Testing Yar’adua’s Goodluck On Niger Delta

Ifeanyi Izeze

Yar’Adua and his Goodluck aptly captured the picture of the real situation in the Niger Delta when the Presidency described the region as a war zone that deserves an emergency situation. However, it clearly failed to understand that the war is for the survival or otherwise of the frustrated people particularly the youths of the region who have no option but to insist that: since the federal government cannot muster enough will -power to address the oil- induced sufferings of the people of the Niger Delta, it is better not to worsen it by continued oil and gas devastation or rather exploitation.

Interestingly, from outward appearance, the recently constituted Federal Government’s Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee for the Niger Delta looks like a determined effort to find lasting peace in the states of the region. But that may just be where it would all end- an outward public relation show, at least for now. This fear is justified because the pattern of events clearly followed the previous sequenced-insincerity of Nigerian rulers including the Obasanjo’s anti-Niger Delta government.

The committee which has Senator David Brigidi and Kingsley Kuku as chairman and secretary respectively is made up of 18 members and would also have two persons representing each Niger Delta state. In addition, four persons from the oil firms, and one each from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) would serve in the committee. The Police and the State Security Service (SSS) would also be fully represented.

Even before take-off, the constitution of the committee has already indicated an outright insincerity by the federal government to address the armed conflict in the region. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta in a press statement has already declared that they will not cooperate with any mediation committee as it did not occur to government to recognize the real stakeholders (rights activists) in the new initiative. This is just the blank truth. How can you set out to solve a problem and at the same time deliberately decide to ignore the people you have already identified or rather accused of being responsible for the situation. How is it going to work?

As part of the terms of reference for the new peace initiative, the committee would in the next 12 months liaise with the various aggrieved groups (referred to as militants by government agents) in the region. The presidency has urged the committee to concentrate on peace and conflict resolution and recommend to the Federal Government how the issues of the Niger Delta would be adequately addressed. The central committee is expected to deal with cross-border conflicts and coordinate the issues of hostage taking and hostilities against oil and gas companies.

There is no better way to describe the entire concept but to say that it is an outright deceit and this is the truth. You want to resolve a conflict without all the stakeholders particularly the perceived trouble makers. How is it going to work? There is no need to continue to pretend that the Abuja-labeled militants could be ignored or won-over by petty cash gifts. Events in the area have shown this perception to be a very big miscalculation and the nation cannot afford to continue in this deceit.

A real dialogue happens when the views of the people in question are sought, taken and considered in the final understanding of the problem considered.

Government’s understanding and application of the concept of dialogue have been deceptive and responsible for the gross failure to record tangible achievements since the issue of neglect of the Niger Delta came to the front burner in national discuss. The Obasanjo-led government deliberately towed that path and now his cloned son is following the same footprints of deception. There is no major departure from the neo-liberal approach of President Yar’Adua and his sponsor, Chief Obasanjo.

As was rightly pointed out by the newly inaugurated Presidency, the youths of the region had made their case and succeeded in bringing the issue of the neglect of the region to a point for negotiation with the Abuja government. However, the truth remains that as long as the Federal Government of Nigeria continues to get oil money from the Niger Delta, they would never take the struggle for equity and correction of injustice very seriously. This is where the talk of ceasefire becomes suspicious.

Critical examination of the federal government’s call for a truce gives a clear indication of deception or attempt to deceive. First, why is the matter of truce the front- burner issue in the struggle for resource control? The question is: Who is fighting who? Is there any form of ongoing war or confrontation between two armies- Niger Delta youths versus federal troops? Frank and honest answers to these questions would help place the Niger Delta protest in proper context.

The youths are not engaged in any form of war with anybody. All they are saying and will continue to say is: If you cannot muster enough will -power to ameliorate the government-induced sufferings of the people of the Niger Delta, please don’t worsen it by continued oil and gas devastation. This is the case of the Niger Delta people in plain language.

IFEANYI IZEZE IS A PORT HARCOURT-BASED ENABLING ENVIRONMENT CONSULTANT. (iizeze@yahoo.com)