He called on President Muhammadu Buhari to count the cost of the frequent deployment of military personnel to resolve issues in the region, adding that the use of force had never achieved the desired peace in the region.
Clark, who spoke against the backdrop of massive military activities in the Niger region, however, warned government officials and security forces to desist from “overzealous acts” that could create unnecessary anxiety and tension in the region.
He said the relative peace in the region was engendered by the concerted efforts of members of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and not necessarily the deployment of troops.
“One would have expected the Federal Government and the military to know that the NDA has never shown any sign of retreat or fear when, between February 2016 and August 2016, the area was over-militarised by the Operation Crocodile Smile.
“These are people who are ready to sacrifice their lives for what they believe in, which is remediation of the neglect of the region.
“It is the ordinary people, including women and children, that are the victims of this show of power by the military. For instance, school children will be too scared to go to school. The fishermen and the petty traders will either hide in their rooms or run away from their homes for safety.
“We are quite hopeful that the ceasefire will not be broken. Therefore, the actions by the military at the Bennett Island in Warri, Delta State, as reported in a newspaper last Thursday, is uncalled for.
When the NDA gave its notice of withdrawing its ceasefire and resuming hostilities for obvious reasons, the leadership of PANDEF quickly intervened, appealing to them to maintain the status quo and went further to send emissaries of youths and former militants to the creeks to deliberate with the NDA.
“It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to use the military force to cow the people to submission. The wise thing for the Federal Government to do will be to sit down and dialogue with the people.
“What the Federal Government is doing right now is misapplication of resources. Can the Federal Government sit down and calculate how much it has cost it to deploy military to the Niger Delta area from 2002 to date?
“Can the Federal Government tell Nigerians what these figures are? And has military action brought peace?
“But for the intervention of well-meaning elders, let the Federal Government tell the Nigerian public what meaningful progress its actions have brought outside pain and humiliation,” he said.
The octogenarian called on the FG to be a good student of history, warning that no amount of military aggression would intimidate members of PANDEF.
Gov Dickson, Clark meet
Governor of Bayelsa State, Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson, Chief Clark, on Friday, held a meeting on critical issues affecting the Niger Delta region.
The meeting focused on the state of security, especially the breakdown of law and other in some areas and the escalating tension in the oil-rich region.
Dickson said shortly after the meeting that the deliberations focused on how steps could be taken to establish contacts with the Federal Government on the one hand and the aggrieved youths on the other as part of the efforts to prevent a major crisis in the area.
The governor, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media Relations, Mr Fidelis Soriwei, said that the meeting also condemned the disruption the fourth quarter general meeting of the Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) by security operatives in Port Harcourt on Oct. 26, 2017.
The statement quoted the governor as having said that the meeting called for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the disruption of the meeting.
He also called on the agencies responsible for the disruption of the meeting to tender an apology to the elders who were embarrassed by the unprovoked reaction from the agencies.
Dickson said, “Chief Edwin Clark and I just had a meeting on issues affecting the Niger Delta region. In specific terms, the meeting dwelt on the breakdown of law and order, general security and the escalating tension in the Niger Delta.
“We explored how we can step up contacts with the Federal Government on the one hand and the agitators on the other.
In a related development, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Gabriel Olonisakin, has vowed that the Nigerian Armed Forces will strictly prosecute groups associated with violent agitations in the country.
The CDS spoke on Saturday during the induction of 20 gunboats newly acquired by the Nigerian Navy on at the Warri Naval Base, Warri, Delta State.
Olonisakin bemoaned the level of threats and violence in the Niger Delta, a development that warranted the massive presence of the military among civilian populace.
He specifically recalled the recent threat to resume hostilities by members of the NDA, saying it could deal an unfortunate blow on the wellbeing of the region and served as a sad commentary on the collective security of the environment.
The defence boss conceded that although any group reserved the inalienable right to agitate, such agitation if accompanied by violence would be unconstitutional and be resisted.