Troops to vacate Niger Delta communities as Osinbajo meets governors
Troops will vacate Niger Delta communities but remain on the waterways, governors from region and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo agreed at a marathon meeting on Tuesday.
This is to allow for the dialogue with the militants by the delegation of the federal government.
Militants operating under different aegis have been attacking oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta, drastically reducing oil explore and plunging the nation into darkness.
The militants threatened to bomb Aso Rock, defence headquarters and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Ifeanyi Okowa, governor of Delta state, briefed the media after the meeting.
“We were briefed by the service chiefs and the governors also have their own perspectives along with the minister of state for petroleum. We have taken a lot of decisions which will help us mitigate what is going on currently in the states particularly Bayelsa and Delta,” he said.
“We believe we are going to find solution to it. One of such is that there is a need for us to share intelligence which is very important and for us to be proactive, working together with the various stakeholders in the states to achieve a better result going forward.
“We have also agreed that there is a need to distill military operations directly in communities, but the military needs to actually remain on our waterways to ensure that we adequately man the waterways itself while we engage the communities and that engagement process is starting any moment from now.”
On the amnesty programme, he said: “I don’t think the amnesty has been stopped. I think the process is still ongoing. We have a special adviser in charge of amnesty and he is doing very well. I am aware that he did come in to talk with some of the communities along with the advocacy team that was put up in Delta state.
“He did brief us today and I believe it is going to maintained.”
Adams Oshiomhole, governor of Edo state, said: “Nigeria is not at war and we cannot be at war with ourselves. If we have conflicts, we will talk through those conflicts. There are laws that have to be enforced. I think that in all of these the whole idea is to find peace that is functional, that creates environment for very decent Nigerians to live their lives.”
At the meeting were governor of Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu; Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel; Bayelsa, Seriake Dickson; Okowa; Oshiomhole; Rivers, Nyesom Wike, and Ondo, Olusegun Mimiko. Cross River was represented by the deputy governor, Ivara Esu.
Ibe Kachikwu, minister of state for petroleum resources was also in attendance, along with service chiefs and key ministers.
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