The planned 2022 Niger Delta Peace Day Celebration, which was originally set on Wednesday, September 21, has been postponed by the Congress for Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (CNDE), an umbrella group of former militants led by Mr. Ebikabowei Victor-Ben, nicknamed, Boyloaf, a former militant commander.
In order to commemorate the day that militants in the Niger Delta heeded the call, handed in their weapons, and embraced the amnesty announced by the Federal Government during the administration of late President Shehu Musa Ya'Adua, the event was organised by the CNDE in cooperation with the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and the Bayelsa State Government.
The Niger Delta Peace Day had a Peace Summit intended to give the ex-militants a chance to reaffirm their commitment to maintaining the peace in the region, which has benefited economically from the increase in daily barrels of crude oil production. The summit was originally scheduled to take place in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
Before the event was postponed, Senator Douye Diri, the governor of Bayelsa State, was named as the chief host, Col. Milland Dixon Dikio (ret. ), the former interim administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), as the co-host, and Umana Okon Umana, the minister of Niger Delta affairs, as the special guest of honour.
Additionally, the interim administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was invited as the guest of honour, and the event's chairman was named the president of the Ijaw National Congress (INC). Simbi Wabote, the executive director of the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB), and Sunny Ofehe, the founder of the Hope for Niger Delta Campaign in the Netherlands, were also scheduled to speak.
Although no specific reason was given for the event's postponement, CNDE leader Victor-Ben expressed remorse and promised that a new date will be announced immediately, with the same weight as the original announcement.
However, it appeared that the recent change in the Amnesty Program's management may not be unrelated to the decision to postpone the Peace Celebration.