Edwin Clark criticizes Buhari’s claim of restoring peace to the Niger Delta

Former Information Minister Edwin Clark has criticized President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration for making an untrue claim about restoring peace to the Niger Delta region.

President Buhari has spoken about his administration’s efforts to keep the South-South geopolitical zone peaceful, promising the region a fair deal.

Clark, however, said in an open letter to Buhari on Thursday that the region’s significant peace cannot be attributed to the current administration.

While noting that insecurity in the region decreased under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, the elder statesman acknowledged that the security challenge resumed at an “alarming rate” after Buhari took office.

“Without a doubt, the Niger Delta has experienced a significant amount of peace in recent years. “However, your claim that you were the main architect in bringing peace does not accurately reflect what happened,” the Ijaw leader said.

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“If you recall, your excellency, before your government took office, insecurity, which had decreased significantly during your predecessor’s tenure, had resumed at an alarming rate.

“During this time, a new group called the Niger Delta Avengers emerged, effectively holding your government hostage, and oil production fell to around 800,000 barrels per day.

“In August 2016, your government used a military approach to quell the agitations, deploying ‘Operation Crocodile Smile,’ which did not solve the problem in any way.”

Clark also accused Buhari of marginalizing the region, abandoning several projects, and persecuting regional leaders who served under the previous administration, citing the September 2018 invasion of his home as an example.