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Searching For Peace In Rivers State By Okachikwu Dibia
One is truly happy that at 41 years old, Rivers State is addressing one of the critical factors in her development: reconciliation of the peoples of the state for peace that conduces with sustainable development. We need to give the Justice Kayode Eso led Rivers State Truth and Reconciliation Commission a chance. This platform will enable us at least for once have an opportunity to say out our minds concerning some of the age long issues that have led to the existing soured relationships resulting into conflicts, destructions and pains among the people of Rivers State. I thank governor Rotimi Amaechi for this noble will, even though it smells a paradox for a man known to have turned his back at the people when the fruit of insecurity he aided was being harvested.
The old Rivers State was created on the 27th May 1967 by the Federal Government of General Yakubu Gowon. Later, Bayelsa State was carved out of it in 1996 by late General Abacha. Today it is one of the 36 states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with 23 local council areas and having Port Harcourt as its capital. Port Harcourt was planned to be the garden city of Nigeria, but it is not today because trade is done everywhere, dirt is everywhere and insecurity is in charge. The state is actually made up of eight major nationality groups: Andoni, Ekpeye, Etche, Igbani, Ikwerre, Ijaw, Ogba and Ogoni. The major economic occupations of these peoples are farming and fishing. Prior to 1967, and indeed 1914, these people have lived together and had inter-nationality affairs managed by them. They had problems and resolved some and did not resolve some. The splitting of Nigeria into three regions created a common enemy for them, hence they asked for their own state. Today, the state has become an enemy unto itself and all is certainly not well. Insecurity is the obvious problem.
Luckily, one of the key actors and an accessory to the recent crisis has summoned up courage to give the state an opportunity to address the high level insecurity in the state. Let us not sound too optimistic, the crisis is very deep, hurting and painful because it involves destruction of lives and properties leaving the people with pains and bitterness. Will the people in this state of mind be willing to talk? Again, the fact that the terms of reference given to the commission excludes it from implementing its findings, neither can it invoke sanctions, I enjoin Amaechi to have the sincerity and boldness to implement the recommendations of the commission. He will because when a leader repents, he should be given a chance. In Ikwerre, where I come from, we say “nge vadu chiyaru vu osisia”. Meaning, whenever a person realizes to do an important thing is the person’s beginning on that thing. We need to allow the commission to find the truth; Amaechi must use the truth to see that justice is done and thereafter, reconcile the people. The idea of a blanket or wave-of-the-hand forgiveness having enjoined the aggrieved to forget and forgive the past will not work here. We must use the truth to discipline all those directly or indirectly involved in the destruction of Rivers State between 1970 to date; especially 1999 to 2007. Otherwise, Rivers State may experience the carnage again. God forbid!
To assist the commission with some understanding of the issues in Rivers State, we need to explore the following types of peace being searched for in Rivers State. We have intra-community peace, inter-community peace, inter-personal peace, state-community peace and cross-country peace.
The intra-community peace needs to be found having addressed the local disagreements within the community that have led to crises, conflicts and wars and people were maimed and killed, properties destroyed and some people ostracized from the community. Today, so many victims are nursing their grudges, pains and wounds waiting for avenues to revenge. Good examples can be found in Emohua (my native home town), Wezena (Ogbakiri), Okirika, Rebisi (Port Harcourt), Rumueme, Andoni, Ogoni, Okuruama Buguma, Abonnema etc. Some of these conflicts are unresolved, yet consistently, at intervals, they revisit the community at very slight provocations trailed by unquantifiable costs. One hugely unexploited way of resolving such crises is to convince the heads of the ruling traditional institutions (where it is identified that they were directly involved in the community crises) to apologize to the families and individuals who suffered greatest in the crises. Also, community elites should create credible peace and reconciliation committees where aggrieved persons or families can approach and lay their complaints. Such forums have become necessary so that the aggrieved can have an alternative trusted avenue to seek redress instead of going through the traditional adjudication process already hijacked by their enemies. These committees should have the support of the government and community leadership.
Inter-community peace need to be searched for in conflicts between two or more communities living in close proximities. These conflicts may be latent or manifest. For example, some of the physical ones we know in Rivers State are the Okirika-Eleme wars, Okirika-Rebisi contentions over the landlordship of Port Harcourt. Some of the latent ones include the hidden hatred between Ikwerre and Etche; Ikwerre and Ijaw; Emohua and Aluu; Rebisi and Evo; Ikwerre North and Ikwerre South; Eleme and Ogoni etc. This silent source of uncooperative behaviors is very deep, leading to deep hatred. One important attribute of this type of conflict is that it is always pretended; but it works devastatingly underground. Even though there may be no art to find the mind’s construction in the face (Shakespeare), the acts of men do. Government should encourage the formation of inter-communities peace committees in each local government area. They should work with the councilors, CDCs and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs on peace and conflict resolution in their respective council areas.
Inter-personal peace could be sought for through the resolution of selfish disagreements between “big” sons of the state who, for one reason or the other, cannot see eye-to-eye. Most times they carry such soured relationship into politics. This is why political party politics in Rivers State is very risky, diabolical, fierce and unhealthy. Our big brothers can deploy all manners of trick, armory, intimidation, charm, physical threat and actual killing to undo one another while hiding under different political party platforms. The commission should woo these big people to testify to it because their actions remain the most veritable source of recent troubles in the state. They co-opted state security agencies, crude oil bunkerers, thugs, criminals and cultists into politics to make sure they win their enemies at all cost. It was inter-personal discord laced with political ambition that led to the recent 1999-2007 bloodshed in Rivers State. That is why it comes up mostly at election seasons when “my boys” (thugs, cultists, criminals etc but you will never find their children among these groups) are given guns and vehicles and promised millions of Naira to rig elections in favor of their godfathers.
After elections, the boys neither returned the guns nor were paid the promised price. They used the guns to make demand for their promised millions which for instance led to the Aso Rock meeting on the 1st October 2004 between Peter Odili and Asari Dokubo and co. When politicians deny ever engaging these thugs and cultists, they know that there was no where in this despicable business that bears their names and endorsements. Hence, the politicians swear even by God’s name that they never know the thugs and the cultists, never engaged them or promised money. These denials are deceitful and may go a long way to scuttle truth. Despite all the many lives lost, Odili and Amaechi made no impressive efforts at punishing those who extinct thousands of lives and destroyed properties worth millions of Naira in the state. Are these activities not criminal? Why is it that until today, none of them have been thoroughly prosecuted? Those who carried out these offences in Rivers State before, during and after this period must face the law; unless the criminals have full support of the state, then they can escape temporarily. This they have done through the dubious “arms for cash” strategy as if the criminals own the guns. The criminals have used the guns to unleash terror on the people of Rivers State. Therefore all politicians and their accomplices must be thoroughly prosecuted for what has befallen Rivers people under their leadership; otherwise this effort will be wasted.
Another dimension of leaving guns with the boys is the infiltration of cultism and arms into community politics. This aided the destruction of Rumueme, Emohua, Ogbakiri, Ogbogoro, Okirika, Okuruama, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt etc and the overbearing insecurity in the state. They have killed their perceived enemies, de-stooled traditional rulers and sacked entire communities. The commission need to attempt to cost the loss of lives and properties in any one of the sacked communities that is destroyed, then we may be convinced why Peter Odili, Chibuike Amaechi, and co must be strongly questioned and thoroughly prosecuted. They are squarely responsible for what has happened to our Rivers State.
The state-community peace can be sought from the resolution of past actions or inactions of the Rivers State government against persons from the state. Most times such actions or inactions portray injustice yawning for redress. The Rivers State government should at all times show strong and convincing interest in the safety of its citizens. So far this has not been the case; hence the families of those so affected are pained. Can such families and/or communities be at peace with the state government? Examples are the 1977 killing of Ndahbros from Nkpogu, Rebisi; Umuechem massacre in about 1990, the slaughtering of Senator Dr. Obi Wali on 26th April 1993 at Rumuigbo, the Ogoni four in 1994 and the cruel hanging of Sir Kenule Saro-Wiwa and other Ogonis in 1995, the mystical death of our own Professor Claude Ake in 1996, the Choba masacre in 1999, the killing of Chief Marshal Harry in 2003 and Chief A K Dikkibo 2004. It smells a rat that Rivers State government looked the other side and was indeed at great ease over these and other deaths. Which state in Nigeria has suffered this level of killings of its people and the their state governments remained silent as if nothing happened? The Rivers State government ought to seek for justice for these numerous deaths so that those affected will not bear grudges and have scores to settle with the government thinking that the state did not care for the assassination of their loved ones.
That of Senator Obi Wali was most pathetic. In 1993 when the death occurred, Chief Rufus Ada George and Dr Peter Odili where governor and deputy governor respectively in Rivers State. The disgusting manner with which the then Attorney General of the state, Bar. Adokie Amesimaka handled and quickly ended the case left an indelible stain in the hands of the Rivers State Government. The Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality saw that as injustice done to their spokesman. We must not forget that Obi Wali and Ken Saro-Wiwa were among the founding fathers of Rivers State. Their deaths will continue to hunt Rivers State until justice is done.
Cross-country peace must be sought from those actions or inactions against Rivers people by the federal government of Nigeria or any other state of the federation. The wounds of such actions are yet to heal. Under the Eastern Regional Government, the Rivers people were labeled minorities and for this they were denied opportunities due to them and they suffered hard marginalization and displacement. Under post independent Nigeria, the FGN run by Nigeria’s big-three (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) promulgated the Land Use Act 1978 with which they dispossessed Rivers people of their own means of livelihood and indeed their humanity. We know that Abacha killed Ken Saro-Wiwa and that IBB has been alleged to have a hand in the killing of Obi Wali. The FGN collaborated with Shell ans Musa Komo to waste Umuechem and Ogoni; with Willbros and Odili to rape and kill our people of Choba. They have confiscated one of the most valuable resources of the Rivers people: crude oil. Some people support this crime by claiming that crude oil is a federal resource because it was deposited in the state by Rivers Niger and Benue. If these two rivers could have such long distance influence, what then is the influence of the Atlantic Ocean behind our backyard on mineral deposit in Rivers State? Was it also the Rivers Niger and Benue that deposited the crude oil found off-shore?
All these have created a build up anger and dissatisfaction which now manifest in the agitation for self determination among Rivers people. This agitation has been on since 1940s. It includes the initial arguments for the creation of Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers State which led to the 1958 Minorities Report to the Willinks’ Commission, Ijaw Movement by Isaac Adaka Boro, agitations for the creation of Rivers State, the formation of ethnic nationality organizations like Ogbakor Ikwerre Convention (OIC), Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ijaw National Congress (INC), Ogba Progressive Union, Ekpeye Confederation, etc. Some of these bodies produced solid bills/resolutions stating what they want from the Nigerian state. The Ogoni Bill of Rights, Kiama Declaration and Ikwerre Rescue Charter are some of the resolutions and demands by Rivers People on the FGN. Besides insecurity which haunts the present government of Amaechi, the terminating pollution of Rivers land, waters and airspace are still unaddressed. Oil spillage, gas flaring, hazards of acidic rain, labor casualization and discrimination, onshore-offshore oil dichotomy, poor representation at federal ministries, departments and agencies, non-cordial company-community relationships etc are never thoroughly addressed by either the state or federal government. Poor leadership of Nigeria is still on, the agitations by Rivers people are still on, the awareness growing by the day and a peace commission should not overlook them.
This is the reason why true Rivers people are asking for self determination, not resource control. Resource control is not the people’s advocacy; it is one by our politicians who do not have the interest of Rivers State in mind. To them, increase in the derivation percentage from 13% to 100% (to avail them more funds to misuse since they have access to such fund) is the solution to Rivers peoples’ problems in Nigeria. Certainly, this is wrong! As long as Nigeria is consistently plagued with poor political leadership, the issues between Rivers people and Nigeria go beyond sharing of crude oil sales. After all, was that the issue in 1958? No! The issue remains that of true federalism in Nigeria. Criminals (the current crop of politicians, cultists and thugs in Rivers State) have no authority to fight this struggle for Rivers people. They will certainly fail! They do not have the blessings of the spirit of Rivers State; they are too decadent and selfish to have the steel mind required for the struggle. It is not about selfish kidnapping, blowing up of oil pipes etc. It is about the spirit and style with which Ogoni has sustained her struggle for self determination in Nigeria.
These situations no doubt call for truth and reconciliation and ultimately peace. Peace is reachable first by reaching the truth, using the truth to ensure justice and reconciliation of the people for self determination. Self determination is NEVER secession, it means that Rivers people in Nigeria will have their environmental, social, political and economic values under their control and mastery, and contribute an agreed percentage of their gross income to the FGN for the maintenance of federal services. When Rivers people fail, they will no longer blame or cry marginalization against the federal government, other states or anyone else. This will be ultimate peace reconciled in nascent truth. We must not be distracted and duel too much on the criminal activities of Rivers politicians, cultists and oil bunkerers who have unleashed mayhem on the state. Thank God for this opportunity which our people must exploit to the maximum.
Okachikwu Dibia Abuja
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