Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo met with some state governors, ministers and
security chiefs at the Presidential Villa today to begin discussions on
ending cases of attacks by militants on oil installations in Niger
Delta.
VP Osinbajo and N'Delta governors at the meeting
At a marathon meeting on Tuesday at the presidential villa Abuja,
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo agreed that the military troops will vacate
Niger Delta communities but remain on the waterways.
This new development is to allow for the dialogue with the
militants by the delegation of the President Buhari-led federal
government.
Earlier today, we reported it here that
the vice president was meeting with some state governors and security
chiefs as the discussions are focused on ending cases of attacks by
militants on oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
Some of the governors in attendance include; Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta
State, Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo
State , Governors Seriake Dickson of Baylesa, Governor Nyesom Wike of
Rivers State, Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Governor Udom Emmanuel of
Akwa Ibom, and Cross River was represented by the deputy governor,
Ivara Esu.
Briefing the media after the meeting, the governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, said:
“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.
“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,” he said.
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 be maintained.”
The governor of Edo state, Adams Oshiomhole, who also attended the meeting 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.”
The minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, was
also in attendance, along with service chiefs and key ministers.
