President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed his National Security Adviser, Retired Gen. Babagana Mongunu to head the team that will dialogue with the warring Niger Delta militants.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu broke the news to journalists in Abuja Monday. According to him, he is a member of the team which also includes the Nation Security and Service Chiefs and other stakeholders to distill military intervention in the area so that dialogue can take place.
He however noted that the crisis in the region has culminated in a loss of 600,000 barrel per day. Kachikwu said that for the government to recover the lost barrel it has to first win back the hearts of the aggressive militants.
He added that that he has always been of the disposition that government has to engage the unhappy citizens. Kachikwu said that intensity of the attacks was causing a lot of problems such as pollution and effects on consistent production. He stressed the fact that the President was interested in restoring peace to the Niger Delta, adding that Buhari has urged the use of every available opportunity to dialogue with the militants to end the matter.
According to him, between now and August, if peace reigns, the sector would be able to raise the volume of production substantially. Kachikwu promised that the Mnistry and its related agencies would work hard to cover the gaps in a manner that the losses would not affect this year’s budget significantly.
this is what should have been done a long time ago 'dialog' the earlier the better for peace in Nigeria.
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Margaret ime