Former Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has advised the Federal Government on how best to tackle the Niger Delta Avengers militant group responsible for multiple attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
The former Governor while pointing out that the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, had failed to yield desired results urged the Federal Government to involve governors from the Niger Delta region in the proposed dialogue.
Uduaghan who spoke at the Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE conference during the weekend in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital said the current challenges in communication the Federal Government is faced with is due to the fact that governors from the region were excluded in the plans.
According to Dailypost, he said: “The Amnesty did not achieve what it was to achieve because the governors were not involved. The states should be involved. The biggest threat in Niger Delta is that our land is seriously polluted, especially the water. In those days, you could see the sand under the water. We used it to wash our teeth. But it is not so anymore.
“Niger Delta Avengers are busting our pipelines for whatever reasons; anger. Nigerians are looking at it as something just affecting only the economy; it goes beyond that. Our environment is being ruined.
“Dealing with the Niger Delta challenge should be a carrot-and-stick approach: engagement first and force, where necessary. Engagements should be deepened. The governors should be part of it.
“I want to appeal to our brothers in Niger Delta Avengers that what they are doing is not just damaging the economy but the waters. I appeal to them to stop. The media should also help to appeal to them to stop it”.
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