Nigeria will crack
down on groups responsible for recent pipeline attacks in the oil-producing
Delta region, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Wednesday.
Pipeline attacks and violence have been on
the rise in the southern swampland since authorities issued an arrest warrant
in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.
"We will deal with them the way we
dealt with Boko Haram," Buhari said during a visit to China, referring to
jihadists who have been waging an insurgency to set up an Islamic state in the
north.
The army has recaptured much of the
territory Boko Haram had held since Buhari took office in May 2015, though the
group still stages suicide bombings.
"I hope this message will reach the
vandals and saboteurs who are blowing up pipelines and installations," he
said.
Last month gunmen blew up an oil pipeline
belonging to Italy's ENI in the Delta, a region which provides much of
Nigeria's oil production, killing three workers, according to officials.
In February militants staged a sophisticated
underwater attack on a Shell pipeline, shutting down the 250,000 barrel-a-day
Forcados export terminal.
Buhari has extended a multi-million dollar
amnesty signed with militants in 2009, but he has upset them by ending generous
pipeline protection contracts.
The militants, like other Delta residents,
demand a greater share of oil revenues.
PATIENCE
Addressing Nigerians living in China, Buhari
also asked for patience for his plans to end endemic graft and to diversify the
oil economy.
The former military ruler was elected last
year on a ticket to "fix" a country stricken by mismanagement. His
government has come under fire for fuel shortages and a lack of action as the
2016 budget has been held up by wrangling with parliament.
"We hear proposals for short cuts or
quick wins," he said. "However, all we need to do is look at our
history to know that there are no quick wins or short cuts in fixing
Nigeria."
A slump in oil revenues has whacked public
finances in Africa's biggest economy. Buhari has also faced criticism for
rejecting a devaluation of the naira, which analysts have said deters
investment.
"Clearly, our vision of a diversified
and inclusive economy will not be achieved overnight," he said. "It
will be a long, and in some cases, painful journey."
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