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Deceit And Exploitation In The Niger Delta By Sharafa Dauda One fateful Thursday of 5th October 2007 in the city of Port Harcourt in Rivers State, Nigeria, Oluchi, a 3year old girl was been driven to school and hopefully sits at the rear of the car, obviously in a world of hers devoid of bitterness. Waiting in the morning traffic, a blow suddenly smashes into the side window of the car. Apparently Oluchi who never understood what the whole drama was all about must have been horror-stricken. She was held captive for three days and lived on bread and water. On July 8, she was finally released after death threats were made to her by the militants that held her captive. Initially, her captors offered to exchange Oluchi for her British father, Mr. Mike Hill. And when she was finally released, Oluchi uttered these words: “I am Free.” The Niger Delta comprises nine states: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers. It is the richest part of Nigeria in terms of natural resources with large oil deposits amid extensive rich land and forests. The crises in the region are one of the most complicated occurrences that could be likened to the multiplicity of Nigeria’s composition. the region has been entangled in a struggle by its various cultural and ethnic groups, fighting against poverty and underdevelopment as a result of oil exploration activities by multinational corporations amid lack of accountable and transparent leadership. The region according to the Niger Delta Environmental Survey (NEDES) report 1997 suffers lack of jobs for its active population, non-siting of manufacturing industries, near-absence of infrastructure (access roads, schools, potable drinking water, healthcare facilities), mass poverty, misappropriation, environmental degradation of agricultural lands, fishing waters and impoverishement, leading to loss of survival opportunities for the population. But the chaos situation today in the Niger Delta did not just rear up its ugly head overnight. No! Over the years, various government’s neglect, injustice and wrongful approach had provoked this fury. The Niger Delta, located in the South-South portion of Nigeria covers some 70,000 kilometres. Meanwhile, it brings forth a whooping two million barrels of crude oil daily.
In a letter to the former United States
President, Bill Clinton by the African Division of During that visit, he highlighted on the “Ogoni crisis” of 1993 to 1996; wrong government approach through extrajudicial executions; arbitrary detentions and draconian restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly; potential increase in criminal acts such as kidnappings of oil company staff in hope of ransom payments and violence among neighbouring ethnic groups over matters such as the situation of local government headquarters, which is crucial in the distribution of oil resources; the activities of the multinational companies that extract Nigeria's oil; and lack of local accountability for the way in which the oil revenue is used by the Nigerian government. Nine years after the expiration of two tenures by elected representatives, and the third running, all these are still prevalent in addition to a revolutionalised high-tech crime perpetuated on self by self. Why? Neglect of the rule of law by chains of deceitful and selfish few who lack transparent and accountable leadership qualities but milk rich on their people’s rights. Friends of the Earth, an international human rights organisation in their new report “Behind the Shine” published on the BBC website alerts that 40 years after the discovery of the ‘black gold’mine, families living among the oil fields of Africa’s largest exporter, breath-in methane gas and cope with frequent oil leaks. Meanwhile oil giant, Shell Petroleum, which sources 10 per cent of its oil from the region has failed to invest in its infrastructure or even prevent pollution, exposing the natives to dangerous disorders like epilepsy and cancer. Of course stakeholders – oil companies, local and foreign development initiatives, wealthy individuals, trust funds and commissions have in place programmes meant to foster education, build capacity, create jobs, develop infrastructure and human resources of the oil producing states. But are the target population benefiting? As a student, I frequent my institution’s cyber cafe. Each year, hopeful eligible science students excitingly fill and submit their applications for the Shell, Total or LNG Scholarship awards. And when the result is out, majority of the children and wards of the highly placed record more success. How inhumane! Instead of using the stolen wealth to sponsor their own children, they still cart away the rights of the underprivileged. Kidnapping, as put by Willie Etim the Guardian newspapers correspondent from Yenogoa, is now the Niger Delta’s reigning plague. Assuming a new dimension, it has stirred from the kidnapping of expatriate oil workers. It now involves the adbuction of indigent influentials and their immediate family members, irregardless of age or condition. Rather than demanding ransoms straight on, tactics have been derived to legalize the acts.
For example,
two expatriate oil workers with
Saipem, Libardo Valderrama (Filipino) and Abert Bacani Montemayor
(Colombian) were kidnapped, while Henry Delgado Corrales, a Colubian was
killed in the process. The militants demanded a This incident also led to the abduction of the ailing Mr. Jeffie Komonibo, an 82 year old man and the father of a lawmaker, Mr. Ebiondu Komonibo representing Odi community in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly. Series of other kidnap cases abound. But then you seem to wonder how this restive youth acquire their collections – horse powered speadboats; Russion made Kalashnikovs, popularly known as AK47 and logistics on the whereabouts of lucrative victims. All these, the perpetrators use in carrying out their operations in an admirable show; and they cost quite a lot. Could this suggest that they enjoy sponsorship from privileged sources? If so, who are these sponsors and what do they hope to achieve? While we ponder on the preceding questions, we should understand that we owe our fellow Nigerians a duty as a nation bounded by our diversity. It is the responsibility of all – old and young, rich and poor, literate and illiterate, leaders and the led to each advocate in their own way in amassing political will for the Niger Delta region. Ray Morphy, on his Wednesday column on the back page of Leadership newspaper states: “All the social crimes hampering our nation today are simply outcomes of lack of understanding and appreciation by the citizenry of the dynamics, necessity and advantages of living together under the umbrella of the nation Nigeria.” Morphy’s analogy points to a fact – responsible citizenship and leadership are virtues which we need as a nation to prosper and patriotism can only be portrayed in collective responsibility. This means we need to change our attitudes towards communal values.
In another report, Leadership
newspaper of Wednesday 10th October quotes the New
The Group’s position is evident in the
struggles for political office with politicians engaging youth as thugs to
purge their way into power and when in office, they care less about the
welfare of these youth. Cases abound – the Ondo PDP and party youth
agreement to rig elections with a promise to pay the sum of Advocacy is not just about making situational statements. It is about identifying the root causes of problems, analysing them, tailoring goals and objectives towards the affected target audience and building support with policy makers to ensure the effective implementation of the strategic plan for addressing the identified root causes. Lending from Mr. President’s resolve to be undeterred from an effective war against corruption, our leaders must internalise practicable processes of legality. The appeal for the amendment of the Act No.6 of 2000 establishing the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to checkmate the activities of companies hiding under the existing gaps of the Act to neglect their responsibilities by the Commission’s chairman during a recent call on members of the National Assembly is to be speedily ensured. The NDDC needs to be well-armed and led to succeed. Its present status as a formulating and implementing agency should be propped. It needs to possess the power to coerce multinational corporations to discharge their responsibilities. And as recently suggested by 2nd Republic President, Alh. Shehu Shagari in Sokoto, in a meeting with Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, we need viable measures to solve the Niger Delta Crisis. Amending the NDDC Act is one of such and it will force companies operating within the environment to contribute not just to the funding of the activities of the Commission, but to the overall discharge of their social responsibilities to the host communities as it is obtained worldwide. Also commendable is President Umaru Musa Yar’adua’s positive involvement at resolving part of the Niger Delta crises by backing the London Metropolitan Police to conduct a criminal investigation on the former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori, for prosecution as reported by various local and international media. The president’s gesture is consistent with his belief in transparent and accountable leadership. This he followed up by directing the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa to fully support. This is a reflection of the ideal leadership qualities which the authentic and unauthentic members of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in particular, and every Nigerian in general should emulate because Nigeria as a nation can only thrive on the rule of law. MEND and other liberating groups should realise that two wrongs can never make a right and stop defending corrupt leaders. Let us x-ray the movement. MEND was formed early 2006 and has close ties with Mujahid Dokubo-Asari's Niger Delta Volunteer Force. The movement split into two rival groups late 2006 and are demanding total control of Nigeria's oil wealth. They operate from creeks and have based on The Sun newspapers report of October 17, 2007, issued to the Federal government a 72hour ultimatum to disband the Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee if it wants peace in the Niger Delta region. The spokesman of the movement, Col. Max Jack Timipre made this statement amid betrayal allegations against some of its leaders, which led to the arrest of their helmsman, Henry Okah in Angola. Again, the insistence of MEND for the release of Chief Ibori in exchange for peace in the region is disturbing but remains unacceptable. The question is: has Ibori embezzled and misappropriated state funds? If he has, why then would the leadership of MEND, who are supposed to be emancipating the people of the Niger Delta be advocating for his release? Or are a selfishly benefiting few advocating for their own gains, but deceiving the actual sufferers who are wallowing in abject poverty? As earlier mentioned, the problems of the Niger Delta are neither new nor are the root causes unknown. The problem lies in the informed people’s inability to be sincere with themselves. The tradition of celebrating corrupt leaders must be discarded. For God’s sake, when would the people of this country stop engaging in acts of nepotism? First it was Dipriye Alameseigha and the London police. Now it is James Ibori. Haba Niger Deltans, make una wake up now. If Chief Ibori has committed a grievous crime against the people of Delta State and soiled the name of Nigeria in the international scene, and a few self-centred members of an ethnic group are saying he should be released or else they would respond violently. Then the question is: who are they threatening if I may ask? Self? We should be patriotic enough to know that Nigeria is too big a nation to be held ransom by a few. The earlier the people of the Niger Delta start holding their corrupt leaders accountable for their deeds, the better. It is time they learn to use the right hand to cut-off the decaying left, which if left uncared for, would lead to the decay of the entire body. The entire people of Delta State and the other eight states of the Niger Delta voted individually for the leaders in their states. MEND only constitutes a fraction of these populations. And if it is sincere about emancipating its people, then it should allow Niger Deltans have their justice.
Dr. Beko Ransome-Kuti in his piece “The
Niger Delta Crises and Nigeria’s Future” suggests that the Niger Delta
crises cannot be resolved outside the Nigerian crises. We are all not
ignorant of the Nigerian crises. We all have at one time experienced one
of
But most importantly, the African Report
recommendations by Small Arm Survey, a … titled “Fuelling The Niger
Delta Crisis” should be taken seriously. They offer a holistic way forward
for all stakeholders. It is indeed disheartening to have heard from the
Chairman, Niger Delta Peace and Conflict Resolution Senate Committee,
Senator David Brigidi that Nigeria lost about
Is it a curse to be richly endowed with natural resources? If it is not, then all the local residents want is a fair stake in the utilization of the resources on their lands. They want to live a healthy and happy life. They want schools for their children; access roads to speedup development; medical facilities to reduce child and maternal mortality rates; potable water to prevent water-borne diseases; arable land to provide nutritious food and income, water to fish in and most of all, a peaceful environment. With nature’s enviable abundant gift to the people of the Niger Delta, they sure deserve better living. If not at all, they deserve to enjoy the basic amenities of food, shelter and clothing like some of us. Oluchi’s words of freedom speaks the minds of Niger Deltans. They want to be free. Enough is enough!
Sharafa Dauda,
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