Barr. (Deacon) Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, Acting Governor of Delta State
ASABA/Nigeria: Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and his deputy, has sent a passionate appeal to the Niger Delta Avengers not to embark on further attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta.
Okowa made the appeal in a statement issued on Monday in Asaba by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu wherein he noted that Deltans will lose more if the group make good their latest threat to withdraw from further cooperation with the federal government and begin massive attacks on oil facilities.
“We passionately appeal to the Niger Delta Avengers not to resume hostilities, because Deltans will be the greatest losers. We are barely recovering from the effect of previous attacks and it is our honest appeal that they still give peace a chance by allowing for peaceful engagements with the Federal Government and other stakeholders.
“This appeal for peace remains imperative, because without the atmosphere of peace, no meaningful negotiations and development can take place, adding “resumption of hostilities will not be in the interest of our people but a major set back to the plans and aspirations of the state.
“We have continued to appreciate our brothers in the struggle for their continued patience and cooperation while we engage the Federal Government on ways to attend to the various issues being raised by the group.
“As a state, we have made several interventions to make life more meaningful for oil bearing communities especially in the area of road construction in the creeks and without the enabling peace we cannot progress in that direction.” he said.
Similarly, Barr. (Deacon) Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, Who is the Acting Governor of Delta State, as the governor is on a two weeks’ vacation in united Kingdom, says the Federal Government (FG) remains committed to dialogue towards developing the Niger Delta.
Otuaro, also Chairman, Delta State Advocacy Committee Against Oil Facility Vandalism, today in Warri, reacted to the Niger Delta Avengers’ recent threat they would resume, in days, its suspended “Operation Red Economy” intended to cripple oil operations over perceived FG indifference to development of the Niger Delta region.
“PANDEF’s proposed meeting in Port-Harcourt allegedly disrupted by the FG and some delayed fulfillment of promises may not be evidence that the FG has abandoned its development agenda on the Niger Delta as suggested by the Avengers for planning resumption of hostilities against oil concerns”, Otuaro argued..
“Given the circumstances and the economy just improving for the FG, it makes more wisdom to wait and consummate the dialogue process which I assure has not collapsed. Sustaining the peace would enable the FG to capably meet the challenges of nation building including developing the Niger Delta”, Otuaro pleaded.
The Acting Governor said the Avengers threat, if actualized, would be counterproductive in more ways than one including loss of lives of the unprotected people who could be the butt of military attacks and sued for more patience by the people of the Niger Delta.
“The Avengers’ offensive will erode gains already made by subsisting dialogue to which the FG remains committed and is designing a holistic approach to resolving the Niger Delta question”, Otuaro cautioned, adding: “NDA’s Operation Red Economy will halt whatever development projects ongoing in the region and possibly new ones conceived and expressed by the FG before the world which is watching. It would take the government of Nigeria, just exiting a recession, much revenue that is only now coming in to execute projects”.
He reminded: “The planned assault on oil installations will lead to massive environmental despoliation that will take several decades and funds to revamp and would in the period cause untold hardship for the people in the creeks. Several state governments across the country have found it difficult to pay, for several months, salaries largely derived from oil revenue leading to suffering”.
