We'll Deal With Avengers The Way We Dealt With B/Haram- Pres. Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that his Government is ready to deal with the Niger Delta Avengers Group the way ‘it dealt with the dreaded Boko Haram Insurgents’ in the North-East.



THe President also assured existing and prospective foreign investors that their investments in Nigeria will be fully secured and protected.

Buhari spoke in Nairobi, Kenya, late Saturday night during a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan, Mr Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

The president said with the defeat of the Boko Haram insurgents, the attention of the administration was now focused on stopping the destruction of the country’s economic assets by militants in the Niger Delta region.

He said: “We are talking to some of their (Niger Delta militants’) leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.

“As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders won’t fund projects in insecure environments.

“We realise that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it.”

The president said security in the Gulf of Guinea, which is greatly affected by piracy and armed robbery at sea, was a priority for the Nigerian government.

“We have provided funds to our Navy to buy new platforms, train and effectively organise the personnel to protect the area. We are looking forward to support from developed nations for satellite surveillance covering the Gulf,” he said.

On the United Nations Security Council reform, Buhari agreed to work with Japan for the reforms, stressing that the case for a permanent seat for Africa on the Council was a moral one.

He also expressed Nigeria’s support for Japan in its bid for a UN resolution on the problems in East China and South China as well as the “uncontrolled nuclear tests by North Korea.”

The President said, “The UN system is sufficient for the resolutions of all disputes and no nation should be above the United Nations.

“This has to be made absolutely clear and I assure the Prime Minister that I will meet as many leaders as possible at the forthcoming UN General Assembly concerning the issues.”

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Buhari “for courageously tackling Boko Haram terrorism.”

He said Nigeria and Japan must work together to improve the investment climate in view of the many Japanese companies wishing to invest in Nigeria.

He reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to rapid development in Nigeria through quality delivery of ongoing projects in the country, including Jebba hydro power scheme and the Lagos railway project