The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has expressed grave concern and disappointment over the recent pipeline attacks by militants in the Niger Delta region.
The most recent attack occurred on Tuesday night, in which Niger Delta Avengers, attacked the Forcados Export Pipeline in Delta State.
This is one in series of attacks that have taken place over the last two weeks even amid ongoing efforts to prepare the grounds for dialogue.
More saddening for Kachikwu was that “despite months of intensive personal and collective efforts to engage all stakeholders in the region, and the recent success in convening a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari, to begin exploring the opportunities for deepening the dialogue, these attacks have continued”.
He condemned the wanton attacks and re-iterated that the path to providing lasting solutions for the Niger Delta challenges, remains a dialogue.
Furthermore, he appealed to all interested stakeholders in the Niger Delta, to embrace the path of peace and dialogue as well as shun acts that further create difficulties for the country, impoverish the region and worsen the ecological problems of the region.
He urged all militants to stop and give the ensuing dialogue a chance to birth peace in the region.
.Channelstv