Th Ijaw youths under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC has challenged the President to face the Niger Delta militants in a dialogue instead of sending an appeal for them to end their hostility in the region.
The group in its statement challenged the president to have a one-on-one interaction with the stakeholders in the region.
The statement signed by the spokesman of the group, Eric Omare on Sunday reads: “The Ijaw Youth Council worldwide has just read the appeal by President Buhari to militants in the Niger Delta region to stop attacks on oil installations.
“While the IYC welcomes the personal appeal by President Buhari; we state that what is required is not just an appeal but for him to, in person, lead the dialogue with the Niger Delta people towards finding a lasting solution to the recurring militancy in the region.”
“The IYC is also of the view that the perceived multiplicity of militant groups in the region as stated by President Buhari is not an obstacle to engagement with stakeholders.
“The sort of engagement the IYC expects from the federal government is a holistic dialogue with stakeholders in the region with a view to find a lasting solution to the root causes of militancy and other agitations rather than engagement with a view to give palliatives to present agitators without addressing the issues responsible for the recurring agitations as was done in the past”.
The group demanding that the President put his words into action added: “The IYC would only support a dialogue that is geared towards addressing the fundamental issues responsible for militancy in the Niger Delta region.”
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