Date Published: 08/18/09
PRESIDENTIAL AMNESTY AND THE OGONI MANIFESTOS
By Michael Porp-Kokoh
Courtesy: International Federation of Ogoni People, INTERFOP.
When the MOVEMENT FOR THE SURVIVAL OF OGONI PEOPLE was founded in the last decade of the twenty first century, it was among other things, to mark the end of one millennium and the beginning of another. The timing for the birth of this movement has coincidently made it transcendentally significant in historical trajectory. It was a metaphor for the end of cultural, environmental and political stupor of a people – the Ogoni People that would culminate in a broader, perhaps unpredictably, an unprecedented environmental and political consciousness, not only in the then Ogoni boiling cauldron of 1990s, but the whole of the Western, Eastern and southern Nigeria. It was predominantly an Ogoni thing. Ogoni had no demographic advantage on a national scale, given the population and landmass of major tribes like Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Ijaw and others. This perhaps informed the lack of support, and respect for the Ogoni struggle from both major and minor tribes at that time. In fact, based on conspiracy theory, the social status of Ogoni incited animosity in some of Ogoni’s neighbors which led to inter-communal clashes in the 1990s. In a bid to sweep the Ogoni struggle under the carpet or write it off as an event of no magnitude on the scale of Nigeria’s political milieu, a minister in Sani Abacha military administration described it as a “storm in tea cup”.
By the end of first decade of another century, that storm in a tea cup has precipitated torrentially, perhaps billowed and over flown the banks of the tributaries of the Niger Delta, and flowing against the tidal currents of the Rivers Niger and Benue to become a real phenomenon starring in the eyes of Nigeria and the world demanding undeniable attention. Such is the nature of a revolutionary wave of consciousness. Each day witnesses a new twist and dimension in this wave of consciousness as more people become aware of “truth” that was “pressed to earth and has risen again”, paraphrasing the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As it looks, this rising truth may never be pressed down again. It is rising and growing taller with every dawn of day. Even if it eventually goes down again as Nigeria is a place where anything can happen, the loss of life and property, economic and political damage done on its path can never be recovered. It’s hoped however, that gains in the long run will ultimately toss the temporary losses into oblivion.
The MOVEMENT FOR THE EMANCIPATION OF THE NIGER DELTA- MEND, a louder and violent trumpeter of the Ogoni manifestos is for good, and for ill, a child of the Ogoni consciousness courtesy, MOSOP. MEND has by all means dealt a big unanticipated blow to Nigeria economically and politically. And the end is not quite discernible yet, as events may still be unfolding if the Federal government continues to press down the truth. While many previous administrations are to blame for allowing the situation to get this bad through misguided advice predicated on interlocutors’ under-estimation of the magnitude of this consciousness, the ball is now in the court of the current president, Musa Yar’Adua. It may be unfortunate that he comes in as president at a time when this consciousness has shaped and sharpened altruism among those who have been pushed to the wall of oppression. Not with standing, he has to prove himself capable of his office. After all, as the saying goes, “uneasy lies the head that wears the crown”.
Haven been ignored, delayed and denied for too long, the Niger Delta bubble could not have busted in a better time than now. Under a military regime demanding for social justice with arms would have been a like-attracts-like as blood-thirsty boot boys would have been stirred like wild bees and would have resulted in a more fierce response than what happened in Niger Delta villages recently whereby communities were bombarded irrespective of who is a militant and who is not. Yar’Adua is a democratically (s)elected president. Therefore his propensity to armed response cannot, presumably, be as heartless as likely under a military regime.
There is indication that this president is making concerted efforts to solving the a Niger Delta and Ogoni oil debacle, though we’re not hearing the word “Ogoni” so much. However, the big question is “how?” Recently, President Musa Yar’Adua authorized a military reprisal against militants of the Niger Delta perhaps as a trial approach to solving the problem. But before he could see the result of that experiment, there were so many outcries from different quarters lamenting the death and suffering of women and children who were apparently used as human shield by the militants. In the behest of public condemnation and recommendation, he punctuated the assault on civil communities and immediately pronounced amnesty for the militants.
The president’s pronouncement of amnesty with fringe benefits for militants quickly raises question about the non-violent approach employed by the Ogoni struggle. Ogonis under MOSOP started their struggle for social and environmental justice non-violently since the 1990s and have hitherto stayed the course non-violently unwavering. Under the administration of Dr. Peter Odili as governor of Rivers State, guns were bought back from Niger Delta militants in a bid to quell violence. The result was a hiatus that lasted for just a few months after which violence resumed. Contrary to anticipated result, militants re-invested the money into procuring more guns, ammunition, and recruiting more employees into the booming industry, thereby establishing violence as a going concern. Today, it’s a business with investors and stakeholders cutting across the region. Presently we’re seeing another buy-out or buy-back of guns nick-named amnesty by President Umaro Musa Yar’Adua. It should have been expected that this president will not take a step that has been proven a failure. However, if amnesty is the way to approach the concern of oil bearing communities, why has this or previous administrations not made any attempt to pacify the Ogonis in any manner, shape or form? Should the Ogonis resort to violence in order to get the president’s attention?
Ogoni has rejected evey temptation to enlist violence in their legitimate demand in order not to justify another heartless crackdown like was experienced during the Abacha administration. This has proved Ogoni smarter than her oppressors. To the Ogonis, non-violence is not only a social philosophy, but also a stratagem that has earned her global respect and helped to echo her voice for timeless truth, plight and demand across international shores. The fact Ogoni is non-violent explains regrettably why President Yar’dua and previous administrations have never done anything tangible to pacify the Ogonis or address the core issues of their agitation. Not with standing, Ogoni is confident of success through non-violence as some glimpse of light can already be seen at the end of the tunnel. Since Ogonis may not fit into the amnesty clause due to their non-violent stance, President Yar’Adua should consider a “goodwill package” as an expression of willingness and readiness to address the Ogoni issue. Such a gesture will, among other things, preface genuine reconciliation as a step towards amicable resolution of the stalemate. As said earlier, the present state of consciousness in the region is Ogoni’s child even though she does not endorse violence. This means that any settlement which does not include Ogoni is a miscalculation.
There is little evidence anmesty has ever worked where no party in a conflict has surrendered due to defeat. Niger Delta militants did not surrender to the Joint Task Force even with the latter’s advantageous air assault. This makes it difficult to predict that amnesty to the militants will ultimately produce the desired truce. However, it’s worth trying.
A sustainable solution for the problem of oil bearing communities is that which tends to level the playing field and makes no room for reasonable complaint thereafter. Achieving such a feat will demand some sterling qualities on the part of President Yar’Adua and his administration. A strong spine and good instinct are among the best traits of a great leader. Sometimes one ends where the other begins. The authorization of military crackdown on the genuine demands of Niger Delta people was a test of the president’s spine which proved not to be as good as necessary. The result of that test proved a failure. Ordinarily, the anarchy and lawless situation in Niger Delta whereby the security of lawful persons’ lives and property is not guaranteed, though a reflection of the general state of moral and social decadence in the country, is an undermining of the very purpose for which government was formed. Allowing the use of arms in an orchestrated military style to be engrafted into a socio-political movement therefore speaks volumes about the efficacy of the federal republic of Nigeria and President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
To get through the socio-political maze of the Niger Delta debacle and indeed the Ogoni phenomenon, the president has one more asset to explore or put to test, instinct. Good instinct is known to have carried many great leaders through difficult times and crossroads like the one Nigeria is in. The all-time literally legend, William Shakespeare, once said “…by a divine instinct men’s minds distrust ensuing danger, as by proof we see the waters swell before a boisterous storm”. As the president attempts to solve this problem once and for all, he should learn from the mistakes of his predecessors. He needs to decisively take responsibility for himself. Surrounding himself with Northern elites who are by far detached from the sad reality oil bearing communities in the south deal with, whose advice only aims at defending the status quo as long as they’re favored would not help the president solve this problem. He may have to break bond with any idea, persons or sect that does not give the needed solution. He should understand as it stands right now, that the plight of oil producing communities has become the blight of the nation.
In order to actualize an enduring solution, President Musa Yar’Adua should deal with the root cause of oil producing communities’ agitation from the perspective of national reality. The nucleus of the matter is obvious. Nigeria is a federal state and must respect her federalist declaration, relinquish to the states and people their rights and powers as entrenched in the principles of federalism. Any quick fix, or temporary patch in the name of amnesty as a stand-alone solution will tantamount to waste of resources and delaying the imminent evil day. No matter what antidote advisers prescribe, no matter what different interlocutors proffer, the peoples’ awareness and consciousness have come. It’s spreading like a cancerous disease, spreading and assailing the nation consistently. It’s threatening Nigeria’s integrity among the comity of nations. Instituting true fiscal federalism in Nigeria appears the ultimate solution at this point in time. But those who exploit chaotic situations for personal gains on the premise of superior fallacy will see true federalism as unattainable and untenable. This is why instinctive decision on the part of the president seems to be his best guide post in this maze.
Over the years different commissions have been set up to study and proffer solutions for the problems. Each of these commissions did their best but the federal government either did nothing or delayed implementation of their recommendations until they become obsolete. Most recent is the Ledum Mitee’s commission which was considered the best and most appropriate for the present state of the Niger Delta milieu. President Umaru Yar’Adua should as a matter of urgency, begin the process of implementing the specific recommendations of this commission before it suffers the same fate as those before it. Finally, the president’s solution should incorporate and include creating appropriate security atmosphere into the framework of any solution.
