From Steven Bekeme – Port Harcourt

Youths of the Niger Delta region held a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital. Their major agenda was the 1st August protest.

The SUPREME intelligence reveal that, the meeting took place in a popular hotel.

It was allegedly chaired by a youth leader simply identified as Collins, from Bayelsa Stare.

We also learnt that, youths from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers states were in attendance.

A reliable source at the meeting, who pleaded strict anonymity, disclosed that,
majority of the youths initially objected to the plea of not participating in the protest. “Some of us insisted that we must join in the protest, because there is too much hardship and insecurity in our region, and in the entire country.”

Our source explained that, it was partially resolved later that they should not join in the protest.

We learnt that, our source could not stay till the end, because of hurriedly leaving to meet up with a Local Government Chairman’s emergency invitation for a meeting.

According to our source, the meeting with the local council chairman could not hold, due to late arrival. However, the meeting allegedly took place yesterday Wednesday 31st August, at the Council Secretariat, with others in attendance.

The SUPREME gathered that, the meeting was in respect of persuading the youths from participating in the mother of all protests scheduled for today August 1st.

We further learnt that, the chairman appealed to them not to join in the protest. “He (chairman) told us that, the governor said, we should not join in the protest,” our source said in anger.
The aggrieved source queried, “why should the governor tell us not to join in the protest, is he not aware of the hardship in the country?

Our source further hinted that, most of them who attended the meeting accused their governor of compromising with the Federal Government.

Our investigations reveal that, other council chairmen met with youth leaders in their various areas, urging then not to join in the protest.

The SUPREME also learnt that some governors in the region also made overtures to youth leaders in their states to urge their members not to join in the protest.

While some of the youths were said to be unhappy with their various state governors over their alleged compromise, there is rife speculation that money exchanged hands in the Port Harcourt meeting.

But our source denied getting a dime from the meeting. “I’m not aware, because l didn’t stay till the end, and nobody has send us (his members) any money.’

On whether the Local Government Chairman gave them any palliative to back out from the protest, our source said, most of them “left the meeting in anger.”

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