Buhari to implement Yar’Adua’s agreement with N’Delta militants

Late Umar Yar'adus
President Muhammadu Buhari is currently studying the gazette signed by
late President Umaru Yar’Adua on the Niger Delta crisis as one of the
possible ways of tackling the renewed violence being orchestrated by the
Niger Delta Avengers in the region, SUNDAY PUNCH has learnt.
The purpose of revisiting the gazette, it was further learnt, was to ensure
that all the agreements contained in the document were implemented by
the Federal Government.
The development is coming at a time the destruction of oil facilities in the
Niger Delta by the militants has crippled crude oil production and power
supply.
By Friday, power generation was said to have dropped to 2,832.5MW
because of the attacks.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi
Adesina, confirmed to our correspondent on Saturday that the Federal
Government was doing all within its ability to restore peace to the Niger
Delta.
Adesina listed some of the steps being taken to include consultations and
the revisiting of the document signed by the late President.
“Every effort is being made to restore calmness to the Niger Delta, including
consultation, and taking a fresh look at the gazette signed by the Umaru
Yar’Adua government, so that the agreements contained therein will be
implemented,” the presidential spokesman said.
The Senior Special Assistant to President on National Assembly Matters
(Senate), Senator Ita Enang, had at a press conference on Friday confirmed
that some of officials of the Federal Government were already holding
discussions on how to end the violence.
Enang had said some ministers along with top government officials from
the Niger Delta had opened talks with the governors and aggrieved people
from the region on how to resolve the conflict.
He said the government was prepared to peacefully resolve the conflict.
He listed Federal Government’s representatives currently engaging in
dialogue with the stakeholders in Niger Delta to include the Minister of
Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd.); Minister of Niger Delta
Affairs, Usani Uguru; Co-ordinator, Amnesty Office, Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.)
and other ministers from the region.
He said, “The Minister of Niger Delta, the Minister of Interior, the
Coordinator of the Amnesty Office have been taking actions consistent with
their powers and with what I know, almost all the ministers and officers
from the Niger Delta region have returned to their respective states, zones
and blocks to talk to their leaders and their aggrieved persons on the need
for us to maintain peace.
“That is going on and they are the representatives of Mr. President. I will
not tell you what Mr. President wants to do in person but these are officers
and offices which are dealing with this matter.”
Punch