(Ecofin Agency) - The former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan (photo), has said that dialogue is the best way to end the conflict with the Niger Delta Avengers in the Delta region.

Jonathan has said he is confident that the authorities can arrive at an agreement with the militants to stop their activities, which have made Nigeria’s production drop tremendously.

“Definitely, it will be resolved. Yes, government can always overrun restive movements and so on, but the Niger delta is too delicate. The level of damage will be too much for the government to bear. We used dialogue,” Jonathan told Bloomberg.

In 2007, Nigeria’s government offered an amnesty and monthly payments to militants to put an end to the years of insecurity, which had reduced oil output. But in February, 2016, Muhammadu Buhari lowered this monthly payment and terminated security contracts with former military leaders.

The Niger Delta Avengers have claimed responsibility for several attacks on facilities owned by Chevron Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Agip Oil Co., making Nigeria’s production drop to about 1.4 million bpd.

These attacks has intensified the crisis facing Nigeria’s economy, which is already affected by the decline in crude prices as the country gets two-thirds of its income and over 90% of foreign income from oil.

Anita Fatunji