President Umaru Yar’Adua on Tuesday broke his silence on the ongoing military onslaught on militants in the Niger Delta, saying it would not discourage world leaders from visiting Nigeria
Yar’Adua, who addressed a joint press conference with the visiting Togolese President, Mr. Faure Eyadema, in Abuja, said the current Niger Delta crisis was not different from what it was in the past.
He spoke against the backdrop of concerns that world leaders may refrain from visiting the country due to the escalation of the violence in the oil-rich region.
The concerns were informed by reports that United States President, Barack Obama, would be visiting Ghana and not Nigeria in June.
But responding to a question from a journalist on the issue, Yar’Adua said no world leader had called to express fears.
He said, “I am not aware that many leaders are scared stiff of coming to Nigeria . I am not aware of any world leader who has called me to say he is scared to come to Nigeria.
“The situation in the Niger Delta region has been there remotely for decades and the escalation of violence and criminality that has taken root has been there for between eight and nine years.
“There is no different situation today to warrant the statement you have made I think that that statement is just your own judgment of the situation but I am not aware of any leader anywhere in the world who has that position because I am not aware.”
Commenting, Eyadema called on all stakeholders to embrace dialogue as a means of resolving the problems in the region.
He advised that criminality must be divorced from genuine agitations for development since Yar’Adua had commenced moves to bring a political solution to the Niger Delta problems.
The Togolese said, “I think everybody recognises that President Yar’Adua has started many political processes to solve the problems in the Niger Delta. But we have to make a clear separation between economic and political agitation and criminality.
“If someone has some political or economic issues and expresses it violently and you have a government that is willing to discuss, the only way to do it is to stop using criminal means to solve that problem because if you use criminal means, then you are on another ground which is dangerous for everybody.
“So, I hope there will be a national consensus to condemn what is seen as national criminality and I hope there will be a strong will also to solve our problem through dialogue.
“From our modest experience in Togo , that is what we can say, that, through dialogue, we can solve our problems”.
Earlier, Eyadema had explained that he was in Abuja to give his Nigerian counterpart, an update of the situation in Togo, where a major crisis nearly ensued after his younger brother attempted to overthrow him.
Eyadema said, “As you know, we went through serious events in Togo last month and in his capacity as the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Yar’Adua sent a delegation headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs(Chief Ojo Maduekwe) to know about the situation, but above all, to express support to the Togolese government and to myself.
“So, I came today (Tuesday) to give an account of the situation and to tell him that the situation is under control and that all the reforms we did undertake politically and economically will be pursued in order to have a greater stability in my country.”
Eyadema also explained that he sought economic partnership between Nigeria and Togo, particularly in the areas of energy and trade.