Vandals hurt host communities more than government, says Buhari as N’Delta ministry scores self-high on performance

President Muhammadu Buhari says the destruction of oil facilities by vandals operating in the Niger Delta hurts the host communities and the environment more than it hurts government.

Receiving South-South Monarchs Forum (SSMF) led by King Edmund Daukoru, Mingi XII, Amanyanabo of Nembe Kingdom, at the State House, President Buhari appealed to elders of the region to do more to end pipeline vandalism in their communities.

The president told the traditional rulers, who came to congratulate him on his re-election and discuss issues of specific relevance to the zone, that they were culturally and traditionally positioned to complement government’s efforts on enhancing security in the Niger Delta.

According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, yesterday, the president charged the traditional rulers to educate the youths on the dangers such nefarious activities pose to the environment and the economy.

“You need to educate the people that the destruction of installations is hurting the majority of the people.

“If pipelines are blown and the waters are polluted, it affects both the fishermen and farmers.

“These people who blow up the installations are hurting the people more than they are hurting the government,” the president said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs has blown its own trumpet over its performance in the region.

The minister, Dr. Usani Uguru Usani, said that the ministry’s efforts to tackle some of the challenges in the region changed the narrative of the region positively.

Usani, during the presentation of key achievements in the ministry from 2015 to 2018 yesterday in Abuja, said the performance scorecard gives a summarised assessment of efforts of various departments and units of the ministry in line with statutory mandates towards developing the Niger Delta.

He added that the report would serve as a feedback mechanism through which information is passed to the public on fund allocations and effective utilisation of scarce resources to drive anticipated outcomes.

“Our approaches, policies initiated and noble ideas have strengthened our capacity to deliver on the electoral promises of the president by addressing the challenges we inherited, culminating in sustained peace and security for the Niger Delta region,” he said.