‘Don’t fall into militants’ trap’

AN Ijaw leader and sustainable development strategist, Greg Afoegba, has told the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachukwu, to thread softly as he could be trapped in the dirty waters of Niger Delta militancy over his hasty approach to negotiate with them.

 Afoegha, who spoke with journalists in Warri on Sunday, noted that the manner the Petroleum Resources’ minister was going about the proposed dialogue with suspected members of the Niger Delta Avengers could backfire.

Instead, he appealed to Kachikwu to seek advice from his counterparts especially Rotimi Amaechi, who he said knew the militants’ traits and gimmicks and would never fall for it having dealt with them as a former governor.

According to him, Kachikwu’s view on the NIMASA Maritime University and the Niger Delta dialogue would soon land him in trouble because he was ignorant of the character and motives of the militants whose activities had brought oil production to an all time low.

 Afoegha said, “I am not against creating educational institutions in any part of our region, but I condemn bombing of products of scientific education as oil assets. If they bomb such with ignominy, what’s the guarantee that they won’t bomb even the university and endanger students who would attend from diverse places over same selfish demands in the future?

 “In my opinion, Tompolo should take over and run the private diving school he originally established like Asari Dokubo has in Togo and allow the maritime varsity to follow the due process of the National Universities Commission’s approval and budgeted for by the Federal Ministry of Education and not the kangaroo process where university funds passes through an individual.”