GENDER ACTION GROUP (GAG)

COMMUNIQUE RELEASED AFTER THE WOMEN’S ROUNDTABLE ON THE NIGER DELTA ORGANIZED BY THE GENDER ACTION GROUP (GAG), HELD AT WELLINGTON HOTEL, WARRI, DELTA STATE. 6TH AUGUST, 2009

Gender Action Group (GAG), a coalition of women’s rights and development groups responding to the issues of Militancy and Amnesty, Petroleum Industry Bill and the NNPC appointments, sacking of communities and the returning home of the displaced persons from sacked communities of the Gbaramatu kingdom and government attitude to the demands of the Niger Delta people held a women’s Roundtable with the theme PEACE, DEVELOPMENT AND JUSTICE at Wellington Hotel, Warri, Delta State on Thursday, August 6, 2009. Participants at the roundtable comprised women from Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers States.

The women observed as follows:

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• Whereas oil was first discovered in Oloibiri in 1956 (53 years ago) its gains can only be seen in the camps of the oil companies and other regions in the country while the region that produces the oil is still plagued with poverty and underdevelopment.

• The women noted that it is the circumstances and the attitude of government that introduced militancy and criminality in the Niger Delta region.

• That Militancy and criminality has been used interchangeably due to government’s inability to distinguish between the two.

• The amnesty offer by the Federal government has no potentials of addressing the root causes of the agitations/violence in the Niger Delta, it is simply a noose over the head of the Niger Delta people.

• That women suffer the most during times of conflict, violence and war but are always left out during negotiations and settlement.
• Whereas development is a right of the people it has become a reserve of public officers.
• Though women do not know the exact daily oil production and the revenue generated from oil, they bear the brunt of the activities of oil companies and the destruction of the environment.

• That the government and oil multinational companies owe the communities a duty to provide social infrastructure and amenities.

• That 2011 being an election year is fast approaching and whether or not amnesty is granted, the politicians will start using youths as political thugs to foster violence against women.

• That due to the minority representation of the Niger Delta at the National Assembly it has become very challenging for any development article to be voted in favour of the region.

• That all development/intervention commissions including the Ministry of Niger Delta set up by the Federal Government are diversionary underfunded developmental mechanisms and have thus failed in addressing the critical concerns of the people.

• That compressing 13 Acts into a 234 paged single Bill (PIB) makes the bill reader unfriendly and creates room for manipulation.

• Due to the huge amount allocated for amnesty and militants by the Federal Government, other regions are beginning to develop their own militant groups and claiming all sorts of havoc and ownership of weapons.

• As much as we do not approve of the violation of anyone’s fundamental human rights, especially the alleged extra-judicial killing of the leader of Boko Haram, Yusuf, yet the report of his murder seemed clouded with too many doubts.

• That the Federal government and the JTF have destroyed the integrity of the Niger Delta people by tagging every criminal activity a militant activity and every agitating voice a militant voice.

• Although the Federal government has denied the relocation of the Petroleum University from Warri to Kaduna it is yet unclear what institution they are proposing to establish in Kaduna.

The women after a painstaking critical and analytical evaluation of the various issues, especially as it affects women resolved that:

On Peace

• Until the Federal government rebuilds the destroyed communities of the Gbaramatu kingdom and the women adequately compensated all talks about amnesty will have no support from the Niger Delta women.

• The concept of amnesty must be holistic addressing the demands of the Niger Delta people.

• Every weapon surrendered must in exchange for jobs, educational scholarships and other forms of development for the region otherwise women will have to surrender their pots, pans, buckets of pepper, grinding stones, mortar pestles etc as weapons of their warfare.

On Development

• The Niger Delta governors must ensure that any other establishment of oil and gas related training and capacity building institution in the country must be located in a Niger Delta state.

• The Federal government should urge SETRACO to speed up the progress of work along the East West road, as it is fast becoming a death trap with “ready to collapse” bridges.

• Good bridges be constructed to link the riverine communities to other parts of Niger Delta States.

• All the women IDPs at the Ogbe-Ijoh Camp who have acquired one form of skill or the other should be empowered with starter package by government to enable them start their economic life before their return to the communities.

• The women agree with the description by the Hon. Minister of Petroleum that “the devil is the detail” of the Petroleum Industry Bill (Vanguard, Tuesday, August 4, 2009) and demand that the devil be expunged from the bill.

On Justice

• Gbaramatu women whose houses and businesses have been destroyed as a result of the May 2009 carnage must be adequately compensated and their houses rebuilt before they return to their respective communities.

• The Federal Government should as a matter of urgency withdraw JTF from Okerenkoko, Kurutie and other Niger Delta communities as women have become traumatised at the sight of soldiers and guns.

• The Federal Government and the National Assembly should make the Petroleum Industry Bill readable by women and indeed everyone, publicise widely and effect meaningful reviews before it is passed.

• The women support the action of the south-south Governors to call for a PIB that is favourably to the people of the Niger Delta and asked that they do not for whatever reason politicise this decision.

Signed:

HILDA DOKUBO - GAG

EMEM J. OKON - GAG

IFIE LOTT - GAG

AKWA IBOM STATE

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• REGINA FABIAN
• PRINCESS VICTORIA UMOH
• FELICIA ROBERT

BAYELSA STATE

• UNITY OTOTO
• EUNICE AKENE
• TIMI SAMI

CROSS RIVER STATE

• MARGARET FRANCIS
• MICALI JOHN

DELTA STATE

• BRIDGET APPIAH
• DOUERE ERIS
• FEFADE ADUKE
• VERO OKITO
• GOLD TEWE
• PROGRESS SODE
• RODHINA MUTU
• UCHE ONWUMAH
• ESTHER ALELE
• ONODJE JOSEPHINE
• MRS OMULA
• FAITH UYABRINBINDE
• CHIEF JOSEPHINE OGOBA
• DORATHY EJUWA
• JULIET IGEKE
• EDITH ODAFE
• BRIDGET DORE
• HON. FANTY WARAYI
• HON. G. GLADYS
• FRANK UDO
• ATI EDAFE
• CHRISTIANA OBIOGURU
• ESTHER GODFREY
• ALICE ODU
• QUEEN EJOH
• VERO OKITO
• EVANG. DORIS EJOH
• GRACE TEKEDOR
• BEAUTY UKULOR

EDO STATE

• AGATHA OSIEKE
• ROSELYN ANAYFULU
• ABIGAIL AIZEBAWAN

RIVERS STATE

• VICTORIA KAGBO
• LILIAN NWOKOBIA
• FLORENCE KALIO
• AGORI VICTORIA
• HANNAH BAGHADO