Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday appealed to the militants vandalising oil installations in the Niger Delta to come to the negotiation table in order to end their arms campaign in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

Buhari said this would afford both the government and the militants the opportunity to decide how the nation’s resources could be managed instead of agitators picking up arms against their fatherland.

Regretting that the problems he identified during the campaigns that preceded the 2015 presidential election, which he won, still lingered even with him in the saddle for almost 18 months, the President appealed to Nigerians to be patient with his government.



Buhari spoke when residents of the Federal Capital Territory, led by the Minister, Muhammad Bello, paid him a Christmas visit at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The President said Nigeria and its citizens were uppermost in his mind, stating that he would continue to do all within his powers to improve their living conditions.

He said, “I want you to talk to people to be patient with the government. We are always thinking about our country and we are thinking about our people.

“I assure you that the country and the people of the country are always uppermost in our minds. With our performance in the North-East, Nigerians know that this government is serious.

“For our friends in the Niger Delta area, we will persuade them that they should please sit down with us and agree to manage our resources rather than think of fighting it out.”

While saying that the problems he identified during campaigns were still the nation’s fundamental problems, Buhari specifically identified power and lack of infrastructure as major challenges.

He regretted that during the oil boom, the nation’s handlers at that time failed to save for a rainy day.

He noted that while proceeds from agriculture were used to develop oil, he lamented that agriculture was discarded immediately oil started yielding resources for the country.

The President promised that his administration would concentrate on infrastructure development, saying jobs would be created through the process.

Buhari added, “It is about 18 months since we resumed here. I believe some of you followed us during our campaigns and what we identified are still fundamental problems.

“The first is security, and we kept on saying whether it is an organisation or a country, we have to first secure it before we can manage it properly. Without security, nothing can work.

“Secondly, the economy and the unemployment of able-bodied persons. From 1999 to 2014, the crude production was over 2.2m barrels per day. The average cost per barrel was $100.

“When we came, it was $37. I think it is now between $40 and $50. I asked for savings, there was no saving. I asked them what they used the money to buy, they said they bought food and oil. I do not know how long it took me to recover from the shock.

“Some of you will recall either by history or discussion that it was cocoa, palm kernel, cotton, agro allied industry that we used to build infrastructure, be it rail or school.

“We also used the proceeds to develop oil. When we got the oil, we threw everything away. We thank God this year, the harvest was quite good; otherwise, I do not know what we would have done.

“There was no money saved, no infrastructure built, and power is still our main problem. Old roads are dilapidated and they need to be repaired from Lagos to Kano, Port Harcourt up to Maiduguri. There are rail lines we want to develop from Lagos to Calabar, from Lagos to Kaduna and the Abuja one.

“If we can get the infrastructure done, we cannot even know the number of Nigerians that will get jobs. So, we have to get infrastructure. It will take tankers and other articulated vehicles off the road; we will save vehicles and we will save lives and we will get jobs for a lot of Nigerians.”

Bello, in his opening remarks, commended Buhari for the success recorded by the nation’s troops that cleared Sambisa Forest of insurgents last week.

“We are very proud of this milestone and we prayed that Boko Haram never rears its head in any part of the country again,” the minister said.

Also, the Chairman of the Christians Association of Nigeria, FCT branch, Rev. Jonah Samson, said they were in the Presidential Villa to identify with Buhari and commend him for his leadership, which he said had impacted positively on Nigerians.

Samson particularly commended the President for his administration’s anti-corruption war.

He expressed the hope that the anti-graft war would not end with this administration.

Samson said, “Corruption is a cankerworm. It is a terrible thing that we must kill. We urge you to ensure that the war continues. It should not end during this administration.

“We thank God for the victory over Boko Haram. It is a thing of joy worthy of celebration.”

The minister and his aides later presented a giant greeting card to Buhari.

Representatives of the Aso Villa Chapel also presented a card and locally-made artworks to the President.

Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the visit, the Senator representing FCT, Philip Aduda, urged Nigerians to support the present administration.

Aduda expressed the hope that 2017 would be better for the nation.

http://punchng.com/let-us-talk-buhari-tells-ndelta-militants/

ok

is okay!

talking what again when we already have a list of demands

Talks for what What happened to the confab report? Oga PMB u started this crisis by discarding the confab report, stopping the amnesty program for militants and calling the region 5%.

This is just like starting a war you can't finish . I'm sorry but it is too late for dialogues, 2019 awaits you

Bubu eye don dey clear.

Begged?


Who wan show face?

Thier yooots no gree, thier mercenaries no gree, even thier elders no gree show face


This kin beg la waaaaa o

In my opinion, even if confab report was implemented and these people get 101% derivation


They will still have reasons to complain


Sheu Shagari said it

Ibori is back.... everything go calm down.

Issorai... siddon look na dog name. Make we dey watch this movie dey go

GMBuhari:
In my opinion, even if confab report was implemented and these people get 101% derivation


They will still have reasons to complain


Sheu Shagari said it

Let them complain and heat their state polity not Nigeria's polity...#True_federalism_we_need

never too late for dialogue

i am waiting for our afonjas environmentalists to come advice us

OZAOEKPE:
i am waiting for our afonjas environmentalists to come advice us

There are still sleeping over the bottles of Agbo they drank at their christmas party yesterday

By 12pm they will arrive this venue to preach

IsaacBuchi:
The problem with this President Buhari is that he always thinks someone else is holding his progress. Even if militants stop their attack this gworo chewing man would still not deliver. If you agree click like

Can you appeal to your militant brothers to halt the attacks for at least one year and let's see how the ptedident will perform? Before you write someone off, you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Jonathan was there for close to 6 years, no single pipeline was touched and we all saw his woeful performance. Give this president the same chance and let's access him after his 4 years term.

seunmsg:


Can you appeal to your militant brothers to halt the attacks for at least one year and let's see how the ptedident will perform? Before you write someone off, you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Jonathan was there for close to 6 years, no single pipeline was touched and we all saw his woeful performance. Give this president the same chance and let's access him after his 4 years term.

Who said an attack on Boko Haram is an attack on the North.?

It is to remind them that SAMBISA has falling, now he can negotiate or they will face the music. (IN THEIR OWN VOICE) We need oyel from d kwankwaad teretili, or they will see my KWOLOKWOLO DAI in action.

Where's their crocodile smile na ?

seunmsg:


Can you appeal to your militant brothers to halt the attacks for at least one year and let's see how the ptedident will perform? Before you write someone off, you should at least give him the benefit of the doubt. Jonathan was there for close to 6 years, no single pipeline was touched and we all saw his woeful performance. Give this president the same chance and let's access him after his 4 years term.

sometimes I wonder why Jonathan is been seen as a hero