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Tag: Niger-Delta

  • Niger Delta crisis: Bishop advocates dialogue

    Bishop of Badagry (Anglican Communion) Babatunde Adeyemi has advocated dialogue in resolving the renewed crisis in Niger Delta rather than use of force.

    He attributed the crisis to long years of neglect due to corruption, saying: “I do not think meeting force with force can solve the problem.”

    The Bishop spoke during the Third Session of the Fourth Synod of the Badagry Diocese.

    According to him, corruption has affected virtually all sectors. “Everyone is looking for ways of swindling their neighbours. Just a few care about good names which is better than great riches.

    “Where is all the money made from crude oil in the last five years? It’s in the hands of a few due to corruption. Is NDA (Niger Delta Avengers) a finger of God? Probably!”

    The Bishop said diversifying from the oil sector to agriculture and solid minerals would help to restore the ailing economy.

    He urged the government to, as a matter of urgency, implement palliative measures to give relief to citizens as a result of the fuel hike.

    Adeyemi decried the alarming spate of crime, saying the government should motivate law enforcement agencies for optimum service delivery.

    He condemned increase in domestic violence against women and children, saying offenders should be punished and victims given proper counseling to deal with trauma.

    Adeyemi praised Governor Akinwunmi Ambode for his administration’s “laudable projects especially the Light up Lagos”, which he said would “keep away hoodlums from our streets”.

    He commended the state on the 10-lanes Lagos/Badagry Expressway, adding that urgent attention should be given the Okoko to Badagry axis due to its deplorable state.

    He advised the government to demolish dilapidated structures in schools that pose threat to students’ safety students.

  • Niger Delta suffering from poor leadership, mismanaged allocations, say elders

    Niger Delta suffering from poor leadership, mismanaged allocations, say elders

    •Expert seeks end to violent agitation
    •Fed Govt urged to dialogue with Avengers
    •Rep to militants: sheathe your swords

    Some Niger Delta elders have blamed the crisis in the region on years of poor leadership and mismanagement of the resources allocated to the region.

    The elders noted that the region’s leaders allegedly misappropriated and squandered the huge revenues that accrued to the Niger Delta from federal sources and interventionist agencies.

    They spoke yesterday at an annual birthday lecture, entitled: The Niger Delta Question and Imperative of Visionary Leadership, organised in honour of Chief Mike Loyibo at Tuomo, Bomadi Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    The programme was attended by many Niger Delta leaders and friends of Loyibo, including the Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta, Gen. Paul Boro (retd), who was represented by former President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Mr. Chris Ekiyor.

    Others are: a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Gordon Bozimo; retired Supreme Court Justice, F. F. Tabai; Secretary of Ijaw National Congress (INC), Dr Bello Orubebe and member representing Amuwon Odofin Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives, Mr. Oghene Egoh, among many others.

    The guest lecturer, Prof. Benjamin Okaba, of the Delta State University (DELSU), said the Amnesty Programme could not tackle the region’s challenges because it was dead on arrival.

    Okaba said the programme, including the establishment of the Niger Delta Ministry, only empowered a few people by making them stupendously rich at the detriment of the region’s development.

    The expert noted that although the current agitation for more resources was good, leaders from the Niger Delta should be seen as responsibly utilising the resources that already accrued to the region.

    He said: “What have we done with the little we have got? Let us look at the issues of leadership. We have 13 per cent derivation; we have appointees. But what have we done with them? The agitation is okay, but it is not sufficient for the repositioning of the region.

    “Our attitude to our people must change. The problems and concerns of the Niger Delta region is a product of our collective negligence. It is a sad reminder of the enthronement of the private over the collective.”

    Okaba said instead of rushing to the creeks to destroy oil installations and damage the environment, all parties should embrace dialogue.

    The lecturer said revitalising non-oil resources and environmental education in the region required visionary leadership.

    He added that by beginning the clean-up of the Niger Delta, President Muhammadu Buhari would be documented in history as a leader under whom the vision of the Kaiama Declaration and the Ogoni Bill of Rights were actualised.

    Okaba said: “President Buhari has made zero tolerance of corruption his administration’s cardinal strategy for driving sustainable peace and development in Nigeria.

    “Though it might be too early to pass a judgment on how this will impact on the Niger Delta region, we reverse the adage that if the head of a fish is rotten, then the whole body will be useless. There seems to be great promise for all and sundry, including the people and environment of the Niger Delta for a new beginning.

    “While we ask for more resources, we should be mindful of what we have. Let us elect people with vision and passion, even at the community level. If people could divert 13 per cent, they will also divert it when it is increased to 50 and 100 per cent. So, we must hold our leaders accountable.

    “Don’t be surprised that many of them actually have a lot of personal ambitions to fulfil and nothing for the people they have sworn on oaths to serve. The region’s profile of underdevelopment and indignity is a reflection of the quality of leadership that pilot its affairs.

    “These times and situations call for visionary and patriotic leadership to pull the Niger Delta out of the valley of despair, uncertainty, backwardness and retrogression to the mountain top of hope, stability, peace, progress and prosperity.”

    Extolling the virtues of Loyibo, the lecturer appealed to other leaders to imitate the selfless service of the celebrant, starting from their community levels.

    Loyibo, an activist, community leader and Chairman of Concerned Niger Delta Leaders (CNDL), warned against the current destruction of oil installations in the region.

    The celebrant lambasted the region’s leaders, accusing them of selfishness and deliberately refusing to develop Niger Delta.

    He said: “We have spoken against the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), economic criminals and those who said they would bring oil production to zero. As far as we are concerned, if you don’t have a genuine intention of agitation, you don’t need to cause trouble for Nigeria.

    “Nigeria is one and everybody is a first-class citizen. But the Niger Delta needs to be developed. Without the Niger Delta, Nigeria cannot operate smoothly. The leaders we have been producing in the Niger Delta have been self-centred. They have refused to develop our area.”

    Also, a former member of the House of Representatives, Adamu Bala Kuta, has urged the Federal Government to dialogue with militants in Niger Delta, especially members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) who have been bombing oil and gas facilities in the region.

    The former lawmaker said genuine discussion with such groups would end attacks on economic facilities and ensure peace in the region.

    Kuta, who represented Shiroro, Munya and Rafi Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, addressed reporters yesterday in Minna, the Niger State capital, following alleged Federal Government’s threat to use force against the Avengers.

    The former lawmaker noted that such tactics would only worsen the already bad situation.

    He said: “I strongly disagree with the Federal Government on the use of force. That will not solve the problem but will rather worsen the already bad situation.”

    Kuta appealed to Niger Delta militants to lay down their arms and embrace dialogue with the government in order to allow peace to reign in the region.

    He said: “I urge the boys to stop the bombing of oil facilities because this will affect every Nigerian, including those involved in the destruction of such installations.”

    The former lawmaker said the nation’s unity was not negotiable, adding that Nigerians must be their brothers’ keepers, regardless of tribal, religious and geographical differences.

    A member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Oghene Egoh has urged militants, especially the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue in the interest of peace and development of the region.

    Egoh, who represents Amuwon Odofin Federal Constituency of Lagos State in the National Assembly, also urged the Federal Government to use dialogue instead of military option to permanently end economic sabotage in the region.

    The lawmaker was at Tuomo, Bomadi in Delta State, attending the annual birthday lecture organised in honour of an activist, Chief Mike Loyibo.

    He said the militants were using violence to draw the attention of the government to their problems.

    Egoh said: “Let us talk. Violence does not solve the problem. But, of course, Niger Delta is using violence to draw attention to their problems.

    “I think what they have done is enough. The country is bleeding right now. The budget is in trouble.

    “We can hardly earn enough money to bring imports and other things. I think what needs to be done is to appeal to them and find a lasting negotiation, not one where you dictate to the other party.

    “Let me appeal to the Niger Delta people, who are my people, that they should calm down and also appeal to the President that everybody is his child. Let him discuss.”

    The lawmaker said the question of Niger Delta was about resource sharing.

    According to him, though the region is the goose that lays the golden egg, it does not get enough from the resources.

    Egoh said: “There are lots of programmes. I agree that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the 13 per cent derivation, the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) and similar others belong to the Niger Delta region. But they pale into insignificance when you find out that one man owns oil wells at the backyard of Niger Delta communities.

    “If you look at the list of owners of oil wells, but I am not in a position to verify, though nobody has challenged it, we hear that 80 per cent of those who own oil wells in the Niger Delta are from the North. You see, that it is injustice. The result of that is agitation.

    “The issue of oil wells is that they are skewed to a particular part of the country. It is not that they have more education or skills. But at the time they were given the oil wells, people of that extraction were in the military, which was then ruling.

    “There’s room for readjustment. When the oil well bidding comes up, people of the Niger Delta should be remembered before other people.

    “I have no worry if resources from the Niger Delta are used to develop other parts of the country. But the point is that you cannot use the resources from one area to develop other areas and refuse to give back to the area you took the resources from.”

     

  • Militancy can’t slow down Niger Delta’s progress, says NDDC boss Semenitari

    Militancy can’t slow down Niger Delta’s progress, says NDDC boss Semenitari

    The renewed militancy in the Niger Delta is a temporary challenge, the Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, has said.

    Mrs Semenitari, a former Rivers State Commissioner for Information, said the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers were not in the interest of the people but  the hostility had not slowed down the commissioners progressive stride and  projects.

    The Federal Government, she said, is “seriously addressing” the challenge, adding that the Presidency had been meeting with Niger Delta elders and other interest groups to resolve the problem.

    Mrs Semenitari spoke at a dinner organised in her honour by her colleagues in the media. The event was held at Westow Hostels in Ikeja, Lagos at the weekend.

    She said: “All of us know that the things (militancy) happening in Niger Delta are not in the interest of the people. Clearly, government is seriously addressing the problem. We need to engage all of these persons and we have been doing so. Although every engagement is not on the pages of newspaper; you need to believe that we have been engaging them. And I believe sooner than later, there would be peace.”

    The NDDC boss identified what she called “rent collection” as root of the challenges facing Niger Delta, saying people usually asked the commission’s workers for money whenever NDDC embarked on projects. She regretted that a substantial  part of the resources accrued to the commission in the last 16 years was embezzled by politicians, which resulted in entrenched poverty and militancy in the region.

    Since her appointment, Mrs Semenitari said she had suppressed corrupt practices among  the staff of the commission, noting that she received threats because of the reforms she introduced in NDDC.

    She said: “We are aware that the only government some communities in Niger Delta know is NDDC. It takes a death threat for a journalist to turn down a job, the NDDC assignment is a task we have taken up in people’s interest. The challenges are enormous, but we will do what we can to bring about desired development.”

    Mrs Semenitari hailed the organisers of the event, saying newsroom taught her the virtue of hard work. She also praised her husband, Henry, for supporting her all through her years as a journalist.

    She said: “It doesn’t matter what we said to each other as media practitioner, but every one of us meant well. As reporter, I climbed every rung of journalism and newsroom taught me the virtue of hard work. I also must confess that my colleagues made me who I am today.”

    Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation and chairman of the occasion, Sam Omatseye, described Mrs Seminatari as a thorough-bred professional, saying her appointment as NDDC boss was a testimony to the professionalism in the media practice.

    Omatseye said the event was to honour Mrs Semenitari and to remind her of the expectations of her colleagues in the media.

    The event was attended by top NDDC officials, media executives and senior editors of notable newspapers, including The Nation, The Punch, ThisDay, Vanguard and The Sun, among others.

  • Avengers, other militant groups disagree on missile launch

    Avengers, other militant groups disagree on missile launch

    There was discordant tunes within the militant groups operating in the Niger Delta region following a threat by some militants to launch six missiles in the region.

    The militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which had claimed responsibilities for ongoing onslaughts against oil installations, Saturday, disassociated itself from threats to launch missiles in the region.

    It rather asked persons behind the threat to sheathe their swords and key into its motive of crippling the country’s oil production without bloodshed.

    A consolidated group of militants under the aegis of Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF), which claimed NDA was its member, threatened to launch six missiles in the Niger Delta region.

    The group said it would commence the testing of its six missiles which would last for three days on June 7.

    Though it did not disclose the nature of the missiles, it warned that no airplanes should fly in and out of the country within the period claiming that the weapons were capable of hitting any object despite its size.

    It said its fighters trained for that purpose had already arrived the region with its foreign partners through what it described as the country’s porous borders.

    The group in an electronic statement said it took the decision to further wreck havoc in the region in a meeting attended in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State by its commanders.

    The militant group said Bayelsa State not Delta State is the command base of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) and warned the Commissioner of Information and Orientation in Bayelsa, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite to stop criticizing NDA.

    The group in the statement which repeatedly referred to President Muhammadu Buhari as Pharoh, said the highest organ of JNDLF, the Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC) concluded that the launching of the missiles would signal its readiness for the final breakup of the country.

    Persons who endorsed the statement for the group identified themselves as ‘General’ Torunanaowei Latei (Creek Network Coordinator); ‘General’ Agbakakuro Owei-Tauro (Pipeline Bleeding Expert); ‘General’ Akotebe Darikoro (Commander, General Duties) and ‘General’ Pulokiri Ebikade (Intelligence Bureau).

    But NDA in an electronic statement signed by its Spokesman, Murdock Agbinibo, warned other groups to desist from an act capable of causing bloodshed in the region.

    Agbinibo said there was no need to launch missiles or take life of any person since the military warplanes had not struck in the region.

    He said: “The military warplanes hovering round our towns and villages have not strike a soul or destroy any property, so those groups with anti aircraft missiles should dry their gunpowder.

    “When it is time to engage the military in combat the whole world will know they started the war not the Avengers. The Niger delta avengers high command will pass the message round that its time to engage on gun battle when it is time.

    “So far, we have not engaged the Nigeria military in combat; despite the heavy presence of military on the pipelines. we still find way to carry out our actions without attacking soldiers. The avengers will deal with any group that refuses and attack military.

    “The high command is calling on all groups in Rivers, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom to not indulge in any act of kidnapping and attacking of soldiers. The war is on oil installations; ‘Operation On Flow of Oil’. God is our strength; he is going to see the people of Niger delta through.

    “Let us be careful not offend God in the process of trying to liberate our people from the shackles of the Nigerian government because we need God more than anything right now. We also need the international bodies as well. Hence, we must desist from any life threatening actions that will derail our genuine struggle for our people.

    “All groups are hereby discouraged from indulging in harassing oil workers and soldiers. We urge you all to help any oil workers or soldiers you see in distress”.

    The NDA spokesman added: “The liberation of the Niger delta people has taken a new swing with the daily emergence of new groups all over the region. The avengers are calling on all groups in the region to be strong and resolute as it is obvious that God is on our side.

    “The groups are much now both real and unreal but if you really fighting for the liberation of the Niger delta people. The high command of the avengers is calling on you not to attack any soldier and those claiming to have anti aircraft missiles should deist from targeting any aircraft.”

  • Seven die as gunmen attacks Military boat in Delta

    Seven die as gunmen attacks Military boat in Delta

    Insurgents in the Niger Delta drew the first blood in the escalating security situation in oil-rich region Wednesday night when a band of armed persons attacked a military house boat in a creek near Omadino community, Warri South council area of Delta state, killing 7 people, including 2 soldiers.

    The Nation gathered that five boats, loaded with heavily armed insurgents, stormed an isolated boat house, located inside the creek around Omadino, an Itsekiri community, at about 8:00pm, opened fire on the occupants, killing all those aboard, except for one civilian, who reported died later while being taking to the hospital.

    There was yet to be any claim of responsibility by either the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), the insurgent group, which had in recent times pitted itself against the federal government by destroying oil and gas facilities or any other group for that matter.

    Reliable sources, all of whom preferred to be kept anonymous, confirmed the development to the Nation, some with more detailed facts than the others.

    A community source, said the attack happened at about 8:00pm, claiming all occupants of the boat, whom he thought to be soldiers, were killed.

    “An army security house boat was attacked and all the security men inside were killed last night, at Omadino by pipeline here. This happened around 8 in the evening”, he said.

    Another source, from one of the military formations in Warri, however revealed that the house boat was not all soldiers, but that there were civilians, who render different types of services aboard.

    A military source from Warri, who confirmed the development, told the Nation that two soldiers and five civilians lost their lives in the attack.

    He said most of the men stationed at the house boat had gone on pipeline patrol when the attackers came.

    According to the source, although outnumbered by the assailants, the remaining soldiers who were left on the boat when the attackers came gave their best by giving a frantic fight, adding that the assailants did not leave without a bloody nose.

    “The report is true. They came in five speed boats, they were many and unfortunately when they got there, some of the soldiers were on pipelines patrol. When the attackers got there, the man on sentry did his best and the rest, but unfortunately, because of their number they opened fire to kill the civilians inside the house boat. There were four civilians and two soldiers, making six.

    “The seventh person, who happened to be a civilian, was rushed to Oghara (the Delta State University Teaching Hospital), getting to Oghae, they found out that the hospital was on strike. Before he could be rushed back to Warri, his situation had deteriorated; you know the distance between Warri and Oghara that was how he gave up the ghost.

    “Our people also got some of them down, but as they wouldn’t like to leave any of their casualties behind, we can’t ascertain, but the soldiers tried their best in reducing their number”, the source said.

    However, efforts to get the Commanding Officer of the 3 Battalion, Effunrun Barracks, Major Monday Anzaku and the Army Public Relations Officer (APRO) of the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Benin, Captain Jonah Unuakhalu, for confirmation and comments were unsuccessful as both men were unreachable.

  • Troops arrest ‘Niger Delta Avengers men’

    Troops arrest ‘Niger Delta Avengers men’

    Ten suspected members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) – the group of militants smashing oil facilities in the Niger Delta – have been arrested in Delta State.

    Besides, a military patrol team prevented some gunmen believed to be its members from attacking pipelines in Bayelsa State.

    The Army yesterday paraded the 10 suspects in Benin, the Edo State capital, yesterday.

    The suspects were arrested at about 1:40am on Saturday in Oporaza community, Warri South-West Local Government Area, following a cordon-and-search operation conducted in the community.

    The 4 Brigade Commander, Brig. –Gen. Farouk Yahaya, who paraded the suspects, explained that there had been several cases of sabotage by suspected militants and vandals in Delta State since January 1,  and warning and threats “to shut down all operations” in the sector.

    He listed the arms and ammunition recovered from the suspects as: 28 detonator cords (also known Detonator 33), one pistol, two empty pistol magazines, 196 rounds of 7.62 special ammunition, one round of nine-millimetre ammunition, a live cartridge and five daggers.

    Also recovered were 15 handheld radio sets, 18 phones, 203 SIM cards belonging to three major network providers, five swimsuits, two headlamps, a laptop, two ipads and a camera.

    There were also seven wraps of substances suspected to be hemp, five speedboat throttle cables, six pairs of hand gloves, N23,000 cash and a cheque book.

    Gen. Yahaya said that although investigation would reveal the true identity of the suspects, recent explosions carried out by the Niger Delta Avengers suggested that the suspects may not be unconnected to the group.

    He added: “Within the period under review, you can see that the Niger Delta Avengers have claimed virtually all acts of criminal activities against oil and gas and they continue threatening a shutdown of the whole sector. So, most likely, they (suspects) will be the people; who else would they be?”

    On the speculation that the militants may have used charms to evade arrest, Gen. Yahaya said: “Whatever a person wants to use, he can use it. But I know that God is always on the side of the truth.

    “We are not worried by voodoo. It did not stop the suspects from being arrested and others that have been arrested before now.

    “Operations that led to these arrests and recoveries were conducted professionally, guided by our mandate, operation orders, code of conduct and rules of engagement. Our operations are strictly targeted against perpetrators of all criminal acts in our area of responsibility and not innocent citizens,” he added.

    The brigade commander, who noted that the suspects would be handed over to prosecuting security agencies at the end of the preliminary investigation, however, urged the public to provide the Army with information the militants.

    The Army said its troops yesterday averted attacks on oil pipelines located at Gulobokri and Eweleso communities in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    The acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman, confirmed this in a statement.

    Col. Usman said the attack was averted by the troops on patrol of areas around Brass.

    According to him, the patrol team had an encounter with some militants in two speed boats with intent to blow up the Nigerian Agip Oil Company pipeline at Gulobokri.

    “In the early hours of today, May 29, troops of 343 Artillery Regiment of 2 Brigade, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, carried out patrol within the general area of Gulobokri and Eweleso.

    ‘’This was around Brass area in Bayelsa State.

    “The troops encountered some armed militants who opened fire on the patrol team.

    “The troops responded with overwhelming superior firepower and as a result, the suspected criminals sped off from the area with many of them sustaining gunshot wounds.

    “Unfortunately, a personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attached to the team sustained gunshot wound and has since been evacuated and he is in a stable condition,’’ Col. Usman said.

    He also said that another patrol team of the same unit of 82 Division, averted another attack on an oil facility at Perigbene House Boat in Bayelsa.

    He said the troops on patrol to the area encountered militants in three speed boats, also on a mission to attack another critical infrastructure in the area.

    Col. Usman said the troops killed most of the militants while others escaped with gunshot injuries.

    He said the casualty figure on militants could not be ascertained as it was raining heavily, adding that the raging storm could not allow troops to go on in pursuit of the escaping criminals.

    Col. Usman added that a mop-up operation had been organised for those militants who escaped with gunshot wounds, adding that they might be receiving treatment in the neighbouring communities.

    He said troops would continue to intensify patrols in the area to further halt planned attacks on key public infrastructure in the area.

    The Federal Government and ex-militants have resolved to end the ongoing pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.ý

    Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger-Delta Matters and Coordinator of the Amnesty Programme, broke the end of a meeting he had with some ex-militants in Benin.

    Boro told reporters that the pipeline vandalism in the Niger-Delta was reducing the economic fortune of the country and inflicting pains on Nigerians.

    He urged the agitators to dialogue with the authorities over their grievances and shun destruction of oil installations.

    He said plans were in the pipeline to provide the ex-militants with welfare and a housing scheme in addition to the existing programme and projects.

  • Govt raises peace panel on Niger Delta

    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.”

  • Ogoni group to Avengers: stop destroying Niger Delta

    A group, Ogoni Ex-illegal Refines Forum (OERF), has warned the Niger Delta Avengers to desist from the constant attacks on oil facilities in the region.

    It described the group as saboteurs.

    The group wants the avengers to tow the line of OERF who abandoned their illegal refineries for the peace of the region and to support President Mohammadu Buhari’s effort to address the Niger Delta problems.

    Speaking yesterday in Port Harcourt, the leader of the group, Mr. Cassidy Mbera  said with the appointment of  Brig-Gen Paul Boroh, Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme , the region is in a good position to benefit more from Buhari’s administration.

    Mbera regretted that the Niger Delta Avengers started their illegal activities in the region when President Buhari has shown interest in the region especially his action to clean up Ogoni.

    He urged the Ogoni people to disassociate themselves from the activities of avengers and support President Buhari who they said is  set to flag off the Ogoni cleanup on  2nd of June 2016 in Bori, the capital of Ogoniland

    He said it is an act of wickedness for Avengers to disregard the pains and sufferings the region would pass through from their deliberate evil activities against the people of the region.

    Mbera said: “We are here to condemn the illegal activities of the avengers who refused to put our people, environment into consideration. We are calling on them to accept dialogue and embrace peace. We have a President who has a listening ear.

    “We want to use this opportunity to congratulate the Coordinator for the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brig-Gen Paul Boroh for appointing an Ogoni son as the head of Monitoring and Evaluation Unit. Of course, this group will continue to protest against anything that is inimical to the development of the region.”

  • Buhari vows to enhance security in Niger Delta

    Buhari vows to enhance security in Niger Delta

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday assured oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that the Federal Government is taking all necessary actions to protect strategic assets in the region from vandals and criminals.

    He gave the promise at a meeting with the Global Director (Upstream) of the Royal Dutch Shell Group, Mr. Andrew Brown, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Buhari, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, also said he has directed the Chief of Naval Staff to reorganise and strengthen the military Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta to deal effectively with the resurgence of militancy and sabotage of oil installations.

    The President told Mr. Brown that the operations of the JTF were also being enhanced with increased support and cooperation from the United States and Europe in the areas of training, intelligence, equipment and logistics.

    “We have to be very serious with the situation in the Niger Delta because it threatens the national economy. I assure you that everything possible will be done to protect personnel and oil assets in the region,” President Buhari said.

    He urged aggrieved persons, militants and communities in the Niger Delta to drop their confrontational stance and work with those who have been charged by the Federal Government to review the Amnesty Programme initiated by the Umaru Yar’Adua administration for the benefit of all parties.

    Buhari praised the resilience and staying power of Shell in Nigeria despite the operational challenges of the environment.

    He urged the company to do its best to end gas-flaring in the Niger Delta quickly and produce more gas for electricity generation to support manufacturing and job creation in the country.

    Mr. Brown had appealed for an urgent solution to rising crime and militancy in the Niger Delta.

    The Shell Executive also dispelled speculations that the company was pulling out of Nigeria.

    He said that contrary to such speculations, Shell was currently in discussions with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on new joint oil and gas projects.

     

  • Semenitari reassures Niger Delta communities on projects’ delivery

    The Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, has reassured the people of the Niger Delta, especially those of Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers State of the execution of more projects and programmes in the region.

    She gave the assurance on Friday, when members of the Vanguard of Opobo Nation visited her at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt.

    Mrs. Semenitari, a CNN award-winning journalist, stated that the Federal Government’s interventionist agency recognised the need to bring governance closer to the grassroots, where most of the challenges of development exist.

    She said: “The commission is paying special attention to developing communities in the Niger Delta to ensure that the people enjoy the benefits of the oil that is produced in their land.”

    NDDC’s acting managing director also stated that the commission had continued to intervene in the areas of health, education, social services and skills’ acquisition, among others.

    In continuation of the developmental efforts, she assured leaders of the Opobo community that urgent attention would be paid to upgrading their health centre.

    Mrs. Semenitari, who is a former Rivers Commissioner for Information and Communications, expressed regret that the Opobo health centre had been a sore point for many years.

    She said: “The NDDC’s Directorate of Education, Health and Social Services will assess the situation of the Opobo health centre to see how we can help. Fortunately, this is not a new health centre, because part of what we have said to ourselves is that we are not going to keep building new health centres that do not have personnel. But existing health centres that need renovation and rehabilitation will be upgraded.”