VICE President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday explained the modalities for the proposed Niger Delta Summit, saying that it would lead to the adoption of a broader stakeholder engagement and eventual resolution of crises in the region. The Vice President regretted that past conferences on the Niger Delta never achieved much as problems of the area lingered long after the end of such summit.
As a follow-up to forthcoming summit, he disclosed government’s plan to engage all ethnic nationalities and interest groups in the Niger Delta for discussion which would be followed by the summit.
Jonathan told the Board of Directors of Network Africa Magazine, led by its chairman, Prof. Mildred Amakiri at the Presidential Villa Abuja that the planned conference is not going to be business as usual.
The Vice President listed the strides of government towards the restoration of peace to the Niger Delta region since coming into office. He said: “Government in the past hundred days has been working very hard to stabilize the Niger Delta. We hold discussions almost on a weekly basis with various groups. We started with the Ijaw ethnic nationality, and we are gradually moving into other areas. We started at the flashpoints where there were killings, hostage taking, kidnappings and vandalisation. We are surely going to engage all ethnic nationalities in one on one discussion and later call an enlarged summit with all stakeholders in the region to find a lasting solution to the problem.”
The Vice President urged all oil companies operating in the Niger Delta to show more transparency in their dealings with the local communities. “If we are responsible and transparent in our dealings with the oil communities, then we would have solved 90 percent of our problems in the area,”he noted.
Jonathan also urged the mass media to continue to project the image of the country positively by highlighting on those areas where the country was excelling.
Earlier, Amakiri said they were in the State House to brief him about the forthcoming lecture which the board intents to organize on the Niger Delta question. They are also inviting the Vice President as the special guest of honour.
Amakiri said stakeholders in the oil and gas sector as well as Niger Delta youths, oil companies, civil societies, militant groups and relevant Non Government Organizations will be invited to speak and proffer solution to the Niger Delta crises.