Govt raises peace panel on Niger Delta

 

The federal government has adopted a carrot and stick approach to the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta where some pipelines and oil platforms have been blown up.

The government yesterday inaugurated a Technical Committee on Peace and Stability in the Niger/Delta.

Chief of Arny Staff Lt.-Gen Tukur Buratai has reechoed the position of Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, that the Niger Delta Avengers are criminals who should so be treated.

Inaugurating the Peace Committee, the government warned that it would not succumb to saboteurs.

It described the bombings of oil and gas infrastructure as a criminal act of sabotage, and expressed its readiness for talks as a means to ensure that peace returns to the area as quickly as possible.

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Usani Uguru Usani and the Special Adviser to the President on Amnesty Programme, Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), made the government’s position known at the inauguration of the committee in Abuja yesterday.

The minister expressed concern at the levels of destruction of oil and gas facilities and platforms, saying information reaching the government indicated that there were several versions to the reports on renewed agitations in the Niger Delta.

He said: “Some people think they are not getting enough from the Federal Government and the best way they could get what they want is to destroy oil facilities. We also gathered that some politicians are behind what is going on, yet another version said some contractors protecting pipelines created it to win or extend their contracts.

“Whatever the reasons are, the Federal Government would not succumb to the activities of saboteurs because it is obvious that they don’t have tangible reasons to perpetrate criminality against the country. We are open to dialogue, especially with the local people, but we are also carrying out investigations to locate the people responsible for this act of sabotage.

“In some countries, it is a criminal offence which carries capital punishment because they are enemies of society. Therefore, we would not assume that the people behind this act do not have dangerous motive, But we have the duty to stop them and the committee has the responsibility to manage and advice government on security matters in the region.”

Major-Gen. Boroh said the government was not happy about the situation in the Niger/Delta, insisting that whatever grievances any group had against the government could be resolved through a more educative approach.

He dismissed insinuations that the Amnesty Programme had been cancelled, saying the programme is still on-going and the challenge regarding release of funds to beneficiaries was being addressed.

He said the Amnesty Office would work with security agencies to fish out those behind the attacks on oil facilities, stressing that ex-agitators had dissociated themselves from the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers.

The Committee, which is headed by Minister of State for Niger/Delta Affairs  Prof. Cladius Daramola, has representatives of the Police, the Navy, the Army, DSS, ministries of Niger/Delta, Information and Culture, Defence and Petroleum Resources, Amnesty Office, Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution, Nigeria Immigration Service, Nigeria Customs Service, NDLEA, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps as members.

Also yesterday, Minister of State, Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri urged the Niger Delta Avengers, Red Egbesu Lions and other militant groups to drop their arms and follow the path of peace in resolving Niger Delta issues.

In a statement issued yesterday in Abuja by his Senior Technical Adviser ( Policy) , Donald Ojogo, the minister said the renewed hostilities were capable of distracting the administration just as he appealed to the armed groups to hold talks with government.

The minister said: “The minister using this medium to appeal to the Niger Delta Avengers and others to follow the path of peace through meaningful dialogue.  The issue not in dispute is the fact that our region, the Niger Delta oil belt, is in dire need of development which successive administrations have tried to address. It is also a shared agreement that governments after governments have attempted to evolve peculiar ways of addressing these developmental challenges.

’’The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is not different in this regard. As Mr President has said on several occasions, this administration has plans for the Niger-Delta region. What is required and most desirable under the current circumstances is understanding and support.

’’In this regard, the resort to violence cannot, and should  not be a desirable option to address the myriad of challenges facing our region. We have moved beyond this path. Returning to it can only be self-inflicting and capable of taking us many years backwards.”