The Senate has concluded arrangements to dialogue with Niger-Delta militants and their leaders, to discuss problems of the region.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Information, Senator Ayogu Eze, said this after a closed session yesterday in Abuja .
He said in the course of the Senate Retreat in Port Harcourt, holding between October 28 and November 2, the senators would move into the creeks in three groups, to have a good feel of the Niger Delta problems.
He said �the icing in the cake at the retreat is that senators would go to the creeks to discuss with the indigenes and militants, in order to have a good feel of what the problems in the region are.�
He said the Senate President, David Mark, would lead a group to Delta State, while the second and third groups will go to Bayelsa and Akwa-Ibom states, led by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and the Leader, Senator Teslim Folarin.
Ayogu said, �we want to get the militants to arm us with information, which will help us with Appropriation and other things.�
He said Senator John Azuta Mbata will preside over a session at which a post-mortem of the visit and dialogue with the militants in the creek would be done.
He confirmed that leaders of the militants have assured the Senate and its officials of their security.
Ayogu said the Port-Harcourt retreat was expected to recharge members for lawmaking and good governance.
Among those listed to attend the retreat either as paper presenters or chairmen of sessions are Minister for National Planning, Senator Sanusi Daggash, Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, former Senate presidents, Ken Nnamani, Adolphus wabara and Anyim Pius Anyim, former Minister for Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Bayo Ojo, SAN, Managing Director of the NDDC, Mr Timi Alaibe and Chairman of the EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
Oct252007