Oscarline Onwuemenyi
27 January 2017, Sweetcrude, Abuja – The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh, has disclosed that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has scheduled another visit for the Niger Delta in February as part of the his Niger Delta Peace Tour, and sustained efforts to stop the attacks on oil pipelines in the area.
Osinbajo abruptly cut off his tour, which was meant to take him to three Niger Delta states, when he had to lead the Federal Gpovernment’s delegation to the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland last week. Upon return, he immediately stepped into his present acting presidency capacity after President Muhammadu Buhari had to undertake a vacation in London, United Kingdom.
Boroh, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Office, said that the Amnesty Office was making arrangement to accompany the VP in the second visit to the oil rich region.
Osibanjo had visited the Gbaramatu Kingdom of Warri South West Local Government of Delta State on January 16, 2017 as part of the efforts to end renewed violence and attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta.
Boroh said during a press briefing in Abuja on Wednesday that the visit of the Vice President only showed the sincerity of the Federal Government to resolve the lingering crisis in the Niger Delta.
He added that the doubts about the seriousness of the Federal Government to tackle the issue of the crisis in the Niger Delta evaporated with the crucial visit of the VP to the restive region.
He said, “The visit of the Vice President to the Niger Delta particularly Delta State was a critical factor to be considered in the resolution of the conflict in the Niger Delta.
“Before now, there were a lot of doubts whether the Federal Government actually had the political will resolve the issues or whether they were only talking for the sake of talking. It has become abundantly clear that the Federal Government is committed to the resolution to the conflict and stability and development of the Niger Delta region.
“I think this is something we should take as part of the government in commitment towards achieving stability in the Niger Delta.
“We are poised to accompanying the Vice President in his next trip to the Niger Delta which would be sometime February, because during the visit, he made pronouncement to that effect that sometime in February, he would return the visit to meet with some other persons. So, we wait until then, then we make ourselves available here.”
Boroh said that the Federal Government had organised two other visits to the Niger Delta as part of the peace building efforts after the visit by the Vice President and his meeting with Pan Niger Delta Elders on January 16, 2017.
Boroh added that the government would approach the issue of the stabilisation of the Niger Delta by considering the implementation of the Niger Delta Development Master Plan.
According to him, the document which he intends to re-present to the government will be beneficial to the Niger Delta rather than the tribal demands made during the VP’s visit.
