…As FG begins engaging oil communities
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
THE Federal Government would on Monday begin to engage with oil communities in the Niger Delta in its bid to end renewed militancy in the region, which has led to dwindling oil output and national revenue. The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a statement yesterday, said Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, would from tomorrow engage with the states in the region beginning with Delta State, noting that he will visit Bayelsa and Rivers states at a yet to be announced dates.
According to Akande, the Vice President would be leading a high-level delegation of the Federal Government that would interact with leaders and representatives of the oil-producing communities in continuation of ongoing outreach efforts of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration towards a long lasting and permanent resolution of the Niger Delta crisis.
The statement reads in part: “The Buhari presidency is fully committed to having an effective dialogue and positive engagement that will end the crisis in the oil-producing areas, and believes that these visits would further boost the confidence necessary for the attainment of peace and prosperity in the areas and the Nigerian nation in general.”
President Buhari had consistently invited the militants in the region to return to table for dialogue.