Bayelsa
State governor, Seriake Dickson has advised President Muhammadu Buhari against
using force on the Niger Delta militants.
Dickson opined that
dialogue remained the best way to stop the groups from bombing oil and gas
installations in the area.
Dicskon was reacting
to a recent threat by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai that it
would employ force as the last option to resolve the matter between the Niger
Delta Avengers, NDA, and the government, should the option of dialogue fail.
Speaking to State
House Correspondents after a private meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at
the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, governor Dickson said that
dialogue still remained the best option.
He said, “I have said
that the issues in the Niger Delta, the terrain, the historic nature of the
issues and challenges are such that military solution may not be the way
forward. For us who are products of political system who are at this level, we
have a duty to mobilise communal and local leadership, we have a duty to
support the work of intelligence and security agencies are doing, we have a
duty to ensure that issues are better appreciated and that we fill the
communication gap.
“And where there are
issues those issues need be addressed and is also our duty to network like I’m
doing to ensure that problems that are identified as the root cause of some of
these challenges are looked into.
“The military solution
as I have always maintained is not the right option. We are hopeful that the
ongoing discussions will yield the desired result. I have always been in
support of negotiations, of dialogue as the sustainable way forward. Dialogue
will bring out the issues and then we will all unite around these common issues
to move our country forward”, he said.
Speaking on the
outcome of his meeting with the president, Dickson said he had some fruitful
security related discussions with the president.
He said: “I came in
this afternoon to have discussions with Mr. President. That is because my
position has been and I believe that is the right position every political
leader should take which is that after general elections, political leaders and
citizens must unite and address common issues and find solutions to the
problems of our country.
“All over the world, once
nations have crisis, once nations come under attack, leaders unite across
political lines. And together, I came in to have discussion with Mr. President
and I thank him for that opportunity and we cross fertilized ideas around
issues of security.
“Of course, as you
know Bayelsa is central to the maintenance of law and order and stability in
our country particularly in the Niger Delta region. Bayelsa is the epicentre of
the issues that have to do with the Niger Delta.
“And we had fruitful
discussions on the need for political leaders, governmental and political
leaders to work together to support the work of the security agencies and
foster better understanding of even people who have grievances and that we are
committed to do together.
“I also want to use
this opportunity to appreciate Mr. President for his non-interference in the
political processes that played out in Bayelsa in the last general elections.
And as you are also aware, yesterday, the Elections Petition Tribunal sitting
in Abuja delivered judgement upholding my election and affirming my emergence
as a true product of the democratic exercise of rights of our people in the
December 5th and January 9th.
“Again, I want to use
this opportunity to appreciate Mr. President for his non-interference contrary
to the propaganda and the name dropping that some politicians back home and
even in Abuja embarked upon. There is no name they didn’t call. There is no
claim that they didn’t make but I’m telling Nigerians, I’m telling Bayelsans to
disregard all that propaganda.
“The President never
had anything to do by way of negatively influencing the last general elections
in Bayelsa and also the outcome of the Tribunal proceedings. That is important
because if our nation must move forward, if our democracy must be strengthened,
if our nation must move forward, if our democracy must be strengthened, if our
nation must be stable, then institutions must be allowed to grow.
“I want to use this
opportunity to call on my opponent, brothers and friends and fellow citizens of
Bayelsa and all others to join hands with us so that we can render service to
our people and a stronger more stable and prosperous Bayelsa.”
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