MEND: We Are Under Pressure To Support National Conference

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has said it has come under pressure to endorse the national dialogue announced by President Goodluck Jonathan during his speech at Independence Day celebration.
MEND, in a statement by Jomo Gbomo shortly after the announcement had dismissed the idea of a national dialogue as a jamboree.
Gbomo, in a terse statement, alleged that a member of the newly inaugurated national advisory committee on the national dialogue, Mr Tony Uranta, was mounting pressure on MEND to endorse the national dialogue.
He stated that Uranta had contacted MEND to endorse the action of President Goodluck Jonathan, because “a rejection coming from a South-South body like MEND is an embarrassment to the presidency.” Wondering why Uranta, who has repeatedly insisted that MEND had ceased to exist after the granting of amnesty would turn around to solicit the support of the same organisation, it re-affirmed its vote of no-confidence on the members of the committee and the national dialogue itself.
Gbomo, who reiterated that the amnesty programme is a drain on national resources, pointed out that  the government has failed to correlate its display of less than 3000 weapons with more than 30,000 so-called repentant militants.
Contacted on the allegation by MEND, Mr Tony Uranta, said he would rather remain silent on the matter. He said he would not comment on anything MEND said  because he was on a national assignment.