FG to tackle insecurity in Niger Delta – Kachikwu; We want only wars of development – Dickson

CHINEDU WOSU
YENAGOA

Following the incessant bombing of oil facilities by the militant groups in Niger Delta communities, the Federal Government has assured the people of the region that there are on-going efforts aimed at tackling the issue of insecurity, sayings that the efforts are not cosmetic, but intended to ensure peace and stability.

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, gave the assurance in Yenagoa during a courtesy visit to Governor Henry Seriake Dickson.

Accompanied by the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Gen. Paul Boroh , Kachikwu said the Federal Government was committed to “a financially driven and economically motivated pattern” of resolving security concerns and development in Bayelsa and the entire region.

He appealed to the Niger Delta agitators to embrace dialogue for the common good of all stakeholders, noting that, oil as a God-given resource was endowed in the region to unify the people of the country.

Also speaking, Gen. Boroh described the on-going peace initiative as all-encompassing and designed to engage all stakeholders, including fishermen in the creeks in terms of information gathering and dissemination towards achieving “a seamless and peaceful Niger Delta.”

Earlier, Governor Seriake Dickson lauded the Federal Government for its approach, in building consensus towards proffering lasting solutions towards ending insecurity in the Niger Delta.

He stated that the only wars to be fought in any community in the Niger Delta should be that of development, peace and prosperity.

“Wars to conquer and reverse the degradation that has been done to our environment. Those are the challenges that call for collaborative efforts,” Dickson added.

Dickson also called on multinational oil companies to establish their corporate offices in Bayelsa State, noting that such efforts would assist to boost the local economy, through the payment of appropriate taxes and levies.

While lending his voice to the call on the Niger Delta agitators, community leaders and other stakeholders to embrace peace across the region, Dickson said the people have a responsibility to ensure that, the current peace initiatives succeed to engender development in the area.