The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger Delta crisis

  • ‘Past leaders were deceitful in handling Boko Haram, Niger Delta crisis’

    A Non-Governmental Organisation, Newstime International Company, has berated the country’s past leadership for showing gross incompetence and deceitfulness in handling the issues of Boko Haram insurgency and Niger Delta militancy.

    The group said the situation in Nigeria on the twin challenges were a legacy of many years of problems.

    President of the group, Tony Oyatedor, who addressed a news conference in Abuja, said Boko Haram and Niger Delta militancy will move from bitter fighting to close friendship with the Federal Government with the help of Nigerians.

    Oyatedor called on the Federal Government to make peace with aggrieved Nigerians to end killings and the continuous destruction of properties of innocent Nigerians.

    He said: “The situation in Nigeria on the twin problems is a legacy of many years of problems. It is not something that happened overnight. We will not resolve it overnight with a snap of the finger. We must not take sides. Our work is not to condemn, but our work is to accomplish reconciliation and peace.

    “The twin problems is a serious problem and no one is working to fix it, they only talk about it but Newstime has the solution and will roll up our sleeves to work and fix it for good.”

    Oyatedor said previous administrations in the country proved their priorities were to loot the country instead of creating an enabling environment for peace, security and development.

    “Niger Delta leaders always complain about the terrain in the area while northerners and so many other countries are begging God to give them water. Niger Delta have water but the people make it sound like it is a disease to have water, instead to give thanks, praise and glory to God for a land flowing with oil, gas, milk and honey due to water and the terrain.

    “People complain about unemployment, power outages, bad roads, lack of potable and clean water to drink and clean environment. The government should rather employ people to handle this infrastructural deficit properly.”

  • Armed conflicts: Nigeria to implement ECOWAS trans-human movement

    Armed conflicts: Nigeria to implement ECOWAS trans-human movement

    The Federal Government Thursday said it has domesticated the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Trans-Human Movement Law and would commence its implementation.

    President Muhammadu Buhari stated this at the 2017 National Security Summit organised by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in Abuja.

    Buhari, who was represented by the Minister for Interior, Gen. Abdulraman Dambazau (rtd), said that the domestication became necessary in order to contain menaces of herders, militants and terrorists.

    He said: “ECOWAS protocol on free movement of goods and person has always been there from the word go but there is ECOWAS decision on trans-humans. That is movement from one country to another as herders.

    “The decision is that every country where these trans-humans come, they should prepare reception areas for them and issue them International trans-humans certificates for identification. They would also be monitored so that their movements are known.

    “So, this is an ECOWAS decision that was taken in 1998 but has not been implemented. ECOWAS is trying now to see how they can implement it so as to reduce the conflict going on between herders and farmers.”

    Buhari also attributed increase in crime rate to proliferation of small arms, noting that there were over 10 million illegal small arms in the country a decade ago.

    He said: “I did a research ten years ago and I discovered that over 10 million small arms and weapons were in the country and that was before Boko Haram and Niger Delta crisis.

    “I do not know the quantity as of today but certainly, they must have increased bearing in mind the flow of weapons from North Africa because of the Libyan and Malian crises.”

    Earlier in his address, Buhari said that armed Agro Rangers would be stationed in farms as part of measures to protect agricultural investment, farmers and herders.

    He explained that the move would boost food security, economy and reduce incessant clashes.

    He said government would pursue security governance initiatives that are broad based, adding that it had entered into bilateral and multilateral agreements with other stakeholders to improve nation’s security.

    He assured of government’s support in carrying out institutional reforms and restructuring to revamp police in line with global best practices.

    He said government has launched national  counter terrorism strategy, adding that security management was the responsibility of everyone including the international community.

    Urging states to domesticate the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, Buhari said it would assist in harmonsing, punishing any criminal.

    Acknowledging the challenges faced by the police, Buhari noted that there was improved budgetary allocation for the force, urging organised private sector to invest more in security sector as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    In an aside interview with The Nation, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, said the way out of farmers-herders conflict was for Nigerians to be tolerant with each other.

    He said: “The main way to tackle the issue of herdsmen and farmers is for us to be our brother’s keeper. We grew up in this country and we saw how people migrated to other places and settled peacefully. I think it is just the element of give and take that is lacking and like somebody observed, Nigerians are becoming intolerant of each other. “Until we stop the intolerance and believe that we have to forego something in order to get something, the communal clashes and ethnic disagreements would continue.

    “The reason for the summit is for all stakeholders to assemble and proffer solutions to improving security across the country.”

    Highpoint of the event was the anti-kidnapping, K-9 and anti-explosives simulations exhibited by police operatives.

     

  • Osinbajo: We ‘ll resolve Niger Delta crisis

    Osinbajo: We ‘ll resolve Niger Delta crisis

    The recent visit of Acting President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) to the Southsouth for discussion with stakeholders on the way forward may have laid a foundation for the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis, reports OSAGIE OTABOR

    The people of Benin City, the Edo State capital, will not forget in a hurry the day Acting President Yemi Osibanjo visited the state as part of his fact-finding visit to the Niger Delta.

    Stakeholders, who were invited to the ultra modern Samuel Ogbemudia College, venue of the meeting with the Acting President, had a hectic time getting to the venue. Those with invitation letters were allowed to pass security blockade while others parked their vehicles at adjoining streets.

    However, speakers at the meeting, bared their minds on issues affecting the 38 oil producing communities in the state. Representatives from the three oil-producing local government areas – Ovia Northeast, Ikpoba-Okha and Orhionmwon – were allowed to air their grievances.

    Chief David Edebiri, who spoke on behalf of Ovia Northeast, urged the Acting President to ensure that projects earmarked for the Niger Delta region were completed without delay. He wondered why projects meant for the Niger Delta were abandoned.

    According to him, “After Oloibiri, Ovia Northeast is the next place oil was discovered, but there is nothing to show for what it produces. We are not among those agitating for militants’ allowance. Our youths are patriotic citizens. The oil company exploring oil has not shown sufficient zeal to better the life of our people.”

    Johnson Achelonu, who spoke on behalf of Ikpoba-Okha Local Government, said oil exploration has been going on in 11 communities for the past 40 years but the people have remained poor.

    He said schools in some of the communities have only two teachers, which showed that the oil companies have been insensitive to the plight of the people.

    The sad story of Orhiomwon Local Government, which has the largest gas reserve in West Africa, was narrated by the traditional ruler of Oben, Odoligie Ogiemwonyi. He said communities in Orhiomwon where the gas field is located suffers from gas flaring.

    He appealed to Osibanjo not to ensure that projects abandoned by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) were revisited and completed.

    He said Seplat Petroleum Development Company should implement the agreed employment quota of 30 per cent senior staff and 60 per cent junior staff. He also called for the implementation of the Federal Government Local Content Policy, the establishment of a Federal Government Institute of Science and Technology and the provision of a skill acquisition center.

    Niger Delta women group under the auspices of Society for the Protection of Women Welfare in Oil and Gas Producing States described the direct payment of 13 per cent derivation fund to states government as illegal and unconstitutional.

    The group, in its presentation by its President, Princess Nomwen Uhununagho and Secretary, Obi Nneka Esther, said the fund should be directed to producing communities as compensation for the loss of fishing rights and productive farmlands.

    According to them, “Two mandatory provision of the 1999 constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

    “Section 162 (2) of the 1999 constitution as amended confirms that 13 per cent derivation fund is the first charge on the Federation Account.

    “Thirteen per cent derivation fund as enshrined in the amended constitution of 1999 is exclusively for the oil and Gas Producing communities, primarily as compensation for the loss of fishing rights and productive farm lands arising from Oil exploration and activities.

    “The Chairman Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission (RMFC) had insisted further that it was an act of gross mismanagement and misappropriation on the part of the state government to have diverted the 13 per cent derivation fund to develop their state capitals and non-producing communities in abject poverty and penury” and that this includes “elites everywhere and it is not just in the oil-producing areas have very frequently deprived the people of the opportunity to enjoy the fruit of the land.”

    The Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, who submitted an extensive report his group had carried out in the Niger Delta region, said the Federal Government need to focus more on capital projects.

    He said a visit to many of the communities showed that projects claimed to have been completed were not.

    There was commotion in the town hall meeting as members of oil producing communities insisted that the Acting President should leave the meeting and visit the communities.

    A representative of the oil producing communities, Don Ben, grabbed the microphone and told the Acting President to leave the oil alone, if the communities were too insecure to be visited.

    He said they had been at the Benin Airport waiting for the Acting President only for them to be told that the visit to the communities had been cancelled.

    Osibanjo assured the protesters that he would reschedule another visit to the state to enable him go to the oil producing communities and see things for himself.

    He said the new vision for Niger Delta region would define a bright future for the communities, adding that the Federal government would hold any defaulting contractor handling projects in the Niger Delta as well as prosecute those that abandoned projects.

    Osibanjo said the Buhari administration wants to ensure that the people get the real benefit of the wealth the country has.

    He said: “I have read out and I have listened to several of the complaints in several areas.. I can tell you precisely how much had been voted of same in several of our own communities and there is no sign of development in those areas. I can tell you how many of these projects are supposed to have been completed and when you look into some books, they said they had been completed, but they have not been completed. They have not even been done; many have not even been started at all. That is the story not just in the oil producing communities of Edo State but it’s the story everywhere.”

    “There is the story of neglect, there is many cases of corruption that have deprived our people at the expenses of people in the oil producing areas their means of live,iBook for so many years. That is one of the issues that we intend to address and this is why I have come on behalf of the President and Commander In Chief to put a new way of doing things, to signpost a new era in the oil producing areas of Delta and everyone of the state’s of Nigeria. This is an important engagement that we are not taking lightly at all”

    Osinbajo added: “We are committed to every one of the things that we say we want to do, it does not make sense for leadership to look at the plight of the people, especially, in the oil producing areas. This is the source of the wealth of the nation and to ignore the people even if it is for a while; the time will come when you can  no longer ignore them. So, there is no question at all that we are committed to doing what we said we would do and that is a pledge coming directly from President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    Governor Godwin Obaseki informed the Acting President that there were 38 oil producing communities and 205 flow station in the state.

    Obaseki said oil communities in the state had their own share of neglect, adding that several projects by the Federal Government projects in the area had yielded no results due to corruption, ineptitude and lack of capacity.

    He said the youths have a very strong feeling of deprivation and marginalisation which was why they express themselves earlier in the prograamme.

    Obaseki said his administration has planned to develop a masterplan for the 38 oil producing communities, adding that he would not allow any agency to carry out any project without adhering to details in the masterplan.

  • Niger Delta crisis: Osinbajo leads delegation to Bayelsa

    Niger Delta crisis: Osinbajo leads delegation to Bayelsa

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to lead a high-powered delegation of the Federal Government to Bayelsa State today as part of efforts to restore peace in the Niger Delta region.

    Osinbajo and his team earlier visited Delta State, where he held meetings with major stakeholders on issues affecting the region.

    He also toured facilities at the temporary site of the controversial Maritime University in Gbaramatu Kingdom.

    Osinbajo’s visit, it was gathered, will enable the Federal Government to further interact with stakeholders, understand their challenges and proffer solutions to them.

    Bayelsa, as one of the major oil-producing states, was second in the list for the visits to the troubled region, after Delta.

    The visits, it was learnt, are meant to make the government see the effect of the recent attacks on pipelines and oil installations in renewed agitations by militants.

    The Bayelsa State Police Command confirmed the Acting President’s visit and urged the public to go about their normal activities.

    In a statement in Yenagoa, the state capital, Police Commissioner Amba Asuquo said Osinbajo and his team would meet with traditional rulers, eminent Bayelsa indigenes and members of the conflict resolution committees.

    He said the consultations were scheduled to hold at the DSP Alamieyeseigha Memorial Banquet Hall at the Government House in Yenagoa.

    He said: “Attendance is strictly on invitation. The command, therefore, advises all law-abiding citizens to go about their lawful and legitimate businesses, while gathering of persons not invited to the programme, at any point within the state, will not be tolerated. Tight security measures have been put in place to curtail the activities of miscreants.”

  • Niger Delta crisis: OMPALAN advises Presidency on wider consultation

    •Monarch appointed as patron

    OIL and Solid Minerals Producing Area Landlords’ Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN) has urged the Presidency to seek wider consultation with oil and gas stakeholders to address the lingering Niger Delta crisis.
    Its Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Bishop Udo Azogu spoke in Omorku, Rivers State, during the appointment of the Chukwumela Nnam Obi II of Ogbaland as patron of association.
    In a statement yesterday, OMPALAN hailed Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for visiting the crisis-ridden Niger-Delta for first-hand information on the situation.
    He said: “We salute the courage and leadership qualities of the Vice President in visiting the hotbed of violence in the Niger Delta region to get first-hand information on the region’s deplorable situation and dialogue with a wide spectrum of stakeholders.
    “This is a step in the right direction as it helped greatly to douse tension in the region. However, OMPALAN believes the issue of oil and gas requires a wider consultation of stakeholders across the country – bringing on board both the big and small producing states to nip the lingering crisis definitively in the bud and lay a solid foundation for lasting peace, equity and justice.
    “To restore sanity to the embattled Niger Delta region and provide a conducive investment climate for sustainable development goals, OMPALAN is ramping up effort to mobilise the nation to present a common front to the challenges in the region.”
    The patron admonished the association to always carry host communities along.
    Azogu noted that the occasion marked the beginning of a new era of national integration towards addressing security and environmental challenges in oil and solid mineral producing areas of Nigeria.

  • Niger Delta crisis: Avengers write Buhari, reject talks with security agents

    The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is not keen on meeting with security agents who may be representing the Federal Government at the proposed peace talks over the crisis in the zone.

    The NDA, in an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday, said  it is not proper for a democratically elected government to conduct such talks through security agents.

    It was responding to what it called the president’s “continuous disparaging remarks since the cessation and suspension of hostilities by our fighters for liberation of the Niger Delta from economic colonialism of Nigeria.

    “We are curious of comments like ‘Niger Delta militants objective is to colonize Nigeria economically’ and ‘Niger Delta militants are sponsored by economic looters’ during the Passing Out Parade (POP) of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) 63rd Regular Course,” NDA said in the open letter signed by ‘Brig. Gen’ Mudoch Agbinibo.

     The letter further stated that, “You personally issued misleading statements and threats of decisive military action – if necessary – to deal with Niger Delta agitation because you have purportedly opened up channels of talks through security agencies/agents and the Multinational Corporations.

    “Mr. President, do democratically elected governments open channels for talks in situations like we have in the Niger Delta through security agencies/agents or you are assuming the Niger Delta as a conquered colony in your 1984 Era?”

    The militant group also expressed dislike for the President’s constant reference to the recently flagged off clean up of Ogoni as part of government’s program to salvage the ravaged environment.

    It said the pollution of Ogoniland was caused by successive governments, adding:”How can you justify Ogoni clean-up and at the same time constitute a Task Force Called “Operations Delta Safe” that is embarking on environmental pollution with the burning and bombing of petroleum products in the guise of fighting oil theft?

    “Does that amount to lack of genuine ideas or sincerity?

    “Or at least, is there no relationship between environmental pollution and the ongoing indiscriminate burning and bombing of petroleum products by operatives of the so-called Operations Delta Safe?

    “Mr. President, basically, some other factors fueling the Niger Delta conflict are corruption engendered by successive government that you served since oil becomes the commonwealth of the nation Nigeria.

    “Whilst you start the Ogoni clean-up process, what is wrong in reviewing the Sir Henry Willinks Commission Report of 1958? The Ogoni Bill of Rights, The Kaiama Declaration document of the Ijaw Youths Council, The General Alexander Ogomudia Committee Report, and The Leedum Mitee-led Niger Delta Technical Committee Report?”

  • Tambuwal: more political engagement required to end Niger Delta crisis

    Tambuwal: more political engagement required to end Niger Delta crisis

    The crisis in the Niger Delta region requires more political solution than military, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said.

    The governor spoke yesterday in Sokoto when he hosted participants of Course 25 of the National Defence College, who were on a study tour of the state.

    Tambuwal said: “The crisis in the Niger Delta is one that requires more political engagement by all stakeholders. Rather than use military might, we should lay much emphasis on engaging all parties in a dialogue. The militants, especially, must seize the initiative to restore peace in the region and ensure socio-economic stability.”

    The governor noted that the ability of the country to tackle the challenges facing the nation would ultimately define the essence of its leaders.

    He said: “Every country in the world is facing some form of challenges. What is important is the ability of the leadership to rally round, discuss and engage all stakeholders to come to a peaceful resolution of such issues.”

    Tambuwal hailed the military and other security agencies for tigtening internal security.

    The governor said the successes recorded in the fight against Boko Haram in the Northeast should inspire them to look for solutions for other security challenges, such as kidnapping and robbery, in other parts of the country.

    He said because President Muhammadu Buhari has good intentions for the country, Nigerians should support his efforts and embrace peace at all times.

    On the theme of the tour: Enhancing Food Security for National Development: The Role of State Governments, Tambuwal said Sokoto had embraced modern farming techniques and joined other entities in declaring food as a major security issue.

    He said: “In the recent past, we have embraced many cash crops because of the need to diversify. In Sokoto today, we are leading producers of crops, such as millet, rice, sorghum, onions, tomatoes, cowpea and variety of vegetables. From next farming season, we are including sesame among the crops to be cultivated because of its economic value.”

    The team leader Prof Istifanus Zabade said the participants comprised Nigerians and their counterparts from other countries who required to study cultural, social and political environment of chosen localities to broaden their knowledge of all sections of the country.

     

  • ‘Nigeria loses N3t in six months to Niger Delta crisis’

    The Federal Government has been advised to embrace dialogue rather than resort to war to resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta.

    A council member of Nigeria-British Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Misbau Opeyemi Aminu, an engineer, who gave the advice in Lagos in an interview, said Nigeria was losing N3 trillion every six months to the crisis.

    He said the use of force would be counter-productive in the long run, adding that with his experience in community engagement, the challenge in the region, which was hurting the economy, could be resolved with dialogue, special programmes, compensation and infrastructure development.

    Aminu said the country had almost shut down, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declining to almost half the value since the latest militancy in the region started.

    He said something urgent needed to be done to save the economy from collapse.

    According to him, the Niger Delta issue needs genuine dialogue that would involve the disadvantaged people, analyse grouses, alleviate pains, address immediate concerns, and offer promise of a rewarding future.

    Aminu said, “The inhuman conditions have changed everything about the Niger Delta, remolded average minds and brains in the region and caused them to lose trust in the leadership. They have also lost trust in the nation, become suspicious of every move, defensive in nature and rebellious as a group etc.”

    He stated that, over time, the people of the Niger Delta “tasted the ‘Black Gold’, and found it was sweeter than fishing and farming. What they couldn’t get legitimately they have accessed illegitimately.

    “Pipelines have been tapped for illegal refineries, and oil transported in small barges into awaiting heavy ships on the high sea. Huge money is realised, mansions built, parties held, and lives have become ostentatious. It is now difficult for the average man from the area to embrace farming and fishing.”

    He added that the agitators had also realised the relevance of oil to the nation’s revenue put at 85 per cent and gas, which hovers at 75 per cent.

    “Their mentality, social behaviour and social structures have been destroyed over a long time. Restoring their trust, mind and brains to the Nigerian project will take a while. The lifestyle destroyed over the years cannot be corrected through the barrel of the gun,”Aminu pointed out.

    He listed the agitators’ pain points to include destroyed farmlands and aquatic life, polluted environment, inadequate or selective compensation, and systemic inequality among others.

    Aminu said that the inequality in the region manifests in a situation where non-oil producers are favoured with juicy oil wells, while the bearer of the oil wells lingers in poverty, youth joblessness, lack of meaningful development, and dearth of infrastructure, among others.

    According to him, a lot of contracts such asconstruction of roads, hospitals, and schools were awarded to different contractors by the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), International Oil Companies (IOCs), banks, and corporate organisations either as developmental programme or as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects some of which were financially mobilised but unexecuted due to the attitude and frustration from the people.

  • Niger Delta crisis: U.S, Dickson insist on dialogue

    Niger Delta crisis: U.S, Dickson insist on dialogue

    The United States Government and Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, on Wednesday insisted that the Federal Government should use dialogue, not military might, to resolve the crisis in the Niger Delta region.

    They said honest and sincere talks involving all the stakeholders in the region would have far-reaching impact on peace, security and stability of the country.

    A three-man team of senior U.S officials led by the Deputy Chief of Mission, Mr. David Young, spoke in Yenagoa, when they paid a courtesy visit to Dickson as part of their ongoing fact-finding tour of the Niger Delta.

    Other members of the team were Consul-General, John Bray and Chief of Political and Economic Section, Tom Hines.

    Addressing Dickson, Young said: “The United States Government feels very strongly that all stakeholders should be engaged in dialogue as part of step to arrive at equitable and fair solution for all involved.”

    He observed that the major challenge facing Nigeria was to translate the oil wells into meaningful development to impact positively on the lives of the citizens.

    He said the country should strive to ensure an end to violence and establish conditions and mechanisms for lasting change and economic opportunities for the people.

    He said the mission constantly engaged all stakeholders such as governors, civil society group, legislators and non-governmental organisations to promote transparency and fiscal responsibility.

    According to him, America would continue to provide necessary assistance on matters of agriculture, health, education, diplomacy and good governance.

    He said: “We believe that the major challenge to Nigeria is to translate the region’s oil wells into improvement in the lives of every citizen.

    “We encourage Nigeria to work for goals to end violence and to establish conditions and mechanisms for a lasting change over time and provide economic opportunities for people.”

    On his part, Dickson commended the U.S for her encouragement and continued support for Nigeria and the Niger Delta.

     

  • Niger Delta crisis: FG delegation in critical talks with ex-warlords

    Niger Delta crisis: FG delegation in critical talks with ex-warlords

    In a fresh initiative to restore peace to the region, the federal government has returned to the negotiation table with ex-warlords from the Niger Delta.

    Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, General Paul Boroh (rtd.) yesterday launched a three hour meeting with some notable warlords in the region with a view to ending the recent spate of bombing of critical oil and gas installations.

    The violence has resulted in a sharp drop in oil production and revenue accruing to the nation.

    The meeting took place at the Amnesty Office in Abuja.

    Although Boroh described the talks as routine in line with the operational template of the Amnesty Office, he said that issues slated for discussion were germane to the search for peace in the region as contributions from the ex-warlords would provide an insight into how best to move forward.

    In attendance at the closed door session were the likes of Elder Timi Ogoriba, Danny Ekpebide, Richard Akinaka and Dennis Phillip. They are some of the ex-warlords who have worked closely with Amnesty Office since inception.

    Boroh, briefing newsmen on the meeting, said: “I invited them for this important meeting as a normal routine to discuss current issues. I appreciate the role that is being played by every stakeholder. We want to discuss recent upsurge in the region with the emergence of new groups which are violent and whose activities affect the environment. I’m happy that we gather to discuss these issues.”

    He said that he had held similar meetings with other stakeholders in the region, noting that they were instrumental to the relative peace being experienced in the last few weeks.

    Boroh said his office would not accept any other agitator into the programme apart from the over 30, 000 on the list.

    Plans, according to him, have reached an advanced stage to reintegrate 13, 600 ex-agitators after they would have undergone training in different aspects of agriculture, including oil and gas sector in line with the federal government’s thinking of a diversified economy.

    “We are now in the process of reintegrating the ex-militants captured in our list into the society,” he said. “My mandate is to reintegrate the 30, 000 that I met and that is what I am doing. It is better to clear this aspect.

    “Of course, there have been issues of delay in payment. This is due to the economic situation in the country. The programme is affected by the inadequate funds in the country.

    “However, the programme is on course and it has helped in dousing the tension in the area, though about 13, 000 are yet to be adequately trained in the Amnesty programme.

    “But our focus in on agriculture as an alternative to engaging ex-militants and we have visited Bio Resource Centres that could help in training these people.

    “About 10, 000 that would be trained at the Bio Resource Centres on modern farming methods. Agriculture, I believe, is the best alternative because it would provide food security, wealth creation, jobs and enhancement of the economy.”

    He added that the cost implication and modalities for the training have been duly discussed and beneficiaries would be enrolled in batches at the centres in due course.