Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari needs to address grievances in the Delta region where militants have been blowing up oil pipelines in a conflict that has become a “major concern”, a senior British official said yesterday.

The swamps of the southern Delta have been hit by a series of attacks on pipelines and other oil and gas facilities that have reduced Nigeria’s output by 300,000 barrels a day, closed a major export port and two refineries
Nigeria has moved in army reinforcements to hunt the militants but British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond said Buhari needed to the deal with the root causes because a military confrontation could end in “disaster”.

Crude sales from the Delta account for 70 percent of national income in Africa’s biggest economy but residents, some of whom sympathise with the militants, have long complained of poverty.

“It’s obviously a major concern,” Hammond told reporters on the sidelines of a regional security conference in Abuja when asked about the Delta situation.

“The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesn’t work,” he said, adding that the army did not have the capacity while fighting Boko Haram jihadists in the north. “It won’t deal with the underlying issues.”

“Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta,” Hammond said.

Buhari is a Muslim from the north who has not visited the Christian Delta since taking office a year ago, something highlighted by a militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed a string of attacks on pipelines.

The group has warned oil firms to leave the region within two weeks and says it is fighting for independence for the Delta. It has said it wanted a greater share of oil revenues and an end to oil pollution.

The attacks have driven Nigerian oil output to near a 22-year low and, if the violence escalates into another insurgency, it could cripple output in a country facing a growing economic crisis.

Buhari, who has not commented about not visiting the Delta, has extended a multi-million dollar amnesty signed with militants in 2009 but upset them by ending generous pipeline protection contracts.

He also cut the amnesty budget by around 70 percent, which partly funds training for unemployed.

He who has ears let him hear.....I pray Buhari will listen

army made arrest on the Niger delta avengers while the Fulani herdsmen
(from Libya) killing people are walking freely unmolested. Buhari and security operatives there is god ohhhhhhhhh

Let him do his will. But I pray that he doesn't use his actions and inactions to destroy the country.

What's your source?

We can only watch from the sidelines, Make few observations and suggestions and watch the man either take them or self-destruct.

#TrueFederalism

Shey i talk say this 40mill them give us we go pay am back

Now as u.k chuk mouth into our fantastically corrupt country affairs we no go fit open mouth talk

Bubu this thing ya doing can cause international problems cus me sef i heard the avengers are from ethopia

Any word on those fula....i mean libyan herdsmen

Space booked

mbaboy:
He who has ears let him hear.....I pray Buhari will listen

I pray he does not. There is nothing that will happen Buhari dI'd not start violence, NDA did . You blow up pipes to force the hand of a sitting president and you want him to call later you to Abuja and give you money for doing that. The first money Buhari approved when he came to office was Amnesty money. People are not fair to this President but God will break the heads of those who want to inflict pain on the citizens of Niger Delta unnecessarily

Bubuhari is simply evil n God alone will deal wit him he is selfish wicked n corupt

Where's your source ?


And You asking Buhari to be patient and not use the Army is not the same as UK threatening Buhari not to use military action


I for one know that Buhari also understands the language the militants believe Nigeria speaks = Violence


I am in support of military invasion of any areas where pipes are being vandalized and consequently the arrest and prosecution of culprits

and if it escalates , I hope gallant soldiers show them the difference between tail between it's leg dog and a lion