Military Not Solution To N'delta Crisis

Akanimo Sampson

Bureau Chief, Port Harcourt

Group To Minister: Military Not Solution To N'delta Crisis

GRASSROOTS Initiative for Peace and Democracy (GIPD), a civil sosiety group in the Niger Delta, has told the Minister of State for Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, that continued deployment of soldiers to the oil and gas region was incapable of resolving the security problem in the area.

The group recently acompanied the minister to the creks in search of peace at some militant camps. The Information Officer of the group, John Abang, who made this known to our correspondent yesterday on telephone, said the visit was aimed at buying peace for the President Umaru Yar'Adua administration to enable them do tangible things in the Niger Delta.

''We, however, observed that the current military approach to tackling the Niger Delta conflict will not achieve any durable peace, and we told the minister so. Alot of funds is being pumped into maintaining the troops. The tills of the affected state governments are being depletted and yet kidnapping and sundry attacks on oil facilities continue unabetted', the group said.

Acording to them, ''we fear that if the situation is not well handled, attacks on militants by soldiers, will spark-off new forms of counter attacks by militants on security personnel and oil installations Since we have seen the situation and the failure of military gunboats, we will like to commend Orubebe for taking the bold step of engaging militant leaders in direct talks''.

''While we appreciate government commitment to live up to its responsibility of maintaining law and order in the Niger Delta, we will like to say that, it is not a workable solution to tackle the situation from the security approach. And, much as we do not support the criminal dimension the struggle in the oil region has taken, it is our believe that dialogue is still the best option'', they added.

ENDS

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