Date Published: 05/27/09
WHY THE GENOCIDE IN THE NIGER DELTA?
by Edoreh F. Edoreh
It is no longer news that the Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Nigerian military through its recently declared operation “cordon and search” in the Niger Delta carried out land, water and aerial bombardments of Azama, Benikurukuru, Kokodiagbene, Kunukunuma, Kurutie, Okerenkoko, Oporoza, and Ubefan communities all of Gbaramatu Local Government Area of Delta state, Nigeria. The JTF is also reported to have extended the operation to Rivers State, and may extend same to Bayelsa and Ondo states. Again, the Niger Delta question has reared its ugly head, begging for answer.
Although, the JTF claim they are attacking militants in the offensive, “reports suggest that thousands of innocent civilians are dead already”. Expectedly, casualty figures have risen with alarming death tolls on innocent children, aged parents, and defenseless growing adults littering the streets and nearby bushes of the Ijaw communities as a “collateral damage” of the raging war. Displaced residents of the affected areas are virtually yearning for food and medical attention.
It is more bizarre that the senseless and dastardly act was perpetuated during a festive period as “residents of the villages and those visiting for a festival on the day the bombing began were forced to flee their homes and villages”, “hiding in the bush and do not have adequate food or medical supplies”. Yet, the JTF claimed it “conducted the operation in the most professional manner and the security outfit is only focusing on the areas where there are militants and their hideouts where hostages were being kept.”
Sixteen foreign-based civil society organisations is reported to have dragged President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the Joint Task Force (JTF) to the International Criminal Court sitting at Hague. The civil society organisations include Trans Africa Forum, Centre for Civil Society, Environmental Justice Project of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the Sweet Crude, Communities for a Better Environment, the Borneo Project, the Justice in Nigeria Now and the Center for Third World Organising among others.
It is strongly believed that the Joint Task Force Commander, Gen. Sarkin Yarkin-Bello and the military had cases to answer for the crimes they allegedly committed against humanity as it is reported that “corpses are decaying and survivors of the attack are taking cover in nearby bushes without food, water and drugs and in continuous fear of repeated attacks. Victims of this military action are mainly women, children and the aged who are vulnerable.”
These foreign groups in a joint petition to Netherlands are calling for the prosecution of the Joint Task Force Commander, Gen. Sarkin Yarkin-Bello, over the killing of innocent and defenseless civilians in the Ijaw communities. The group also requested a probe into the role played by President Umaru Yar’Adua in the carnage.
Over the years, the Niger Delta region has suffered untold economic deprivation, exploitation and degradation, which has ignited the struggle for the control of the oil-rich region. From the pioneer time of Isaac Idaka Boro, through the era of the Ken Sara-wiwa intellectual radicalism to the present day reality of arm-struggle and open criminality, the struggle continues. Yet, the Niger Delta question has remained unanswered, but a heap of sheer promises upon unfulfilled promises.
The federal government had in the past invaded and wrecked havoc on Umecuem and Odi communities of Bayelsa state during the ill-fated administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo, thus, turning the oil rich communities to mere rubbles. The Ogoni people too, Rivers state, suffered the same fate in the hands of the federal government and were also wickedly and criminally massacred in the wake of the hanging of a renowned international figure, Ken Saro-wiwa and the Ogoni 8.
The Benikurkru community in a petition to the UN lamented the bombardment and shelling suffered by the community in the hands of the JTF stating that “if the Nigerian military is actually looking for militants, they would have concentrated on the so-called militant camps and not our own Benikrukru community which has nothing to do with militancy. We have made official representations to the state and federal governments but no respite despite the devastating nature of the military operation.”
Apart from the near extermination of the defenseless Ijaws in cold blood, the two horses belonging to the Gbaramatu royal fathers that were shot dead by the JTF warlords, the Oporoza guest house that was riddled with military artillery, the reckless burning of places of abode of innocent citizens and the remains of the bombed palace of the Gbaramatu monarch, which seemed to be the giant stride achievements of the JTF in its “search and rescue” operation in the Niger Delta, the JTF has not reported the capture of the said militants since the raging war. Although, the Joint Task Force is said to have dislodged some militant camps in Delta state, the militants claimed that all its fighters had returned back to Camp 5 Annex unhurt.
At the same time, the Joint Task Force (JTF) had disclosed that the uniform of a Lieutenant declared missing by the Nigerian military and the rifle of a soldier, two of whom are among the 18 missing JTF soldiers were found in a shrine at Okerenkoko community in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State. General Sarkin Yakin Bello, the JTF Commander said the Lieutenant’s uniform had black stains and bullet perforations on it, suggestive that they may have been killed by the militants.
In a move targeted to further choke the nation’s oil industry, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), the umbrella body of the militant groups resurfaced from its tactical retreat and blew up key trunk lines supplying crude oil from five flow stations to Chevron’s tank farm in Escravos in Delta State. The flow stations are those at Otunama, Abiteye, Makaraba, Bibi and Alero Creek. MEND had earlier announced that it would cripple oil installations in the region as a result of the heavy shelling of Ijaw communities and alleged killing of innocent men, women and children by the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta in the past two weeks.
Investigations revealed that Nigeria’s total output may have dropped to 1.38 million bpd, and may even drop further as the onslaught escalates to other states in the Niger Delta. In recent times, Nigeria has been struggling to meet its OPEC quota of 1.67million bpd. Finance Minister, Dr Mansur Muhktar disclosed that full implementation of the 2009 budget was no longer feasible in the threats from the Niger Delta woes coupled with the global economic recession. As the financial indexes now stands, government resort to external sources or further devaluation of the Naira.
Already, there are indications that the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company may be shut down due to lack of crude oil for its operations, the stock of crude in the crude refining plant could only last for the next few days. The flow line, popularly known as Chanomi Creek pipeline servicing the plant with crude oil from the production platforms of the American oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited was blown up by MEND as a direct response to the heavy bombardment of some Ijaw communities and the killing of innocent citizens. The last repair of the pipeline gulped $57m.
Also, the Nigerian Gas Company has cut gas supplies to industrial users, especially in the northern part of the country. A few companies in the southern axis of the country may also suffer similar fate. This was sequel to the destruction of the Escravos/Warri Gas Pipeline from the Escravos base of CNL to the Ekpan operational headquarters of the subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, the same day the Chanomi pipeline was blown up. The NGC lost about 200million standard cubic feet of gas daily due to the incident. The Geregu Power Plant owned by the Power Holding Company in Kogi State had been shut down due to lack of gas to operate it.
With the emerging events, the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria appears to be the West Africa equivalent of the Middle East because of the impression created by the incessant youth unrest and related disturbances that have been experienced in the region. Dare-devils acts, including hijacking and use of explosives, have turned the oil-rich Niger Delta to a veritable theatre of tribulations and agony.
The international community perceives these developments as manifestations of global terrorism in this part of the African continent which must be nipped in the bud. But, the comity of nation need to be refreshed that criminality sprouts from injustice and until that injustice is addressed, it will remain a thorn in our collective flesh as one corporate and indivisible peaceful entity.
The genesis of the rage of crime and violence in the Niger Delta is rooted to the situation of unfulfilled aspirations of the people despite the long years of oil exploitation and exploration. There is consistent pollution and environmental degradation, and many people are deprived and impoverished thereby subjecting them to abject poverty and criminal intent.
Poverty, coupled with an idol mind in a degraded environment drive these youths into militancy resorting to violence and open criminality. There is therefore the urgent need to develop the region so that it can provide opportunities for the rehabilitation of the people who are without sustainable means of livelihood, income and security as a direct consequence of pollution and destruction of the neighbourhood by the activities of the multi-national oil companies. One wonders, if the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja can be developed from revenue accruable from crude oil, one wonders why the Niger Delta from where the oil is produced cannot also be privileged.
As a matter of proactive approach, there are larger political and ideological issues that must be tackled to safeguard Nigeria from destructive crime and violence. Yet, the long period of military dictatorship have damaged the fabrics of true democratic governance which our early nationalists consolidated for our multi-ethnic society. One consequence of this disruption is the alienation of resources from areas where national wealth is generated. The Niger Delta is a major victim of this injustice.
Sadly, since the advent of democracy in Nigeria 10 years ago, the nation has continued to tow the path of dishonour and our national pride and integrity keeps relegating to the abyss. Until we embrace true democratic tenets and practice, our democratic system will continue to witness threats until we reorganize the polity to promote economic justice and fair representation. These twin issues are what could be referred to as resource control and true federalism.
The most effective way to reduce crime and violence in the troubled region and indeed across the nation is to restore a functional but just federal system in the country so that each unit of the country can exploit its abundant resource endowments to provide for the welfare of the majority of the people and the larger nation, instead of consistently suppressing, shelling and bombarding the owners of the God endowed region.
The government must as a matter of fact have sincerity of purpose in dialoging and there must also be a pragmatic approach towards the developments of the region and masterplan to ensure better life for the people as a matter of rights and privileges.
The federal government should as a matter of urgency wake up from its slumber and come to the early realization that the Joint Task Force alone cannot do the magic of effectively securing the pipelines and safeguard lives and properties while the Niger Delta people continue to be victimized, impoverished, enslaved, hunted, maligned, deprived, shelled and bombed to utter intimidation and cowardice
As events now turn out in the recent blast of the Chevron major trunk pipelines by the militants, the Joint Task Force alone cannot do the magic in the Niger Delta else it may just be a vicious circle. The JTF may seem to have achieved some results, but cannot put a final stop to the militant activities in the region until the fundamental issues emanating from the core Niger Delta struggle are conscientiously addressed to rekindle dashed hopes and restore a befitting glory to the exploited region.
If all the money being wasted on warships and sustaining military personnel in the Niger Delta since 2003 were converted to developing the Niger Delta region, the people may not continue to cry foul. Rather, the people continue to be unjustly hunted, invaded and massacred indiscriminately at the mercy of acute environmental degradation, pollution, impoverishment and abject penury.
Curiously, why is the government so bent on the option of WAR, rather than DEVELOPMENT? While it is right to condemn the excesses of militancy in the region, it should also be noted that the option of war is not of any benefit to the country as the cost value of the war in this few days of the land, sea and aerial bombardment alone, put together to the over N10.5bn daily revenue lost from crude oil is more than enough wasted fund to drive development in the troubled region and give hope to the long deprived and degraded region.
By the latest FIFA evaluation, Warri suffers the fever of an unsecured city, even when its stadium can be counted as one of the best in Nigeria It is strongly anticipated that Government will not be able to realise its target for the year. Already, democracy Day celebration in Delta state has been cancelled following the collateral damage of innocent and defenseless children and women of the Ijaw aborigines.
As a responsible government, we don’t need to be reminded that it takes a longer period to build, but destruction is only a twinkle of an eye. Already, crude oil production has dropped drastically by more than 28% as the nation battles to meet its 1.67million bpd OPEC quota. This may drop further with far-reaching implications on the economy if the military offensive escalates to other states, especially when the 2009 budget was predicated on crude oil production of 2.2 million bpd. The war in the creeks of the Niger Delta is highly regrettable, wrongly timed and most avoidable.
Edoreh F. Edoreh
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