Over recent weeks, Niger Delta militants have taken up arms again, with a group known as the Niger Delta Avengers blowing up oil pipelines and installations, cutting output by half. Another group known as the Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force (JNDLF) has threatened to launch six missiles and shut down Nigeria's satellite system effectively making the country a no fly zone as from Tuesday next week.
Despite the government's attempts to confront the militants using troops, the situation has degenerated further, forcing President Buhari to accept that it is time to negotiate. Yesterday, President Buhari met with both Dr Jonathan and another former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in search of a solution to the crisis.
Nigeria is now losing about of 1.1m barrels of oil a day, with output dropping to about 1.6m barrels and power generation has also fallen to 2,832.5MW. Dr Jonathan's meeting with President Buhari lasted about 35 minutes and focused mainly on how to get the Niger Delta militants to agree to a ceasefire.
Apparently, President Buhari specifically requested that Dr Jonathan intervene in the crisis after he returned from a six week trip abroad. According to State House sources, President Buhari was said to have telephoned Dr Jonathan while he was in Ivory Coast, asking him to return home, providing assurances that rumours of his impending arrest were untrue.
According to the source, President Buhari was said to have assured Dr Jonathan that if the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission finds anything against him, he would be given the opportunity befitting of a former president to respond and make clarifications. This assurance gave Dr Jonathan the comfort and confidence to return home.
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