Government implores militants to eschew violence as 72 graduate from UNICAL

Ijaw in Diaspora urge speedy dialogue

The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Co-ordinator, Amnesty Programme, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh (rtd), yesterday urged the militants to sheathe their sword and embrace peace.

Boroh, who stated this at the graduation ceremony of 72 former militants trained in Fishery at the Institute of Oceanography, University of Calabar (UNICAL), noted that blowing up pipelines was counter-productive and would only hurt the people of the region.

The amnesty co-ordinator, who debunked rumours of stoppage of the amnesty programme, said it was still on course and successful as 13,031 delegates had been trained successfully in various fields of endeavour.

He said: You can protest peacefully and you will be listened to. We must develop as a country. Nigeria is the only country we have. Any other country you go, you will always be a second-class citizen.

“A strategic thinker never uses his home as a battleground. You have to make sure your resources are preserved. If you damage your place, where will your children stay? What future will we have? Let us not damage our territory. The Niger Delta must develop and we are the only ones that can do it. We must think forward and positively.”

In another development, the Ijaw in the United States (U.S.) yesterday urged the Federal Government not to escalate the unrest in the Niger Delta region so as to restore peace and normalcy to the economy and the nation.

The group in online statement signed by its Co-ordinator, Dr. David Ogula, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to accelerate the dialogue process with armed agitators to address concerns of the Niger Delta region and restore crude oil production.