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| Africa: Subsaharan |
| Obasanjo vows to crush militancy in oil-rich-Niger Delta |
| 2004-10-02 |
| ABUJA: Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Friday that his government will not tolerate "undue militancy" in the oil-rich Niger Delta or action that would compromise the majority interest, in a speech marking 44 years of independence from Britain. "Government is taking appropriate steps to stem the tide of undue militancy and we are confident that reason and the law will prevail," he said in a broadcast on television and radio. "Government will not tolerate in any way or form any act that would mortgage or compromise the interest of the majority." He confirmed that government officials were meeting with the head of the Niger Delta rebels who threatened early this week to go to war if their demands for a bigger slice of Nigeria's oil wealth, greater autonomy for their Ijaw people, and a national debate on Nigeria's problems are not met. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |