Former President Goodluck Jonathan has revealed how he put his life at risk in his bid to ensure peace in the Niger Delta region.
Jonathan disclosed that he went into a militant camp in the Niger Delta without armed security to negotiate peace, at the risk of his life.
He made the disclosure on Monday while delivering the chairman’s address at the De Mangrove Conversation, organised in collaboration with the Bayelsa State Government, the Niger Delta Development Commission, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Renaissance Africa Energy and the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation at the NCDMB Conference Hall in Yenagoa.
Jonathan said his experience as a scientist, governor, vice president and president gave him a unique perspective on the challenges facing the region.
He recalled that as vice president, he personally led negotiations with militants and insisted on visiting one of their camps without armed escorts despite objections from security officials.
According to him, the decision helped build trust and paved the way for dialogue that eventually contributed to the peace process and the implementation of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.
Jonathan stressed that the development of the Niger Delta must remain a national priority, saying lasting peace in the region depends on addressing environmental degradation and decades of neglect.
“As the vice president, I was to go and negotiate to bring peace to the Niger Delta. And I was to visit all the camps, including Camp One that you all know very well and who headed it, all the
