Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday met with the Minister of State for Petroleum Timipre Sylva and the deputy governor of Delta State Kinsley Otuaro, to engage them in discussions over disturbing developments from the Niger Delta and the threat of hostilities by ex-militants in the region.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Sylva said the discussion centred on how to prevent issues from escalating in the region.
“It is normal for me to consult with the vice president from time to time; we had some notice of agitation from the Niger Delta.
“The vice president, of course, pre-empted everything by inviting the deputy governor of Delta State so that we can understand exactly what the issues are.
“These are routine issues; these are host community issues and when they come up, we have to deal with them early before they fester and become bigger problems.
“That is why the vice president invited the deputy governor of Delta State to look at the issues so that we can discuss and resolve them quickly before they become bigger issues,’’ he said.
For his part, Otuaro said that the meeting was part of the process of normal consultations with host communities in the oil producing environment.
According to him, there is need to set up consultative plans so that the stakeholders will engage themselves with a view to achieving peace.
“There are issues and we have agreed that immediately after the Eid, we will have a platform to sorting out some of these issues,’’ he said.
