09 May 2016, Abuja -The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh, has called on communities in the Niger Delta to complement the efforts of the Federal Government in the protection of the oil and gas assets in the region.
*BOMBED—Major Gen. Alani Okunola, Commander of the Joint Task Force (Middle); pointing to part of a severed pipeline, while Brig. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, Commander, 4 Brigade, Benin (2nd left); Lt. Col. Igwe P. Omoke, Commanding Officer, 3 Battalion Effurun (2nd right)and others watch during inspection of the gas pipeline in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State bombed earlier this year by suspected militants. (Photo: Vanguard)
Boroh said while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Monday that everybody should be involved in security as consequences of insecurity would affect all.
He noted that while the Presidential Amnesty Office was not entrusted with the responsibility of deploying security for pipeline protection, it was a Programne designed to stabilise security in the area.
Boroh advises people with grievances to bring them forward without any recourse to violence and destruction.
He stressed that his call on people with grievances to express them should not be mistaken for weakness on the part of the government or the leadership of Amnesty Office.
He said, “Security is everybody’s responsibility because the implications and consequences of insecurity equally affect everyone. The Presidential Amnesty Programe is a security stabilisation programme and is not responsible for the placement and deployment of security personnel in the oil and gas facilities and assets of the Federal Government in the Niger Delta.
“Individuals and communities therefore have their role to play to complement government’s effort to ensure peace and security, which are sine qua non for development of the region.
“The call for persons with grievances to embrace dialogue is not an indication of weakness on the part of the government or managers of the Amnesty Programme.
“Rather, we are in a democracy and people should be allowed to ventilate their grievances without recourse to violence. If their complaints are genuine and reasonable, they will be looked into.”
He urged stakeholders of the area to reciprocate with patriotism to the commitment of the President to tackle the developmental and environmental challenges of the oil rich region.
Boroh also said that he had confidence in the ability of the military and security agencies to apprehend those behind the attack on oil and gas pipelines in the region.
He said that the Amnesty Office would soon commence a process of engagement with stakeholders in and outside the region as part of the efforts to address the current challenge.
- Punch
