Group advises FG against excluding ex-militants in ongoing peace deal in Niger Delta

A Niger Delta Peace Advocacy group,the Grass roots Initiative for Peace and Social Orientation (GIPSO) on has urged the Federal Government to build on the succeses of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's recent tour to achieve lasting peace.

The group berated the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources , Ibe Kachikwu for giving attention to groups that perpetrated sabotage on oil facilities especially the Niger Delta Avengers and excluding ex-agitators who have been working to maintain peace in the region.

GIPSO noted that only widespread consultation with all segments of Niger Delta region would makethe peace package put together by  Osinbajo for the region to succeed.





According to the group,  there is need for robust engagements on the ways to the actualise take off of the development plans unveiled by the Federal Government during the peace bulding tour of Niger Delta region.

The Group, in a statement issued by its National Coordinator, Mr Richard Akinaka, noted that a report  from the interactive sessions with key stakeholders showed a need for continued grassroots consultation and engagement.

According to the group, ongoing engagement is giving more attention to people who blackmailed government by destroying pipeline in the Niger Delta region and those who sincerely worked for peace and development of the region.

"While everything seems going well as those whose interest are been served, a precedent is been wrongly set for others who may fall out and again resort to further agitation.

"It is going to be counter productive and undermine the peace process by rewarding those who took arm against the government, they should talk to wider sections of the Niger Delta people and not skew the dialogue with violence prone people they should consult widely.

"They should not sideline critical stakeholders and knowledgeable people who have interest and background in the peace building process in the region.

"Rewarding those took arms for no reasons whatsoever and treating them with kids gloves should not be all that the peace process is all about, there is more to it than that.

"As much we are interested in the Vice President's initiative and process he has started,the Vice President should be very careful about the people who are coordinating the process.

"Who and who are those engaged in the ongoing talks ? Is it the  Aaron team or Ex militant leaders ? We need to know.

" It is wrong to leave out communities where there were no pipelines damages.

"With what is going on now anyone of the ex militants can decide start blowing up pipelines to draw the government attention to their sides.

"My advice to the government is, let  them not set a bad precedent that will be disastrous tomorrow in the name of rewarding those who destroyed the national assets in the name of Niger Delta Avengers  because others are watching.there are complaints here and there," GIPSO stated.

On the recent agitation by some oil bearing states for  inclusion in the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Akinaka described the call as pathetic, and uncalled for as agitators from those states in variois camps were already enjoying amnesty..

 "It is strange to some of us who from the beginning we were involved in this process, some agitators, few of them from those states who were part of the Niger Delta struggle submitted arms in their operating states buecause there was no militant camps in their states," Akinaka said.