By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA—Bayelsa State governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has appealed to the Federal Government not to use force against the Niger Delta militants in a bid to quell the attacks on oil and gas installations in the region.

Addressing State House Correspondents after a private meeting with President Mohammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, yesterday, Governor Dickson said that dialogue remained the best option.

He said: “I have said that the issues in the Niger Delta, the terrain, the historic nature of the issues and challenges are such that military solution may not be the way forward.  For us who are products of political system at the state level, we have a duty to mobilise communal and local leadership, we have a duty to support the work of intelligence and security agencies, we have a duty to ensure that issues are better appreciated and that we fill the communication gap.

“Where there are issues, those issues need be addressed and it is also our duty to network like I am doing to ensure that the problems that are identified root causes of some of these challenges are considered.

“The military solution, as I have always maintained, is not the right option. We are hopeful that the ongoing discussions will yield the desired result. I have always been in support of negotiations or dialogue as the sustainable way forward. Dialogue will bring out the issues and then we will all unite around these common issues to move our country forward.”

The governor, who said he had some security related discussions with the President, also thanked Buhari for remaining neutral in the recent governorship election in Bayelsa State as well as at the  election petitions tribunal which he won.

Dickson called on the President to disregard the verbal attacks on his person during the elections and urged his opponents to join hands with him in moving the state forward.

He said: “I came to have discussions with Mr. President. That is because my position has been that after general election, political leaders and citizens must unite and address common issues.”