The today planned visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the oil-producing Niger Delta, which has been hit by a wave of renewed militant attacks has been cancelled. A government source in Abuja has said.
The visit to the region was meant to launch a cleanup program of the Ogoniland, an area badly affected by oil spills. There was no official reason for the cancellation.
Barely two weeks ago, the President cancelled his planned visit to Lagos State at the last minute. He was represented by his vice, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who commissioned some projects executed by the state.
The Niger Delta region has been hit by renewed militant attacks on oil and gas pipelines which have brought Nigeria’s oil output to a 20-year low. The militant called Niger Delta Avengers which has claimed several attacks on Chevron and Royal Dutch Shell facilities, issued a warning to oil firms that their “facilities and personnel will bear the brunt of our fury”.
Another group even threatened that the president should ensure that he had prepared his will before he would venture visiting the region.
Buhari said on Sunday that the government would hold talks with leaders in Nigeria’s main oil-producing region to address their grievances, in a bid to stop a surge in pipeline attacks. Residents in the swamp areas have for years complained about oil industry pollution and about economic marginalization by the government.
Western allies and local officials such as Britain have told the government that moving army reinforcements to the Delta region would not be enough to stop the attacks and that the population’s grievances should be addressed to solve the problem .
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