programme.”