By Obiabin Onukwugha
Foremost environmental activist, Dr. Nnimmo Bassey has stated that militarisation of the Niger Delta is not a solution to oil theft in the country.
Bassey was reacting to calls by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (PENGASSAN), on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to deploy more military personnel to the Niger Delta, to halt crude oil theft.
National President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo, had made the call on the sidelines of the National Executive Council, (NEC), meeting of the Association held in Abuja.
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He said the deployment of military yo the region would further safeguard oil production, and increase output by an estimated 30 percent which could be used to stabilize the economy of the country.
Osifo said: “We implore government President Tinubu to ask his commanders to relocate to Niger Delta and ensure that this menace of crude oil theft is put to a halt for more revenue to be generated and at the end of the day, the Nigerian state will be better for it.”
But reacting to the submission by the PENGASSAN, Bassey in a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, said the only way to restore peace and the dignity of the people is to withdraw the military.
“More military to the Niger Delta to halt oil theft? Not likely. Demilitarization of the Niger Delta would restore a more civil environment, restore the dignity of the people, heal the region,” he wrote.
