Nice one!
A Nobel laureate and a former Chief of General Staff! That signifies gravity, responsibility and a message worth listening to.
MEND couldn't have chosen better.

AS the nation awaits the October 4 deadline for all militants in the Niger Delta to surrender their arms, Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has confirmed his acceptance of the offer from the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) as its mediator with the Federal Government.

MEND, had on Tuesday, announced the name of Soyinka and a former Chief of General Staff (CGS), Rear Admiral Mike Akhigbe, among its four-man delegation for further discussions with the government.

The names were contained in an e-mail by MEND’s spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Tuesday, in which the organisation gave fresh conditions for cooperation with the authorities towards restoring normalcy in the troubled oil-producing area.

The clarification by Soyinka followed an enquiry from the Nigerian Tribune if there was a prior consultation with him by MEND before announcing his name.

His response was brief, just as he declined further explanations on where, when and how his choice was arrived at. “For now, all I consider appropriate to say is: I was contacted, and I have accepted”, the literary giant stated in his reply to our email.

MEND had accused the government of “not showing willingness to dialogue, preferring instead to make wild unrealistic threats, purchase more military hardware, and dole out bribes to traitors to our noble cause as has been obvious in its so-called disarmament process.

http://ndn.nigeriadailynews.com/templates/?a=19568&z=8

The clarification by Soyinka followed an enquiry from the Nigerian Tribune if there was a prior consultation with him by MEND before announcing his name.

His response was brief, just as he declined further explanations on where, when and how his choice was arrived at. "For now, all I consider appropriate to say is: I was contacted, and I have accepted", the literary giant stated in his reply to our email.

Perhaps with such high powered representation, Tompolo will also accept amnesty, especially as Yar Adua indicated his readiness to look into the root causes of the problem. Who knows?