By Okiemute Okpomor “President Muhammadu Buhari is emphatic that the only solution to the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta crisis is dialogue and he keeps saying to me to tell the elders of the region to call their young boys to order.”
These were the words of Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State, Petroleum at a meeting with Edwin Clark, elders, monarchs and stakeholders of the Coastal States of the Niger Delta made up of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Edo, Delta and Rivers States in Warri Friday evening with the representative of the Movement of the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) in attendance.
Dr. Kachikwu disclosed that what is needed is not just ceasefire but permanent peace to give room to address the issues raised as well as the under -development of the region adding that first and foremost as militancy cannot sort the issues out, all stakeholders has to embrace dialogue through well-articulated position of how to find solutions.
He expressed the willingness of government through him to find permanent solution to the crisis, adding, “I am committed to finding peace and opportunities in these areas but if most of these coastal states can’t be developed like what we see in Dubai, then we have failed because we have the resources and everything going for us.”
According to Dr. Kachikwu who touched Warri at 5.20 pm, “first, there is a short term solution which is to bring people together to have peace and a log term solution which is to address the things the people are faced with over the years. If we do not have peace, we can’t address these issues and it is important that we organise those who can help us in the process and I am extremely 100% committed to looking at these and the need to make amends”
Dr. Kachikwu stressed the need for all to collectively put hands on deck to find lasting solutions to the crisis, adding, “it is important that we work collectively and all those who have taken to militancy must collapse all of that, come back to the table and let us speak with a voice and seek solutions. The Niger Delta needs more than ceasefire, what is needed is perpetual peace.”
He further disclosed that the Federal Government has in the past twelve years released and spent 40billion dollars on infrastructures in the Niger Delta region but according to him there is not much or even nothing to show for it, adding, “over $40billion have been put into the Niger Delta in the last 12 years but when I went through the creeks at the risk of my life, I saw that there is no infrastructure to justify that amount.”
In his speech, Edwin Kiagbodo Clark said that the Niger Delta crisis is not all about Ijaws alone hence the coming together of all ethnic nationalities from the six Coastal States adding that they have not sent anybody or delegation to speak for the region until now with government.
Clark told Dr. Kachikwu that all the militant groups including MEND has agreed that the elders and stakeholders can now speak and dialogue on their behalf on how best to find a permanent solution to the crisis in the region’ he then told Dr. Kachikwu to work out modalities to meet with President Buhari with a view to sort out all issues of crisis in the region.
To give credence to the fact that MEND has accepted that the elders, monarchs and stakeholders of the region can now go on to dialogue the way out of the problem, Barr. Timipa Jerkins Okpripere, Secretary of MEND who was at the meeting told the Minister that, “we in MEND have now agreed that the elders, monarchs and stakeholders can now dialogue with the Federal Government on behalf of all to sort the crisis in the region. We, in MEND will now work with the Clark leadership.”
