The Federal Government on Monday night
announced that it has set up a committee to negotiate with the militant
group, Niger Delta Avengers, that has been involved in the destruction
of oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
The Minister of State for Petroleum
Resources and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, who said this in Abuja, explained that
the move was aimed at halting the deadly attacks which had made
Nigeria’s oil production plummet to 1.5 million barrels per day.
According to him, the team that will engage the militants will be coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
He said other members of the team
included himself, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru as
well as selected leaders, kings and influential individuals from the
Niger Delta.
Kachikwu said,
“The President has
appointed a team led by the NSA and I serve in one of those, to begin
the process of a very intensive dialogue with those caught in the middle
of this. I am sure that in the ensuing one week the intensity of that
dialogue will wrap up.
“The NSA is going to be working with the
various arms of the armed forces to descale the intensity of military
intervention in the area within a week or two so that dialogue can take
place. We are making contacts with everybody who is involved, the ones
that we can identify, through them, the ones that we can’t identify so
that there is a lot more inclusiveness in this dialogue. Our prayer is
that this works so that we resort to dialogue rather than use of force.”
On the loss recorded as a result of the
attacks by the Niger Delta Avengers, Kachikwu said, “Over the last two
months, we have probably lost about 600,000 barrels from various attacks
of militants in the area. In terms of production, we are roughly at
about 1.5 million to 1.6 million barrels a day, down from 2.2mbd which
is the basis of this year’s budget and if peace reigns, obviously
between now and August we will be able to recover substantial portion of
this production so that the budget doesn’t suffer.”
FG setup committee to negotiate with Niger Delta Avengers
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