Date Published: 02/06/10

Soyinka, Ibori, Niger Delta and Delta State By Oghene Omonisa    

Reading Prof. Wole Soyinka's essay, Between Amnesty and Amnesia, which was widely published in Nigerian newspapers in June 2009, generated in me the excitement one usually gets when one encounters quality presentation, both in content and style. You do not read such an essay for its sake; you study it and keep it for reference purposes. And studying and keeping quality essays should be the nature of every person that is keenly interested in reports and interpretations of socio-political events, especially in his immediate environment. The Nobel Laureate's essay was characteristically loaded with acceptable postulates.  

It was on that basis (acceptable postulates) that one decided to overlook in the essay a disagreement with his choice of nomenclature, which has since found its way into Nigeria's socio-political commentaries and discussions. This is the use of the word, Delta, for both Delta State and the Niger Delta Region. Presently, it is very common and apparently disconcerting for people from Delta State to hear Nigerians say or write Delta when referring to Niger Delta; or to come across an average Nigerian on the street, mostly from other regions, refer to you as Niger Deltan when you say you are from Delta State, but they refer to the other person from Bayelsa State as Bayelsan or Bayelsaman, or refer to somebody else from Rivers State as Riversman, ascribing Niger Delta to only people from Delta State as if they (the Deltan, Bayelsan and Riversman) are not all from the same Niger Delta Region!   

Of the seventeen times the Nobel Laureate used the word, Delta, in his essay, not for once was he referring to Delta State, but to Niger Delta Region. Though not on all instances, the wrong assumption could be made by some that he was referring to Delta State and not Niger Delta. The exceptions were whenever he used the definite article, the, in modifying Delta, and also the three times where he included region, thus, the Delta region. Understandably, in using the without adding region, the distinction could be drawn that he was referring to the region and not the state. Another reason that could precipitate drawing the conclusion that he was referring to the region and not the state without adding region, was the precedence he had set in the opening paragraph, where he had written:  

'Bleak as THE DELTA situation appears to be, given the recent escalation of violence, we may actually be approaching a stage of possible resolution -- touch stone! This is why, albeit with much reluctance, I feel I should respond publicly to the spate of entreaties and expressions of anxiety coming my way over my perceived adoption of a 'siddon-look' attitude towards the troubled REGION.' (Emphasis mine.)  

This precedence, therefore, could be seen to have determined the choice of the Delta or the Delta region as against the most proper (the) Niger Delta (Region). And because it would seem repetitious and monotonous to use Delta throughout, the alternation or variation of the Delta and the Delta region was understandable. This could be seen in the single-sentence second paragraph:  

'Such pressures have increased dramatically over the past few days, following -- perhaps non-coincidentally -- public responses by presidential candidate Pat Utomi, Ambassador Segun Olusola and others to President Yar'Adua's latest offer of an Amnesty offer to DELTA Militants.' (Emphasis mine.) 

Definitely, from the above, Prof. Soyinka could not have been referring to militants from Delta State only! It is my belief that the basis of my overlooking his semantic choice, a choice which every keen observer who had read the essay could also have noticed, is better understood. But did everybody understand the literary icon's semantic choice the way he intended? Like most things Nigerian, the trend of using the Delta Region or simply the Delta in referring to the Niger Delta Region has increased tremendously since the Prof. Soyinka essay. Even former President Ibrahim Babangida was, not much afterwards, quoted to have said Delta crisis when commenting on the Niger Delta issue. Now, it is coming -- the use of Delta for both Delta State and Niger Delta. 
   It was with somewhat relief four months later that one read former Governor of Delta State Chief James Ibori's lecture essay titled Economic Development, Niger Delta and the Future of Nigeria, presented at the 2009 Business Hallmark Newspaper Inaugural Independence Anniversary Lecture in October 2009, and which also enjoyed publication in some national newspapers. Ibori understandably adhered to the proper nomenclature of Niger Delta throughout his lecture. 
   Of all the thirty-six times Governor Ibori used the Niger Delta, or the three times he used the Niger Delta region, or the once he used Niger Delta region, or the twice he used Niger Delta, not for once could he be assumed or suspected to be referring to Delta State. This is because a distinction was clearly made when he made references to Delta State by the use of Delta State thirteen times, and the twice he used Delta, whose purpose could be clearly seen, as used in the twenty-fifth paragraph: 
   'Delta State had good reason to spearhead the agitation for compliance with the Constitution. At the time DELTA was the leading producer in the volume of oil. In the first five years of civilian rule, revenue from crude oil sales from DELTA contributed about N5.270 Trillion (Five Trillion, Two Hundred and Seventy Billion Naira) to the Federation Account. The Federal Government's deliberate act of withholding the derivation fund caused huge losses to the STATE.' (Emphasis mine.) 
   From reading both essays, it could easily be seen that Prof. Soyinka is clearly the expert in the field of the English language. Being a man of high literary mind, his arguments were presented in a style that reflected both his sound thoughts and his elevated strength of language command. But some readers will copy his semantic choice without realising its implication for everyday usage. And in this group will be found both the highly learned and the averagely learned. Not unexpectedly though, his choice of Delta for Niger Delta will continue to lead many to the use of the wrong nomenclature -- his semantic intention of the choice notwithstanding. 
   Remarkably, the only time Niger Delta appeared in the Prof. Soyinka essay was when he quoted in the twentieth paragraph, a sub-headline from a foreign publication:  

'There is widespread distrust among NIGER DELTA's Youths for government's amnesty offers.' (Emphasis Mine.) 
   It can therefore be seen that Niger Delta is obviously more appropriate than Delta for the troubled oil-rich region.   

In comparison, the Ibori lecture was nowhere close to that of Soyinka in technique, but definitely not in quality of content, for Ibori's essay was primarily for lecture presentation and its purpose would be generally agreed to have been achieved. Nevertheless, there is no profound basis for comparison between Laureate Soyinka who has been a social commentator and critic all his life, and Politician Ibori whose known field of expertise is politics, in identifying and defining gritty aspects of topical issues, be they national or international or particularly the Niger Delta! 
   Ibori admitted much in the third paragraph of his essay: 
   'The Niger Delta is a domain that defies easy and simple analysis. Even more demanding is the aspect of the future of the Nigeria, a field of discourse where even professors of political science and Nobel Laureates may fear to tread. All I hope to do in the lecture is to draw on my limited experience as a politician and a stakeholder to highlight some of the key aspects.'  

But the fact must be acknowledged that Niger Delta is far more appropriate than Delta to refer to the region. It is hoped that analysts and public commentators will adhere to Niger Delta for the region so as to avoid the corruption of the word, thereby saving us from a possible nomenclature conflict in the near future.