Politics

Afraid? Gov Dickson cautions Buhari on use of military in Niger Delta crisis

Published

8 years ago

July 27, 2016

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Seriake Dickson, on Wednesday, warned against the use of military option in solving the Niger Delta Crisis, saying it was not the right solution to the renewed violence in the region.

According to the governor who spoke with State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, he had always advocated for dialogue, adding that it remained the only way out of the situation which had led to a sharp drop in the nation’s resources.

Governor Dickson was reacting to a recent threat by the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, that the Nigerian Army would not hesitate to use force should the ongoing dialogue between the Federal Government and militants fail.

The governor insisted that it is only dialogue that would bring out the issues concerned while all stakeholders would unite around the common issues to move the country forward.

Dickson said: “I have said that the issues in the Niger Delta, the terrain, the historic nature of the issues and challenges are such that military solution may not be the way forward. ‎

“For us who are products of political system, who are at this level, we have a duty to mobilise communal and local leadership; we have a duty to support the work security agencies are doing, we have a duty to ensure that issues are better appreciated and that we bridge the communication gap.

“Where there are issues, those issues need to be addressed and is also our duty to network like I am doing to ensure that problems that are identified as the route cause of some of these challenges are looked into.

“The military solution as I have always maintained is not the right option. We are hopeful that the ongoing discussions will yield the desired result”, the governor said.

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