representatives of militant groups which have been
attacking oil facilities in the restive region, a witness and
official said.
A Reuters reporter saw state governors and traditional
rulers from the swamp lands meet Buhari and top
security officials at the presidential villa in Abuja. An
official said militant groups had also sent representatives.
President Buhari said any Nigerian who has another
country to relocate to is free to do so while those without
remain to solve the nation’s problems.
According to a statement by Garba Shehu, a
spokesperson to the president, Buhari spoke while
addressing Niger Delta stakeholders at the Presidential
Villa, Abuja.
“We are determined to make life comfortable and
affordable to all Nigerians. If anybody has a country to go
to, let him go, we will stay here and salvage our country,”
Shehu quoted the President as saying.
Buhari was said to have told the leaders of the Niger Delta
that they had more to do than anyone else to bring peace
to the region, given the influence they have on militant
groups.
He expressed the determination of his administration to
stay focused on its key campaign promises of securing
the country, fighting corruption and creating jobs through
the improvement of the economy.
He said peace, security, investment and prosperity are
linked together, adding that “if we give peace a chance,
investors will come here to invest. Nobody will invest in
an insecure environment.”
Buhari said the problems his administration found on the
ground were many, as illustrated in collapse of oil prices,
inability of 27 of the 36 states to pay salaries, absence of
savings to fall back and having to deal with an elite who
didn’t seem to care.
All these, he said, made his government to conclude that,
“life as usual is no longer affordable.”
In welcoming the 16-point request presented for
negotiation by the Niger Delta leaders, Buhari said he was
still expecting reports from officials he had instructed to
review the implementation of the Amnesty programme to
determine where government fell short so that amends
can be made.
The President said the service chiefs were putting
together their own assessment of the militancy situation,
saying “when I have these reports, including this one (just
presented), we will revisit the situation (in the region) to
ensure that we succeed this time.”
The president who delivered his report card on the war
against corruption and the efforts to secure the country
repeated his call to the Niger Delta leaders to join the
administration in bringing peace to the troubled region.
“Please Your Excellencies, Your Majesties, Distinguished
ladies and gentlemen; we all have our individual
constituencies. Let us try to pacify our constituencies,”
the president is quoted as saying.
“Let us first recover our country, secure the country and
let us invite people who will invest.
“Let us create jobs for our people and let us be
accountable to our people where we are sitting on
treasuries, whether it is local government, state or the
center.
“We should ensure that we rebuild this country. Nobody
wants to fail. So, the only way out is, if people understand
and believe that we are doing our best at all levels, then
we will have some peace.
“But it they have reason to doubt our performance and
sincerity, then we will have problem.”
In their own presentation, the leaders and Stakeholders of
the Niger Delta Region led by Chief Edwin Clark, a former
minister put across to the president 16 issues for
dialogue, for which they demanded a composite
government committee.
The issues included, among others, the completion of
major road projects in the region, the take-off of the
maritime university, the full activation of ports in Niger
Delta and other waterways, the relocation of international
oil companies to the region.
Others issues include the issuance of oil blocks to the
states and other stakeholders as well as the strengthening
of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and
the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs. They also broached
the issue of fiscal federalism.
The Niger Delta leaders reaffirmed their support for the
federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari
and expressed total commitment to the unity, peace and
stability of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Abba Kyari the president’s
chief of staff, and Babachir David Lawal , the secretary to
the federal government, were also present at the meeting.
The ministers of justice, defence, petroleum (state),
transportation, Niger Delta, education (state), the chief of
defence staff, the national security adviser, the director-
general, DSS, the chief of army staff, chief of naval staff,
the representative of the Chief of Air Staff and the
inspector-general of police were also in attendance.
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