Minister champions move to restore peace in the Niger Delta

The attendees have set up three committees that will see to the restoration of peace and security in the oil rich region.

According to Vanguard, a former Vice President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), Alhaji Mumakai Unagha, said the meeting went well, and was well attended.

Unagha also slammed some Niger Delta groups for criticising the transport minister for convening the meeting.

He said “At the end of the meeting, three committees were set up to draw up frame work, especially to reach out to stakeholders in the Niger Delta for addressing the peace and security in the region.

“My take on this matter, is that there is no other person better than Honourable RotimiAmechi to summon a meeting of leaders in the South-South, also in the Niger Delta. Apart from being a former governor of a state, he is a serving Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In all ramifications, he is qualified to convey a meeting of South-South leaders.

“As for those leaders going under the guise of Niger Delta, Coastal States Coalition, we have no confidence in them any longer. Today, they will blow cold and tomorrow they will blow hot as they are the major problem in the Niger Delta. In the night, they will go and negotiate with government for what comes to their pocket and in the day time, they sponsor militants. They are not after the well-being of the region.”

Adding that “In the days of the former President, they were political jobbers that came up with several names such as the South-South People’s Assembly, Southern People Assembly to root for the former President, now they founded Niger Delta Coastal States Coalition as a convenient umbrella to disrupt the progressive programme of this government and seek for further negotiations.

“I challenge the group of these coalition states’ leaders to tell Niger Deltans what they were able to bring to the area when Jonathan was in power. These are people who were nominated to the failed National Conference without meaningful inputs. Rather than representing the interest of the Niger Delta, they were there to fend for themselves.

“On the summit canvassed by certain quarters, I think that that is the best way forward for the Niger Delta and not dialogue, as some persons are agitating. In such a situation, ethnic nationality should be represented on equal basis.”

The Niger Delta has seen the rise of different militant groups who have bombed crude oil facilities in the oil rich region.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) recently slammed the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) for bombing of the Bonny export line.