Petroleum Minister decries militants’ attacks on Forcados oil facilities

The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has expressed concern and disappointment over the recent pipeline attacks by militants in the Niger Delta region.

Three attacks have took place over the last two weeks even whilst efforts were ongoing to prepare the grounds for dialogue.

The Minister is saddened that despite months of intensive personal and collective efforts to engage all stakeholders in the region and the recent success in convening a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari to begin exploring the opportunities for deepening the dialogue, that the attacks have continued.

Kachikwu, in a statement signed by the Ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations,‎ Mr. Idang Alibi‎, condemned what he called “wanton attacks” and reiterates that the path to providing lasting solutions for the Niger Delta challenges remains dialogue.

He enjoined all interested stakeholders in the Niger Delta to embrace the path of peace and dialogue and shun acts that further create difficulties for the country, impoverish the region and worsen the ecological problems of the region.

He urged all militants to stop and give the ensuing dialogue a chance to birth peace in the region.

The Minister further appealed to all leaders and stakeholders in and outside the region to join hands with the government to find a lasting solution to this problem.

He however, gave the assurance that distraught as he and most ministers from the Niger Delta region are with these unfortunate incidents, they shall not give up, but will continue to work under the mandate of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari to see how to deepen the engagement and get a complete stakeholder buy-in to the solution programme of the President.