The Niger Delta Struggle, Federal Government Amnesty And The Way Forward

By

Benjamin Ogbebulu

benjaminogbebulu@yahoo.co.uk

oglobalservices@yahoo.co.uk

 

 

This writer  come from the Niger Delta area  and  believes in the unity of our dear country called-Nigeria. However,  the situation in the region requires the political will from our leaders and  the led  to holistically  and honestly  address the problems facing the Niger Delta region .  Mahatma Ghandi of India , a renowned philosopher of our time once quoted of saying  “The things that will destroy us are politics without principle; pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; knowledge without character; business without morality; science without humanity and worship without sacrifice.”  This  saying captures some of the Socio-Political-economic events  in Nigeria.

 

 The genesis of the Niger Delta struggle started from Oloibori in the Niger Delta region, The first place where oil was struck in commercial quantities in 1956.  The scientific survey published in 1997 by the Niger Delta Environmental Survey { NEDES} reported that:

“ Poverty is prevalent in the Niger Delta and has been linked to degradation of agricultural lands and fishing waters. Affected people become impoverished. In many cases, they tend either to migrate to become part of the urban poor or to remain in their villages to grapple with the low yielding lands and poor sources of water”

 

It is not only sad, but also heartbreaking  to note that despite the fact that the region provides almost 90% of the nation resources { oil} and revenue, 75% of the Niger Delta people living in rural areas are without pipe borne water, electricity, roads and health centres. The whole region is devastated by oil exploitation, our waters polluted by almost daily oil spillage and the air poisoned by eternal gas flares, this led to the temper of the people bound to be short resulting to militancy  and form  part of the root causes of what has  today become known as  the Niger Delta struggle..

 

 

The above characterisation can be said to fit , if one take into consideration the inter-ethnic clashes that have taken place among the people, which pitched notable nationalities like the Ijaw and Urhobo against their Itsekiri brothers and sisters. Now,  The issue of Akwa-Ibom and Cross Rivers tussle over  who owns the littoral waters and its rights is now rearing its ugly head. Today, Niger Delta is witnessing bloody clashes among the repressed and exploited with the benefactors of oil exploration in the country stoking the fires of ethnic hatred with the hope that these types of diversions would preoccupy the people while the naked exploitation continues. Indeed, the argument has been made that the basis of Nigeria ‘s unity is oil, this writer wonder what would have happened if the oil was not discovered , considering the fact in the early 50s before the discovery of oil in the Niger Delta, The three largest ethnic nationalities in the country provided the country’s major resources. The North dominated by the Hausa- Fulani produced groundnut, hides and skin, The west peopled by the Yoruba’s were famous for cocoa production and the East controlled by the Igbo’s had cola and palm oil.

 

What then  went wrong  after the oil was discovered in the Niger –Delta region?

 

  It was argued that with oil becoming dominant, derivation was reduced from 50% to zero % which the Niger-Delta people seen as being grossly unfair and an insult to the sensibilities of the people of Niger Delta. This injustice led to an uprising by the ijaws led by a former student leader , Isaac Adaka Boro. The revolt according to political analysts was put down in twelve days. It has also been argued that the Nigeria civil war that raged from 1967 to 1970 had the fight for the control of the Niger Delta oil wealth as part of its causes. Agitation after the war led to a 1%,then 3% derivation formula. Then a  13% derivation system was introduced by  the military but the money was put in an oil minerals producing development commission{ OMPADEC} controlled  entirely by the military from the centre.

 

 The struggle so far had killed many people including Ken saro wiwa from the Ogoni land and  some army officers from the government { JTF}. Today, it is sad to note hostage taking, employed by the militants since early 2006 to draw international attention to the Niger Deltians struggle , has turned into a lucrative , criminally driven enterprise, with local politicians and their relatives frequent victims.Then Nigerians including this writer are beginning to ask   how long shall our people continue to be killed?. Instead of just the oil industry expatriates who were the original targets, the practise has now begun to spread beyond the core Niger Delta to Ondo state on the western fringe of the region and other parts of the country like Enugu and Abia to mention a few.

 

What efforts is the present  Yar’Adua administration making to address the situation in the Niger Delta?.

 

President Yar’Adua identified the Niger Delta issue as one of the 7 point agenda of his administration.  The president has not lose his opportunity to resolving the Delta crisis and has gone beyond rhetoric to established  a technical committee headed by retired General Arubebe, a minister who recommended amnesty for the militant leaders with a comprehensive demobilisation , disarmament and rehabilitation { DDR} program; an increased allocation of oil revenue to the Delta; urgent improvement of infrastructure and human welfare services; and new institutions for the regions long –term development .  This committee has since submitted its report to the President  with the first amnesty  recommendation now being implemented by the government.  While the report might not address all aspects of the crisis, its proposals were sufficiently comprehensive enough to serve as the catalyst. While this writer believe in the sincerity of president Yar’Adua administration determination in solving the Niger-delta problems in an effective and peaceful manner, the following steps should also be considered:

 

 

-         The federal government should as a matter of urgency withdraw the Joint task force { military} from the region and increase the manpower and equipment of the Nigeria police force for constabulary duties on land, and of the navy for patrolling creeks and water ways.

-         Strengthen the security arrangements in the region by requiring improved collaboration between the police and local security, including private and community based security organisations.

-         The federal government should simultaneously raise allocation to the Delta of oil revenue produced there to 17% , followed by a phased increase to an agreeable percentage after consultation with all stakeholders.

 

-         Budget transparency and financial accountability at local and state levels should be strengthened by state assemblies , so that the money is used to benefit the region and to implement priority projects identified by the Niger Delta regional development master plan{ NDRDMP}.

 

-         Relation between the ministry of Niger –Delta affairs and the NDDC should be clarified, and the work of both should be directed to fast-track infrastructure, rehabilitation and other programs to produce visible result by the end of 2009.

 

-         The national Assembly should strengthen arrangements for monitoring peace and development process outlined in the Technical committee report, including periodic public hearings by the relevant parliamentary committees in partnership with the Niger Delta civil society coalition { NDCSC}, and encourage stakeholders forums both at the regional, state and local levels.

 

-         The Niger Delta leaders and militants commanders must reciprocate government initiatives by handing over their arms to the presidential panel on Amnesty and Disarmament of militants or their states governors,  releasing all hostages, stopping hostage –taking and attack on oil installations and cooperate with the Federal government. They should also improve chances for successful negotiations by consulting more closely with each other to achieve greater unity and coherence .

 

-         The militants should embrace the local content policy of the federal government which compelled multinationals companies to look inward in the award of contracts to indigenes of Nigeria rather than the previous practise where the bulk of jobs from the industry were given to foreign firms with the obvious capital flight from the the Nigerian economy. However,it has been discovered  that  much needed to be done by local firms in the area of human capacity as there was a shortage of Nigerians to undertake certain technical jobs in the sector. Local firms , under the Nigerian content policy are currently performing such jobs as drilling, fabrication, mooring, shipping, catering, aviation services and seismic collection.

 

-         Clarify the terms and applicability of its amnesty so as to distinguish between politically inspired militants and criminally motivated gangsters , and accompany it with adequate punishment for the most serious crimes and appropriate compensation and rehabilitation measures for the most affected victims.

 

-         Identify clearly money allocated in the 2008 budget for Niger Delta development and release all outstanding funds due to the Niger Delta development commission { NDDC} since 2008.

 

-         As Niger Delta issues is now internationalised, The European Union { EU} , the US, The UN and other international partners in Nigeria, should assist Yar, Adua administration in its efforts to solving the Niger Delta crisis and give assistance as necessary by;

 

{a}providing increased investment and infrastructure development in the Niger Delta region

 

{b}providing greater capacity building aid and enhanced project funding to credible civil society and community –based organisation engaged in   civic education, youth programs for attitudinal change, communal healing and restoration of community governance.

 

{c} Encourage the multinational oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to adhere to best environmental practises, evolve more conflict –sensitive community relations strategies and demonstrates greater transparency in their community development programs; and

 

{d} Assisting the Nigeria police and security services bilaterally and within the frame work of the gulf of Guinea Energy security strategy { GGESS} ; to curb oil theft, money laundering and small arms trafficking in the Niger Delta.

 

Most Nigerians including this writer believes the Niger Delta crisis and other problems the nation is facing today are man –made problems and could be solved if there is political will on the part of our leaders , sincerity of purpose and determination to honestly address these myriad but solvable  problems .  President Yar-Adua amnesty to the militants should be applauded by Nigerians and our  brothers and sisters in the Niger Delta  should    for the sake of peace,   embrace this amnesty and dialogue with all the stakeholders to bring about the urgent needed development in the region. Posterity will not forgive those who wishes the country anarchy. We only have one nation and it is our responsibility both  as governed and governors to work together to bring peace and development to  the nation for our generation and generation yet unborn.

 

Benjamin Ogbebulu ,BA HONS, MBICs, London. An administrator, political Scientist/Analyst and campaigner for good governance. He lives and work in the UK, England.

benjaminogbebulu@yahoo.co.uk

oglobalservices@yahoo.co.uk