– The minister said he got a letter from the militants to give President Buhari – He blamed the previous administration for the level of poverty in the communities Solomon Dalung has revealed that he travelled to Delta state to meet members of the Niger Delta Avengers in order to find solution to the problems in the region.
The militant group has claimed responsibility for series of bombing of oil and gas pipelines in the region thereby reducing the production of oil in the county.
READ ALSO: Delta chief reveals identity of militant that wants PMB dead Daily Trust reports that the minister of youths and sports said he travelled to Oporoza in Gbaramatu kingdom to meet with the militants and described what transpired.
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Solomon Dalung Dalund said he took a two-hour journey on the sea to Oporoza in Gbaramatu kingdom where he met with the leadership of the NDA who gave him a sealed hand-written letter to deliver to President Muhammadu Buhari. He said: “On reaching the community after the two-hour journey on the high sea, I met with the members of the communities who told me that their dream was to be included in the Nigerian project, that the education facilities and other basic social amenities are almost non-existent in the communities.
They also raised concern of incessant attacks by the Nigerian Military.
” He revealed he embarked on the journey on Wednesday, July 13 as part of federal government’s commitment to good governance and his strong concern for the Nigerian youths and that “as a youth minister, I know there the Avengers are mostly youths who have potentials to be great citizens of this country.” Dalung said that he was escorted by the Niger Delta ambassadors to the leadership of Avengers who gave him the letter and that although he did not open the sealed letter, they militants raised three key issues with him.
“The issues include the Niger-Delta Maritime University, pipeline community policing which they said the government had denied them, and the inability of the government to continue with the amnesty programme established by former President Umaru Musa Yarádua Yar’Adua.
” READ ALSO: We want 65% of oil wells – Niger Delta lawmakers Dalung noted that the level of degradation in the communities was very high and blamed the past administration for being unjust to the Niger Delta communities.
“After going round some of the communities, I noticed that government projects were almost non-existent. I saw a secondary school signboard somewhere but the school is yet to be developed, the community has a clinic but still at the foundation level and a borehole that is not functional.” Meanwhile, Chief Chekwas Okorie blamed President Buhari for the rise in the agitation for Biafra and the activities of militants in the Niger Delta region.
The former presidential candidate who contested on the platform of the United Progressives Party advised the president to be open for discussion instead of claiming that Biafra agitators were not born during the civil war. He said: “The government we have today has an attitude towards the agitators for a separate state of Biafra which to my mind will not resolve the issues amicably.
The attitude of the government is that there is no basis for dialogue. But the advice that I have given over and over again is that there is need for dialogue, there is need to discuss. Many eminent Nigerians have advocated for dialogue.”
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