Niger Delta Avengers: Ijaw youth commends FG dialogue moves

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have lauded the decision of the Federal Government to dialogue with the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to end its attacks on oil facilities in the region.

Freedom Atigbi, the Chairman IYC Western Zone, who stated this in a statement on Tuesday, noted that the FG’s decision was timely and would save the nation’s economy from total collapse.

It would be recalled that the militant groups had earlier vowed to reduce oil production to zero by attacking oil installations in the Niger Delta. Atigbi, therefore, cautioned the Federal Government to be sincere with its decision to dialogue with the militants and also advised government to engage critical stakeholders to end the menace of attacks rocking the nation’s oil industry.

“Any attempt by government to play politics with this dialogue might only extend the evil days facing the economy, traumatised as a result of government’s inability to face the main issues confronting the region, which has been the case with successive governments, which had opened an opportunity for further agitation in the oil rich Niger Delta region.”

He appealed to Niger Delta Avengers, to embrace dialogue as the only true process to end the current hostilities in the oil rich Niger Delta region, adding that roundtable discussion with sincerity of purpose will produce a win-win situation for both parties hence it should be regarded as the best option to be adopted to address the issues that had led to the current hostilities in the region to forestall further attacks on oil facilities in the region.

“Therefore, government should take the process seriously because much more damage had already been done to the environment through oil spills by oil companies and militants’ activities.”

The current hostilities in the region cannot be separated from the age long neglect on the path of government for not addressing the principal issues such as true federalism,” he added.