The Nigerian government has set up a committee saddled with the responsibility of coming up with solutions that will bring an end to the bombing of pipelines and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in the Niger Delta region.

The committee known as the Niger Delta Riverine Protection Programme, will be coordinated by Tikari Danjuma,

Addressing the media in Abuja, on Thursday, Danjuma explained that his committee which is being supervised by the Office of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs in liaison with the office of the National Security Adviser, is saddled with the responsibility of working with critical stakeholders to recover illegal weapons, curtail the spate of bombings and the operation of illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region.

He pointed out that the programme is also part of government’s efforts to address several years of neglect of the Niger-Delta region as well as to check the spate of violence in the region.

“The programme is aimed at driving further the peace process initiated by the federal government,” Danjuma told pressmen.

“Part of the mandate of this programme is to recover illegal arms and ammunition in the region; ensure adequate protection of federal government assets in the region and curtail the incidence of illegal refineries in the region,” he added.

Danjuma  stressed that the development of the oil-rich Niger Delta region cannot be achieved in an atmosphere of lawlessness, violence and anarchy.

He reiterated government’s willingness to correct the ills of the past, adding that it was left for people of the region to fully cooperate with the government in order to make the region attain its full potential and guarantee a better future for generations yet unborn.

The coordinator added that his committee will be meeting with critical stakeholders in the region to unveil details of its programme.

He called on individuals and groups in the Niger Delta, especially those in possession of illegal arms to surrender such arms in the interest of the peace and stability of not only the region but Nigeria as a whole.