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Sustaining the Peace in Niger Delta By Jamila Zubairu Mammam Forwarded by Alhassan Birma
The Niger Delta region which is the area of the country where a sizeable chunk of the Nation’s crude oil is exploited, has been in the news of recent. The international and local media were awash with news from the area. But the news from the region was indeed distasteful, and it jolted not a few.
Armed gangs suddenly sprang up to disturb the peace and tranquility of the Niger Delta, sending shivers down the spine of the international community as a result of the turmoil caused in oil prices by events in that region. Also within the country, the federal government and Rivers state government felt unease with the crises in the area which had he potential to ignite a conflagration if nothing was done to stem the tide.
Independent sources trace the ugly event in the region, particularly in Port Harcourt city to two individuals Ateke Tom and Alhaji Dokubo Asari who between them are at the head of killer gangs that visited mayhem on the otherwise peace loving people of River state.
While Dokubo is the leader of the Niger Delta people’s volunteer force (NDPVF), Ateke Tom presides over the Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV). Initially the bone of contention between the duo was a supremacy battle, but with time their altercation assumed a monstrous dimension as they engaged in fierce battle, as each of them tried to establish spheres of influence.
However, what began as a cult war snowballed into a war of liberation. For the Ijew people of Niger Delta on whose beheld Dokubo said he was fighting to liberate them from long years of alleged injustice, neglect and misrule. While the battle in the Niger Delta, ignited by Ateke Tom and Dokubo raged, the world did not just watch. Oil prices began an upward climb. But events took a different dimension when Dokubo and his group gave foreign oil firms operating in the region a two-week ultimatum to quit the area or have their oil facilities blown up.
For the international community and the Nigerian government, this was a threat carried too far. Knowing the Asari group for violence and aware that the group has the weapons in its arsenal to weak havoc in the region, the federal government took more than a passing interest. Simultaneously oil prices in the international market at that time climbed to a record $50 dollars per barrel.
However, while the groups in the Niger Delta extended the frontier of war, government’s initial action was to send troops to dislodge the militants. But it appeared that the bad terrain of the soldiers from effectively combing the area.
Meanwhile, pressure was mounted on the government to act decisively in dealing with the issue. As has become clear government has several options, either to intervene militarily or use diplomacy.
At the end of the day diplomacy was chosen as the best option available. President Olusegun Obasanjo uncharacteristically, invited the principal actors, Tom and Dokubo to the presidential villa for discussion. The actors in the conflict spoke to each other and agreed to sheathe the sword.
The result is the present peace being witnessed in the region, even though the ripple generated by the disturbance are yet to ebb, as oil prices remain high.
However, many observers have questioned the rationale for the invitation of the two rival ‘warlords’ for discussion with the federal government, whereas there are other groups who have been fighting for the same cause in other areas. Although this article is not about the propriety or otherwise of the invitation and attendant dialogue, the crux of the matter is that what ever that could make for peace should be sought after. Meaningful progress is never made in an environment of war or violence.
It is a mark of the government’s preparedness to extend the olive branch to groups and individuals who want to engage the government constructively.
However, while government’s action is commendable the circumstances that threw up Dokubo and Ateke need to be re-examined.
The Niger Delta region is the golden land of Nigeria, it is the area that lays the golden egg for the country. It is the region where the country produces more that 80 per cent of its reserve of crude oil and gas. Unfortunately over the years, this region has been the most neglected.
To make matters worse governors of the Niger Delta state have done nothing to remedy the situation. Despite the huge sums of money that have accrued to them since the inception of this administration, these governors have really done nothing to improve the lives of the people of the area. The results is the anger frustration and the feeling of hopelessness pervading the area. This is the condition that produced the Dokubus, Atekes and many more of their ilk’s. The federal government has tired to intervene in redressing the Niger Delta problem through the setting up of the Niger Delta Development commission (NDDC). And as could be seen, NDDC has been trying to turn around life in the area to the best. It appears the governors of the Niger Delta have left the NDDC to provide all the infrastructure, while electing to do nothing.
The failure of the governors to act has made the people to shift the blame for their apparent neglect to the Federal Government which is being looked upon as the source of this neglect. What the Niger Delta situation requires is for all hands to be on deck. The Federal Government did well to make peace with the people. There is no gain saying that the Obasanjo government believers in dialogue as the best form of peace, because even wars are ended on the negotiation table.
Government should bear in mind that if Dokubo is the problem in Niger Delta, than the question is where is he now? The situation in Niger Delta is getting out of hand. The governors should take the bull by the horn and utilize the peace initiated by Obasanjo to satisfy the yearnings of the peoples and thereby reduce area of conflict in the region.
Jamila Zubairu Mammam Department of Mass Communication, University of Maiduguri
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