In a bid to stop pipeline vandalism and vices associated with it, President Buhari will meet with leaders of the restless Niger Delta in Abuja next week to end insurgency in the oil-producing region, the oil minister said on Thursday.

According to CEOAFRICA’s source, Signal, Ibe  Kachikwu said “Our target is to ensure zero militancy in the area”

Kachikwu told a forum in Abuja aimed at outlining strategy for the petroleum industry that “The planned meeting shows the level of interest the president has, to ensure peace in the area.”

In a speech at the same event, Buhari said the government was committed to engaging with all stakeholders in the southern region to find a lasting peaceful solution to which he gave no details.

Militants have been fighting for a greater share of the OPEC member’s wealth to go to the Niger Delta, where many complain of poverty.

Government sources told reporters on Monday that the government would hold a meeting with community leaders and militant representatives in Abuja next week.

Nigeria has been holding talks for months to end the attacks on energy facilities, which have cut crude production in the Delta, but no lasting ceasefire has been agreed.

Kachikwu told the event that output had recovered to 1.8 million barrels a day, adding that the government hoped to get back to 2.2 million bpd next year, the level seen at the start of 2016.