EU cautions Against Militarization Of Niger Delta

The EU’s position was disclosed when Michel Arrion, head of the EU delegation in Nigeria, met with Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, Executive Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, in Abuja this weekend.

The European Union (EU) has warned against the militarization of the Niger Delta and is urging the federal government to not rely on military action to resolve the crisis afflicting the region.

The EU’s position was disclosed when Michel Arrion, head of the EU delegation in Nigeria, met with Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, Executive Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission, in Abuja this weekend.

While maintaining that perpetrators of crimes in the region must be prosecuted in line with the law, Mr. Arrion said the Nigerian government should take a multi-faceted approach to the Niger Delta problem. He explained that a military response alone would not resolve the crisis in the region.

“I believe that what is happening in the Niger Delta deserves a global response and a global approach. I do believe that ‘one size’ does not fit all. I don’t think a military response or an economic response or political response alone would be sufficient,” Mr. Arrion explained.

“We need all three components for the global response. As the EU, we are involved in all those dimensions of the Niger Delta issues – politically, economically, and also socially.”

Mr. Arrion said the EU delegation in Nigeria is at the disposal of the federal government, pledging to assist in the peace process.

“We are at the disposal of the Nigerian authorities to support any kind of political process. We are also here with external assistance and in the longer term to look at the possibility of European investment in the region,” he said.

Speaking to Mr. Arrion, Mr. Ndoma-Egba lamented the government’s failure to implement its 15-year plan for the Niger Delta.

“I believe you were here when I mentioned to His Excellency [Mr. Arrion] that the master plan we have for the Niger Delta region is 10 years old and it has a life span of 15 years. Ten years into the plan, it has not been implemented,” he said.

The senator said that in order to move forward with the development of the region, the government needs to either update the plan to include stakeholders or scrap it altogether in order to draft a new plan.