By Abdullahi M. Gulloma
Abuja
Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa state, yesterday warned that the planned use of force by the military would not solve the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta.
Speaking to State House correspondents after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Dickson noted that the terrain and history of Niger Delta, had showed the futility of military option in dealing with issues concerning the area.
He said dialogue and negotiations remained the best options to address the militancy issue, which “is impacting negatively on the nation’s economy.
“I have said that the issues in the Niger Delta, the terrain, the historic nature of the issues and challenges, are such that military solution may not be the way forward. For us, who are products of political system, who are at this level, we have a duty to mobilise communal and local leadership, we have a duty to support the work intelligence and security agencies are doing, we have a duty to ensure that issues are better appreciated and that we fill the communication gap.”
“And, where there are issues, those issues need be addressed and it is also our duty to network like I’m doing now, to ensure that problems that are identified as the root cause of some of these challenges are looked into.
“The military solutions, as I have always maintained, is not the right option, we are hopeful that the ongoing discussions will yield the desired result. I have always been in support of negotiations, of dialogue as the sustainable way forward. Dialogue will bring out the issues and then we will all unite around these common issues to move our country forward,” he said.
The governor also commended the President for maintaining a neutral stand throughout the period of election in Bayelsa state despite moves by some politicians to use his name to truncate the will of the people.
He said: “I came in this afternoon to have discussions with Mr. President. That is because my position has been, and I believe that is the right position every political leader should take, which is that after general elections, political leaders and citizens must unite and address common issues and find solutions to the problems of our country.
“All over the world, once nations have crisis, once nations come under attack, leaders unite across political lines. And together, I came in to have discussion with Mr. President and I thank him for that opportunity, and we cross-fertilised ideas around issues of security. Of course, as you know, Bayelsa is central to the maintenance of law and order and stability in our country, particularly in the Niger Delta region.
“Bayelsa is the epic centre of the issues that have to do with the Niger Delta. And we had fruitful discussions on the need for political leaders to work together to support the work of the security agencies and foster better understanding of even people who have grievances and that we are committed to do together.
“I also want to use this opportunity to appreciate Mr. President for his non-interference in the political processes that played out in Bayelsa in the last general elections. And as you are also aware, yesterday the Elections Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, delivered judgement upholding my election and affirming my emergence as a true product of the democratic exercise of rights of our people in the December 5th and January 9th.”