(Nigeria) Community leaders in upland oil producing area of Delta State have appealed to militant group under the aegis of Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate to dialogue with the Federal Government instead of destroying oil pipelines.
Reacting to Friday’s attack on oil pipelines belonging to Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, at Orhuhworun, near Warri, Delta State,by the new militant group, the leaders, consisting of Urhobo, Itsekiri and Isoko indigenes from upland oil producing communities, warned that the current violent campaign, when their counterpart, Niger Delta Avengers, had ceased fire and embrace dialogue, was not in the best and collective interest of the nation and Niger Delta people as it would rather impoverish the people of the region, attract unnecessary hardship and worsen their plight.
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chieftain and Delta State PDP governorship aspirant in 2007 general election, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, who spoke to newsmen on behalf of the leaders during a visi to the site of the destroyed NPDC oil pipelines, described the action of the militants as unprogressive, just as he advised them to embrace peace by dialoguing with the Federal Government instead of taking laws into their hands.
“We the leaders of oil producing communities in the upland area of Delta State are thinking of putting in place, a stakeholders meeting which will include elders, leaders, youths and traditional rulers from Urhobo, Isoko and Itsekiri communities to engage the new militants group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate in dialogue to enable them cease fire so as to avoid the occurrence of such dastardly act in future,” Onuesoke said, while responding to question from newsmen on how to prevent further destruction of pipelines in the area.
He said it was imperative for the perpetrators of the bombing of oil facilities to realise that such actions were inimical to the development of the country and its people.