The Niger Delta crisis has remained intrac-table because crude oil smugglers are the ones sponsoring militant activities in the region, Vice-President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan said in Abuja yesterday. Speaking at a meeting of the Honorary International Investors Council at the State House, Jonathan said the genuine agitations of the Niger Delta people have been hijacked by criminals.
He said, “Naturally, at the beginning, people were quite friendly with the oil companies. No security was deployed to guard the oil facilities. Over the period, people began to believe they were not getting enough.
What is happening today is that genuine agitation has been taken advantage of by people who want to make money through stealing and smuggling crude oil. Those people who are interested in stealing and smuggling crude oil sponsor most of the aggressive activities in the area. People are now exploiting it and making big money”.
He blamed the oil companies for their failure to site factories in the oil producing communities. According to him, if the oil companies had established industries in the region, the youth in the area would not have been free to engage in militancy. He said, “It is unfortunate that all the inputs in the oil industry are imported. The bulk of their materials are imported. How do you stimulate the local econo-my? If the operators can invest in the manufacturing of some of the inputs in the oil industry locally, that would generate a number of employment opportunities.
We must look for ways to reduce the number of free men that can be used for militant activities”. The vice-president also informed the investors that the Federal Government has been consulting with stakeholders towards a final resolution of the crisis in the region. He said the items on the agenda of the meeting include the Niger Delta, transportation, telecommunication, food security and investment opportunities.