Reports have it that the federal government and Niger Delta states have started developing a common and united strategy to deal with the recent
resurgent militant attacks on the nation’s oil installations. This is coming in line with a meeting In a meeting summoned on the instruction of President Muhammadu Buhari, this was disclosed in the meeting held at the Presidential Villa, and presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, and had in attendance, governors from Niger Delta states, three ministers and military service chiefs met behind closed doors to discuss the situation, and forge a common strategy to halt what is considered by both federal and state governments as acts of economic sabotage by the militants.
During the meeting which lasted over two hours, it was made known that the federal government is proceeding on a collaborative strategy with the governments, communities in the Niger Delta region and other relevant stakeholders towards tackling the situation holistically.
Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa who briefed State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting said the meeting identified the need for synergy between the federal and the state governments as a very important step going forward, stating that a lot of decisions were taken at the meeting after they were briefed by Service Chiefs.
According to him, ‘we have taken a lot of decisions which we think will help us to mitigate what is going on currently in the states particularly in Delta and Bayelsa’, reiterating the belief that ‘we are going to find a solution very soon’.
Mr. Okowa added that it was decided that military presence in the region should be de-escalated, though it was agreed that the forces should be kept to provide security and presence while government begins immediate engagement process with the communities in the affected areas.
Governor Okowa noted that on the fate of the amnesty Programme, the Presidential Adviser on the Amnesty Programme briefed the meeting and stated that the Programme was actually still on-going. He added that ‘we have a Special Adviser in charge of Amnesty and he is doing a lot of work.’
In attendance on the side lof federal government were the Minister of Defense, Rtd. Major General Mohammed Dan Ali, Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani and Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Dr. Ibe Kachikwu. Military service chiefs were also in attendance led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt.Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin and all the Service Chiefs who briefed the meeting on the security situation in the region, others include Governors from the Niger Delta states which include Governors of Edo, Ondo, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Abia, and the Deputy Governor of Cross River.