Date Published: 09/14/09
NO PLANS BY U.S TO HELP WIPE NIGER DELTA MILITANTS -FG
PRESS RELEASE
During the recent visit of the United State’s Secretary of State, Mrs. Hilary Clinton to Nigeria, she promised among other things the willingness of American government to assist Nigeria in resolving the Niger Delta crisis.
Since that pronouncement, some people and groups have misconstrued her statement to mean that American government intends to assist the Federal government to wipe out the Niger Delta militants so as to protect American investments in Nigeria, especially Chevron oil company.
Government is saddened by this development and views it as an attempt by people to truncate the implementation of the amnesty initiative which has so far recorded a huge success.
The statement credited to Hilary Clinton is straight forward and should not be given any negative interpretation. The American government always means well for Nigerians, and they have been in the forefront in the fight for Human Rights and Justice all over the world. They cannot therefore ignore the crisis in Nigeria, and will never think of wiping out Niger Deltans, just to protect the investment of one company in Nigeria.
Federal government once more wishes to assure the Niger Delta people that this government does not intend to and will never collude with any government to spill the blood of her own people. The Amnesty programme is an initiative by the Federal government to peacefully resolve the crisis in Niger Delta once and for all.
Government once more appeals to media houses not to be used as a platform by radical elements to issue provocative comments and statements capable of undermining not only the peaceful co-existence of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria but also government’s effort towards permanent solution to the Niger Delta crisis.
Signed:
PROF. DORA AKUNYILI
Honourable Minister
