Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will meet leaders of the Niger Delta in Abuja next week in an attempt to end the attacks of the oil facilities in the region, the country’s oil minister said.
Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s oil minister, said that ending the unrest in the oil producing region was the first goal of an energy roadmap unveiled on Thursdaty.
“Our target is to ensure zero militancy in the area,” he told a forum in Abuja aimed at outlining strategy for the petroleum industry. “This planned meeting shows the level of interest the president has to ensure peace in the area.”
Nigeria has been hit by numerous attacks on oil facilities in the Delta region as militant groups demand that the government allocate a bigger share of the country’s oil revenue to the region.
These attacks have greatly affected the country’s oil production, seeing Angola bypass it as Africa’s biggest oil producer.
In a speech at the same event, President Buhari said the government was committed to engaging with all stakeholders in the southern region to find a lasting peaceful solution.
