Jonathan said the decision was one of the most significant moments in efforts to restore stability to the Niger Delta, adding that it helped build trust between government officials and militant groups and contributed to the eventual implementation of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme.
The former president made the disclosure on Monday while delivering a chairman’s address at the De Mangrove Conversation held in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. The event was organised in partnership 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.
Reflecting on his long association with the region’s oil industry, Jonathan said his interest in environmental and development issues began in childhood after witnessing the construction of oil facilities near his community in present-day Bayelsa State.
He explained that his background as a scientist, environmental manager, governor, vice-president and president gave him a broad understanding of the challenges affecting the Niger Delta, particularly environmental degradation and years of underdevelopment.
Jonathan recalled that while serving as vice-president, he led negotiations with militants and insisted on visiting their camps despite warnings from security officials.
He said militants had agreed to meet with him on the condition that no armed personnel would accompany him, warning that any display of weapons could lead to a confrontation.
According to Jonathan, security officials, including the Delta State Commissioner of Police and the State Director of the Department of State Services, advised against the visit, but he remained determined to proceed.
He said he instructed his Chief Security Officer and Aide-de-Camp to hand over their weapons to security authorities before entering the camp.
“I told them if we come back alive, you get your guns back and we will go back to Abuja,” Jonathan recalled.
The former president said he and his team were later taken through two lines of armed militants before holding discussions that lasted about one and a half hours.
He stated that the meeting marked a turning point in negotiations with militant groups and contributed to the creation of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme, which remains in place.
Jonathan emphasised that the region’s development should continue to be a national priority, noting that sustainable peace could only be achieved by addressing environmental damage, economic challenges and long-standing grievances among communities in the Niger Delta.
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