Niger Delta Militants Ignoring Our Calls For Dialogue – Presidency

The Presidency has lamented that the Niger Delta militant groups have refused to come for dialogue towards finding peaceful panacea to the crisis in rocking the oil-rich region

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in an interview on a Kano-based radio station, Express Radio.

According to him, “Despite the government’s demonstration of goodwill by bringing stakeholders to the roundtable, militant groups have continued to blow up national economic assets.”

Shehu urged the Niger Delta leaders to facilitate the stoppage of violence and economic sabotage in the area.

“We must keep national interest above all else and give priority to eschewing violence and destruction,” he said.

Speaking further, Shehu noted that the Federal Government was facilitating development by speeding up ongoing projects and investing in construction and repair of highways, railways and electricity plants.

“Kano-Katsina dual highway was awarded three years ago by the last administration. They didn’t pay a kobo for its start-up. President Buhari just paid money for the first tranche of 75 kilometres and work has begun,” he added.

Shehu underscored the essence of infrastructure in the country’s economic and industrial take-off, describing it as playing the same role that the arteries play in the human body.

“Without infrastructure, the country will not witness growth,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, has described militant groups behind the recent attacks on oil and gas installations as criminals and enemies of the Niger Delta people.