Nigeria Daily News: Rivers Dep Speaker Canvasses Speedy Talks With Boko Haram

Rivers Dep Speaker Canvasses Speedy Talks With Boko Haram
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Staff on 07/09/2012 20:00:00


THE Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mr. Leyii Kwanee,
wants expeditious dialogue between the Boko Haram sect and the Federal
Government.
Kwanee who seeks a peaceful resolution of the crisis stated this when a
delegation of Titled Women Prayer Association of Nigeria (TWPAN) paid him a
courtesy call in his office in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Speaker said that the intervention of God was required for the
amicable settlement of the conflict.  He noted that throughout the history of
man it has been learnt that violence does not contain violence, hence the need
for dialogue.
He cited the case of the Niger Delta where military force could not suppress the
restiveness.  Kwanee, who represents Khana 11 constituency, noted that only in
a peaceful atmosphere can the potential of Nigeria be realized. According to
him, “without peace there cannot be any meaningful development.”
He appealed to the Boko Haram sect to accept the olive branch of the Federal
Government for peace to reign once again.
The Deputy Speaker lauded the women for identifying with the power of prayers
and assured them of his support.   He accepted the offer of a patron from the
group, promising that he would do his best to support the programmes of the
group.
The President of the Titled Women Prayer Association of Nigeria, Mrs. Blessing
Ekpemiro, said the group decided to identify with the Deputy Speaker because of
his Christian virtues and encouragement of prayers in his Ogoni ethnic
nationality in order to restore peace.
She informed the Deputy Speaker that the group is a national organization that
believes in the efficacy of prayers to resolve conflicts.
The president congratulated the Deputy Speaker for his return to the State House
of Assembly as a two-term legislator and commended him for his development
initiative in his Ogoni ethnic nationality in the areas of employment,
empowerment and support for the less privileged.
“I will not hesitate to commend the efforts of Honourable Deputy Speaker ‘a
God fearing man’ who has restored peace and tranquility in Ogoni land through
his pet project (Ogoni for Christ)”, she said.
Mrs. Ekpemiro further told the Deputy Speaker that the group was on its way to
visit northern leaders like the former military president, Gen. Ibrahim
Babangida; the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other prominent
Nigerians to canvass peaceful resolution of the Boko Haram crisis.