Nigeria, Britain and the United States have held talks on the security situation in the oil-rich, but volatile Gulf of Guinea region, officials said.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo initiated the establishment of the Gulf of Guinea Security Strategy (GGESS) last year in response to the increasing unrest in the Niger Delta and its attendant effects on the world’s energy market.
“Today the US and UK are partnering with Nigeria to devise and implement strategies to drive the laudable objectives of the GGESS” Obasanjo told the opening of the conference on Wednesday.
He said Nigeria would continue to ensure the protection of lives and property in the restive oil region.
“I wish to take this opportunity to assure our international partners of our unyielding determination to protect the lives and property of not only (the) expatriate community, but also of those Nigerians that live in the region,” he said.
However, he regretted the upsurge in illegal supply of small arms to militants in the region. “Although we disarmed about 3 000 militiamen in the Niger Delta in late 2004, it is regrettable that some have fallen back to their old habits. Again we are doing everything possible to address this challenge and ensure peace in the region,” he said.
It was likely that the costs of acquiring these arms could have been put to better use in poor communities.
Funso Kupolokun, head of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) said officials from Canada, Norway, Netherlands and Switzerland also attended the talks while the governors of Nigerian southern oil states of Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers participated as observers.
“The United States and UK as the inaugural international partners in this initiative have reaffirmed their commitments to a range of significant steps designed to reduce oil thefts, money laundering and illegal small arms trafficking that have fuelled conflict in the Niger Delta,” he said.
However, he said it would be “inappropriate” to give details of the security measures agreed at the meeting. Sapa-AFP