President Muhammadu Buhari is reportedly studying the gazette signed by late President Umaru Yar’Adua on the Niger Delta crisis as one of the possible ways of resolving the renewed unrest in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.
According to presidential spokesman, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari has requested for the presidential document with a view of revisiting the recommendations and implementing them.
In an interview granted to Punch, published on Sunday, June 5, 2016, Adesina says the main purpose of revisiting the gazette is to ensure that all the agreements contained in the document were implemented by the federal government.
According to Adesina, the federal government was doing all within its ability to restore peace to the Niger Delta.
“Every effort is being made to restore calmness to the Niger Delta, including consultation, and taking a fresh look at the gazette signed by the Umaru Yar’Adua government, so that the agreements contained therein will be implemented.”
Senator Ita Enang, Buhari’s aide on National Assembly matters, confirmed that some of officials of the federal government were already holding discussions on how to end the renewed restiveness in the Niger Delta region and they are prepared to peacefully resolve the conflict.
At a press conference on Friday, June 3, 2016 in Abuja, Senator Enang disclosed that some ministers and top government officials from the Niger Delta had opened talks with the governors and aggrieved people from the region on how to resolve the conflict.
“The minister of Niger Delta [Pastor Usani Uguru], the minister of interior [Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau], the coordinator of the Amnesty Office [General Paul Boroh] have been taking actions consistent with their powers and with what I know, almost all the ministers and officers from the Niger Delta region have returned to their respective states, zones and blocks 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. 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,” he revealed.
The new militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers has reportedly caused a revenue loss of N2.6 billion to Delta State alone in the past weeks. The militant group is waging a campaign against oil production in the country is aims to bring it to zero forcing a negotiation with the Nigerian government on a free Niger Delta Republic.
Pro-Biafra group, Movement for the Actualization of the Republic of Biafra, MASSOB, has pledged “total allegiance” to the Niger Delta Avengers extolling the group for supporting the cause of a free Biafra.
