Nigeria Loses N3trillion in Six Months to Niger Delta Crisis

Nigeria losses a staggering N3 trillion every six months to the crisis in the Niger Delta, a council member of Nigeria-British Chamber of Commerce, Mr. Misbau Opeyemi Aminu, said.

Aminu, who is also an engineer,  who revealed this in an interview in Lagos, advised the Federal Government to embrace dialogue rather than resort to war to resolve the crisis in the region

He said the use of force would be counter-productive in the long run, adding that with his experience in community engagement, the challenge in the region, which was hurting the economy, could be resolved with dialogue, special programmes, compensation and infrastructure development.

He said the country had almost shut down, with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declining to almost half the value since the latest militancy in the region started. He said something urgent needed to be done to save the economy from collapse.

According to him, the Niger Delta issue needs genuine dialogue that would involve the disadvantaged people, analyse grouses, alleviate pains, address immediate concerns, and offer promise of a rewarding future.

Aminu said, “The inhuman conditions have changed everything about the Niger Delta, remolded average minds and brains in the region and caused them to lose trust in the leadership. They have also lost trust in the nation, become suspicious of every move, defensive in nature and rebellious as a group etc.”

He stated that, over time, the people of the Niger Delta “tasted the ‘Black Gold’, and found it was sweeter than fishing and farming. What they couldn’t get legitimately they have accessed illegitimately.

He added that the agitators had also realised the relevance of oil to the nation’s revenue put at 85 per cent and gas, which hovers at 75 per cent.