Before the Niger Delta situation degenerates further

Iam happy that President Muhammadu Buhari is showing commitment to dialoguing with the Niger Delta Avengers, but the militants themselves are snubbing the olive branch the president is waving at them. It is unfortunate that those who are parading themselves as fighting for the Niger Delta people are just criminals and nothing more.

If the Niger Delta militants are really after the emancipation of the region, then they will not be causing the destruction they are causing. It is surprising that a group could say it is fighting for its people and it is using the most inhumane ways in airing its grievances.

The destruction of pipelines is not good for the environment, as the majority of the Niger Delta people survive on fishing. With oil pipeline bombings come the pollution of the waters and the death of fishes.

Although President Buhari has appointed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to dialogue with the militants, it seems that they are really not ready for talks and they have continued wreaking havoc on oil installations.

The fact that the Federal Government is determined to dialogue with the militants does not portray it as being weak.

The president can order a full scale military action against the terrorists, but being a father, as well as a soldier who experienced the civil war, he knows that women and children suffer most in war situations and this is what he wants to avoid.

I, therefore, hope that these militants will allow reason to prevail before things degenerate further in the region.

• James Oyibo,

Benin, Edo State.