The Presidency on Friday, explained that top political office holders in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government from the Niger Delta region, have started peaceful dialogue with their kit and kins who are involved in the spate of ongoing bombings of oil facilities in the area.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, who gave the hint at a news conference in Abuja, also said that the dialogue involved the governors and the various community leaders in the oil rich region.
Enang expressed confidence that the federal government emissaries would achieve the much desired peace and restore normalcy in the areas as soon as possible.
He also explained that the Buhari administration was not contemplating the use of force to deal with the crisis, because such action could further reduce Nigeria’s oil production rate from the region..
He said, “The federal government officials, at the moment, are in their various states talking not only to their state governors but aggrieved persons on the way of resolving the problems arising from bombing of oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
“The Minister of Niger Delta, the Minister of Interior, the Coordinator of the Amnesty Office have been taking actions consistent with their powers and what I know, is that almost all the ministers and officers from the Niger Delta region have returned to their respective states.
“They are in their respective zones and their respective blocs to talk to their leaders and their aggrieved persons on the need for us to maintain peace.
“That is going on and they are the representatives of Mr. President. So, I will not tell you what Mr. President wants to do in person but these are officers and offices which are dealing with this matter.
“What I know they have done, which some of us are involved in doing by virtue of coming from that zone and by virtue of working with them, is been telling our people that the economy of the people is bleeding and the nation is hemorrhaging and that we cannot, given the low price of oil, go on certain actions that will further reduce the earnings of Nigeria.
“We have lost the earnings in terms of price, so we shouldn’t lose earnings in terms of production. I am sure that you are aware that we budgeted 2.2 million barrel per day and production few weeks ago, lowered to 1.4 million per day and it is climbing to 1.6 and 1.7 per day million per day and that is capable of affecting the money expected from oil.
“These are the things we are preaching to our people and preaching to the governors of our respective states.
“The Minister of Niger Delta, the Amnesty Office, the Minister of Interior are all carrying these messages to the governors that they should stand up and work and not sit down and watch.” – Punch.
