Federal Government and states in the Niger Delta region have agreed to work together to ensure peace and end the bombings of oil and power installations in the region.

This was part of the decisions reached at a closed door meeting involving the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, service chiefs and states from the Niger Delta region.

Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting in the Presidential Villa, Delta Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and Edo Governor, Adams Oshiomhole, said that the collaboration will also include intelligence sharing.

Stressing that the meeting was very fruitful, he said that a lot of other decisions that will mitigate the crisis in the states particularly, Bayelsa and Delta, were also agreed upon.

One of the decisions, he said, was deployment of military operations in waterways around troubled communities.

The governor added: “We believe we are going to find solution to it. One of such is that there is a need for us to share intelligence which is very important and for us to be proactive, working together with the various stakeholders in the states to achieve a better result going forward.

“We have also agreed that there is a need to distill military operations directly in communities, but the military need to actually remain on our waterways to ensure that we adequately man the waterways itself while we engage the communities and that engagement process is starting any moment from now,” he stated

When asked to give a date the amnesty programme will be revisited as a way out of the crisis, the Governor said that the programme was never stopped.

On when the implementation of the meeting’s outcomes will start, he said: “Right from today, there is a meeting right after this and we are going to be collaborating even as we return to our various states.”

On his part, Oshiomhole said: “You have been briefed by my brother from Delta and whatever he told you that is the truth of it. We agreed that we all have to work together to refocus on development issues, economic issues, military issues and community issues. Whatever he has told you there, that is what we have agreed to do.

While stating that the amnesty programme has been on, he noted that a time lag could have resulted from the little transition of having a new leadership.

Stressing that there have been stories about non-payment concerning the programme, he said that the problems are being addressed while funds are being provided.

He said: “I believe the government recognizes that the amnesty programme has to be sustained but also we can improve on it because we have trained people.

Other state governors at the meeting included Bayelsa, Rivers, Ondo and Abia.

Also at the meeting were the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru.