MINISTER of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, yesterday, reacted to recent media attacks following statements he made on the amnesty programme for ex-militants from the Niger Delta during the ministerial screening exercise at the Senate.

The Minister said that a Technical Committee aimed at bringing peace to the Niger Delta region was set up by then Vice President Goodluck Jonathan and Chief Edwin Clark at the inception of the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration in 2007.

He added that he was appointed Chairman of the Committee, while members included Chief David Pere, Kime Engozu, Patrick Akpobulou-kaemi, among others.

The Committee’s mandate, Elder Orubebe said, was to visit the creeks, where most militant leaders resided and hold meetings with them on the need to bring about lasting peace to the region since Dr. Jonathan, “one of their own was now the Vice President.”

Orubebe said: “This assignment led us to holding series of meetings with youth and militant leaders including Tompolo, Ateke Tom, Soboma George, Boy Loaf and several others. Our business was to convince them that President Yar’Adua and then Vice President, Dr. Jonathan, were sincere and politically willing to tackle the problems of the region.”

The Minister noted that it led to the visit of Jonathan to Camp 5 in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State, where he  (Jonathan) held a useful peace meeting with various youth and militant leaders. He said Dr. Jonathan embarked on the visit even against security reports because of the sincerity of purpose.

Orubebe said that a second Presidential Technical Committee was set up which he also headed as Minister of Special Duties and later Minister of State, Niger Delta, and that he embarked on a peace mission to the creeks of the Niger Delta.

The Minister, who wondered why he should be viciously attacked because he laid valid claims to his contributions to the amnesty programme during his screening at the Senate, added that the first blue print on the resolutions of the Technical Committee was put together by the Presidency at the time.