Hours after blowing up Chevron facilities in the creeks and owing up to it,

Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State on Wednesday in Abuja condemned the

activities of Niger Delta Avengers. He called them blackmailers and called  on the Nigerian

State not to submit to blackmail from any quarters.

He spoke to  State House correspondents after a closed door

meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the country deserves respect from all, adding that the

political elite should help in promoting and strengthening the bridge of

unity in the country.

“I don’t think the state should submit to blackmail, for me I think the

state should be respected.

“For me I believe in Nigeria, I believe no part can do without the other,

I believe our unity is not negotiable, I believe the responsibility of the

political elite is to strengthen the bridge of unity, to discourage

preaching hatred; discourage amplifying weak points but rather work to

strengthen those points.

“I salute our armed forces for what they are doing and the confidence they

have brought back to our security.

“President Buhari deserves the support of everyone and there is no part of Nigeria

that can be better off without the other part.

“The sooner we accept this reality the better it is for all of

1. The days of ethnic champions and imaginary divides will not help

anyone, ’’ he said.

“For once, we are enjoying respect in world capitals, in different continents’’, saying the President deserves to be supported.

“We don’t need to be security experts to accept the universal truth that

wherever there is insecurity there will be no investment because no

investor will go to where is unsafe.

“And where there is no investment poverty will be endemic because there

will be no job for our people.

“I appeal to all of us in the South South, we need to wake up; it is for

our own self-interest that we make the region the most investor friendly.

“The assets being destroyed is not just national assets, it is our own

assets. It is what makes the South South the hub of the Nigerian economy.

“So, if somebody for whatever reason decides to destroy pipelines and

thereby compounding the problem of pollution, the cost of cleaning

up that area, making it attractive either for fishing, farming or other

business, is a huge cost,’’ he said.

Meantime, the Avengers have threatened to do more harm to the facilities in

the creeks if their requests are not met. They even threatened to attack the President

should he venture into the creeks. They boasted that deployment of military personnel

and hardware cannot stop them, claiming that those arrested by the Military were not their members.