Former Head of State, Gen. Abubakar Abdulsalami has urged the Federal Government to dialogue with militant groups causing unrest in the Niger Delta region of the country.
While hosting members of the Niger State House of Assembly on his 74th birthday in Minna, the retired general advised FG to sit down on a round table and discuss the problems with the aggrieved group.
He said, “Even if you fight a war and win, you must sit down with the people you conquered. The insecurity we are going through now is uncalled for. For the Boko Haram, nobody knows what they want. The Avengers are now out, what are they avenging?” he enquired.
Abdulsalami decried a situation where the people are going through hardship because of the activities of Boko Haram insurgents, Avengers and Biafra agitators.
The former head of state said there was need for the avengers to understand that they were destroying their land by blowing up of oil pipes, leading to oil spillage. He said the action of the avengers had brought crude oil production to the lowest level in decades.
He advised the avengers against vandalism, saying it would negatively affect the 13 per cent derivation accruing to the region due to sharp decline in oil revenue. “I hope they will come back to their senses and let us try to give this country peace. We do not deserve what we are going through. We need peace and I am begging everybody in the spirit of Ramadan. Whatever religion anybody is following, please let us give peace a chance,” he said.
