Jonathan’s Bold Stand For Niger Delta Peace

In an attempt to stabilize Nigeria’s oil-producing region, former President Goodluck Jonathan described how he risked his life to enter a militant camp in the Niger Delta without armed security in order to negotiate peace.

According to Jonathan, he first became involved with the oil industry when he was young and saw the construction of oil facilities close to his neighborhood in what is now Bayelsa State.

The former president said this on Monday while giving the chairman’s speech at the De Mangrove Conversation, which was held at the NCDMB Conference Hall in Yenagoa in association with the Bayelsa State Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Renaissance Africa Energy, and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation.

“As the vice president, I was to go and negotiate to bring peace to the Niger Delta. And I was to visit all the camps, including Camp One that you all know very well and who headed it, all the boys disturbing all facilities respect those in Camp One,

“As a vice president, I flew to warri, to the water front with my security. When we got to the other front, the Niger Delta militants sent words across to me that they were ready to receive me, but nobody should carry gun and follow me and that if any of my team members carry a weapon, there will be exchange of fire.

“So, the Commissioner of Police in Delta State said ‘Mr Vice President, you will not go.’ The State Director of SSS said ‘Sir, you will not go.’ I told them I will go. There must be peace and development in the Niger Delta.

“As the vice president, I said anybody wearing uniform should not follow me to the militants camp, only my CSO and my ADC followed. I ordered CSO and ADC to handover their guns to the Commissioner of Police and state director of State Security Service respectively to keep. I told them if we come back alive, you get your guns back and we will go back to Abuja

“When we arrived at the camp, there were two lines of young people, one facing this way, the other one facing this way, with assorted riffles.

“From there, they lined up to where I was holding meeting on both sides, we passed in-between the two lines, we moved through them, of course that’s a story for another day.

“When we had the negotiation that lasted about one and a half hour, then we returned to Abuja and things started to unfold, that meeting led to the birth of Amnesty granted to the Niger Delta militants, and other things, Amnesty is still there till today. That was the beginning of peace in the Niger Delta region.”

Ultimately, all the sacrifices made by Jonathan and others in the pursuit of peace in the Niger Delta have proven to be worthwhile. Their unwavering commitment and efforts have contributed significantly to stability and progress in the region.

Today, the Niger Delta stands as a testament to the power of perseverance and selflessness, demonstrating that dedication and sacrifice can indeed bring about lasting peace and positive change.