NIGERIA: Nigeria's President Obasanjo call for an end to unrest in the Niger Delta at emergency meeting.

Record ID: 236376

  • Title: NIGERIA: Nigeria's President Obasanjo call for an end to unrest in the Niger Delta at emergency meeting.
  • Date: 6th April 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) NIGER DELTA YOUTH MOVEMENT PRESIDENT, ONENGIYE ELEKIMA, SAYING: "What we are expecting today is the President to say that he has taken the decision of implementing all that has been discussed. If he does that, there will be peace in the Niger Delta."
  • Embargoed: 21st April 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Nigeria
  • Country: Nigeria
  • Topics: Domestic Politics,Energy
  • Reuters ID: LVA333HGW7BDB5UYWCTYXLZ25HR1
  • Story Text: Nigeria on Wednesday (April 5) held an emergency meeting with a number of stakeholders from the Niger Delta following months of unrest in the oil-rich region. But world oil prices remained high after key players from the militant side refused to attend. Activist groups said they did not agree with the way the meeting had been set up, calling it a "jamboree". The activist said they believed that direct talks were more likely to yield results than large public meetings.
    Youth leader Onengiye Elekima, one of many youth representatives who refused to take part in the meeting, called on Nigeria's president to act on already agreed upon directives.
    During the meeting Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo agreed to set up a committee with a two-week deadline to draw up an action plan to deal with the crisis.
    About a quarter of Nigeria's oil production has been halted since a string of attacks on Feb. 18 by militants demanding more autonomy over the region's oil wealth.
    Industry sources said on Wednesday, Royal Dutch Shell and other companies had no plans to return their staff to abandoned oilfields in Nigeria's southern delta until there was a truce with militants.
    But Nigerian Oil Minister Edmund Daukoru said he expected production to be restored on Thursday at Shell's EA oilfield, which normally pumps about 115,000 bpd.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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