ABUJA (AFP) – Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Niger Delta youths to sustain the return of peace to the volatile oil-rich region following a government amnesty, his office said Saturday.
Jonathan who visited his home state of Bayelsa State on Friday commended his predecessor late president Umaru Yar'Adua who last year offered unconditional amnesty to some 20,000 ex-fighters in the region.
He said the amnesty deal has brought about peace and stability in the region and advised the "youths to maintain the peace, imbibe the values of discipline, commitment and hard work in whatever you are doing and the sky would be your limit."
More than 5,000 ex-militants have been offered vocational training, jobs and cash under the amnesty deal.
Jonathan promised to "work and partner with all Nigerian youths because as leaders of tomorrow you have a big role to play in changing the way we have been doing things in this country."
He also vowed to collaborate with state governments to create jobs for the youths.
"We have reached a stage where we must do things differently and begin to attract foreign investments," he added.
The Niger Delta is rich in oil and gas, but most of its inhabitants live in poverty. Many get by on less than one dollar per day, fuelling an armed struggle and unrest that has upset oil production since 2006.
Violence in the region, which included kidnappings and attacks on oil installations, reduced the country's oil production from 2.6 million barrels a day to about one million at the peak of the unrest.
Nigeria, the world's eighth largest oil producer, currently produces around 2.1 million barrels daily.
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