LAGOS AUGUST 24TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Community leaders in upland oil producing area of Delta State have appealed to militant group under the aegis of Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate to dialogue with the Federal Government instead of destroying oil pipelines.
Reacting to Friday’s destruction of oil pipelines belonging to Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC at Orhuhworun, near Warri, Delta State, by the new militant group, the leaders consisting of Urhobo, Itsekiri and Isoko indigenes from upland oil producing communities warned that their current violent campaign in the upland region of Delta State, when their counterpart, Niger Delta Avengers in the Riverine area had ceased fire and embrace dialogue, was not in the best and collective interest of the nation and Niger Delta people as it would rather impoverish the people of the region, attract unnecessary hardship and worsen their plight.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chieftain and 2007 Delta State PDP Governorship aspirant in 2007 general election, Chief Sunny Onuesoke who spoke to newsmen on behalf of the leaders during the visit to the site of the destructive NPDC oil pipelines, decried the action of the militants as unprogressive, just as he advised them to embrace peace by dialoguing with the federal government instead of taking laws into their hands.
“We the leaders of Oil producing communities in the upland area of Delta State are thinking of putting in place, a stakeholders meeting which will include elders, leaders, youths and traditional rulers from Urhobo, Isoko and Itsekiri communities to engage the new militants group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate in dialogue to enable them cease fire so as to avoid the occurrence of such dastardly act in future,” Onuesoke disclosed, while responding to question from newsmen on how to prevent further destruction of pipelines in the area.
He said it was imperative for the perpetrators of the bombing of oil facilities to realise that such actions were inimical to the development of the country and its people.
The PDP Chieftain who observed that the use of violence to agitate for the betterment of the region was no more in vogue, unnecessary and had been overtaken by events, enjoined the group to channel their grievances to President Muhammadu Buhari through the office of the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (retd.) for more effective result.
“The attack on oil pipeline by this new group in the upland is unnecessary and untimely mostly when their counterpart, Niger Delta Avengers in the riverine area had proclaimed ceasefire and ready to go into dialogue with the Federal Government. I hope this new group will choose the part of peace by joining the NDA in dialoguing with the government so that there will be total cease fire and development of peace in Niger Delta region.
Onuesoke who is an environmentalist appealed to the militants to give President Buhari the opportunity to fulfill his promise to the region by maintaining peace, stressing that there could not be any meaningful development in an environment ravaged by violence.