In the wake of the increased vandalism of oil installations and pipelines by militant group, the Niger Delta Avengers, and the Presidency’s decision to quell the violence with more violence, the British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond, on Saturday, called on the Nigerian President to consider alternative actions.

“The idea that your answer is by moving big chunks of the Nigerian army to the Delta simply doesn’t work,” says Hammond, who spoke to newsmen after the regional summit on insecurity in Abuja.

“It won’t deal with the underlying issues,” Hammond added.

“Buhari has got to show as a president from the north that he is not ignoring the Delta, that he is engaging with the challenges in the Delta,”

Since assuming office last year, the President, a northern Muslim, is yet to pay a visit to the region that generates almost all of Nigeria’s revenue.

Although the amnesty program initiated by the administration of late President Yar’Adua was continued by the present administration, however, the budget for the program was slashed by over 65 percent by the Buhari administration.

Many have argued that the amnesty program had outlived its usefulness -which was to train militants that agreed to drop their weapon and provide employment for them. However, in slashing the funds of the program, the federal government failed to provide alternative measures to cushion it.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, had last week disclosed that government’s earning from oil has decreased substantially with the increase in violence in the oil rich region.

Nigeria, for the first time in more than two decades, is experiencing its lowest oil production because of the activities of the militants. A situation that further endangers the already troubled economy of Nigeria and all but spells doom to the moves to free up the oil sector.

While the activities of the militant group should be condemned, the Presidency should, as a matter of urgency, consider non-militaristic means of bringing permanent peace to the already troubled region.

“The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy, instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate.”