By: Ifeanyi Izeze
The federal government is deliberately vague about the alternatives to engaging themilitants in the Niger Delta region who have vowed to cripple the economy byblowing up oil facilities and installations. And that is because thegovernment’s options are either not sincere or mischievously opaque. In thismatter, both the federal and Niger Delta states’ governors are on the samepedestal of either being outrightly naive or clever by half.First, themeeting at the Presidency was said to be a closed –door meaning that whateveragenda discussed were most likely issues of national security. If issues thatpertain to our national security discussed inside the Office of the President(Acting), were reported a few minutes after, what does that say about leaks ininformation/intelligence around the highest and most secured office of thisnation?It would havebeen preferable not to comment on the meeting at the Presidential Villa Abujabetween the
South- South governors and the Acting President, Yemi Osibanjo, butfor the now vexing barrage of insults and warped comments against the regionarising from alleged leak that the Niger Delta governors asked the federalgovernment to drop all the ongoing corruption investigations involving peopleof the region as a condition for halting militant attacks on oil facilities andinstallations in the oil-rich region. In the first instance, was this not an absurdand ridiculous demand (if it was made as reported), to say the least? What hascorruption by individuals got to do with the spirit and intent of the NigerDelta struggle?There was an obviousline of mischief both on the side of the Presidency and the visiting governors.First, who actually gave out this information and to achieve what purpose? Weare looking for ways to solve a serious problem that is threatening to cripplethe life-wire of our national economy, and some people at the same time aremore interested in scoring political
points- very cheap ones. It is veryunfortunate!Could thegovernors have been so daft as to straightforwardly demand in a meeting with agovernment headed by another party that they want the EFCC to stopinvestigating the campaign fund scam where the party in power is alleging that the immediate past governmentshared funds meant for combating Boko Haram among then ruling People’s DemocraticParty functionaries?Curiously, for ameeting that lasted for about three hours, the only thing that was discussed,as leaked, was the governors’ alleged request that the Federal government dropall corruption cases in the region particularly charges against formermilitants accused of corruption. Some things are not adding up here!Could themeeting have singled out the federal government’s anti-corruption initiative asthe reason why Niger Delta Avengers and several other militant groups areblowing up pipelines in the region? The closed door meeting must have discussedother things. It will be good if we also get to know what else was discussedbecause it is not possible that six governors, the president (acting) and histeam including top military and security managers spent over three hoursdiscussing whose corruption cases should be investigated or dropped.What were theactual motives of conspicuously dragging the name of the minister of petroleum IbeKachikwu as “fully supporting the demand by the South -South governors on therequest to drop all corruption cases in the region?” Does this not smack ofdeliberate mischief to cause suspicion and division? Was the minister the onlyfederal government official at the meeting and why were other attendees viewsnot mentioned specifically?The report fromthe leak had it that “only the Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole and thedeputy Governor of Cross River opposed the others, who singled out the federalgovernment’s anti-corruption initiative as the reason why Niger Delta Avengersare blowing up pipelines in the region.” Does anyone still need to look far forthe origin of this deliberate leak and smear in what was supposed to be a topsurreptitious national security discussion?It was insultingto the entire region for anyone to have declared that “from the tone of themeeting, it was clear that the Niger Delta Avengers and their activities arebeing funded by politicians in the region with the objective of haltingBuhari’s anti-corruption war.” So if the EFCC drops all the corruptioninvestigations involving politicians from the region, would that have addressedthe crux of the Niger Delta struggle? The answer is no!The question toeven ask is: do the sitting governors have a commanding influence or rathercontrol over the group of people referred to as militants in the variousstates? The answer is an emphatic no! So how can you use what you are fullyconvinced in your heart it’s a near-impossibility for you to achieve as abargaining tool? You see the
two- sided deceit? Though notruling out political motives from the renewed attacks on oil facilities, thereal issue remains that the Niger Delta question has not being sincerelyaddressed or even genuinely discussed by the federal government- present,immediate past and the archival?As wise counselhas prevailed with the government trying to find peaceful ways of resolving theproblem, what we don’t need now is the self-righteous grandstanding that thisleak represented because it is very counter-productive in the case at hand.What should bother all of us is how to halt the attacks on the nation’s oilfacilities and installations as this is fast becoming not only embarrassing butgrossly inconveniencing to the entire nation and unless something is done-military action, dialogue or whatever to check it, the entire economy may actuallyslip into the “red.” Nigeria’s dailycrude oil production stands at slightly above 700,
000 barrels a day, adangerous drawdown from the 2.2 million barrels per day used in syndicatingthis year’s fiscal budget. And when you factor-in the near-total darknessacross the country as a result of unavailability of natural gas to fire almostall the existing thermal power generating stations across the country, do westill need to tell ourselves that this is not the time to play politics but towork together to find a workable solution to this militancy challenge facingall of us.The deliberatecampaign to rubbish an entire region (south-south) with its people, especiallyin the face of the ongoing violent protests would not do anyone any good, andthis is where we should actually sit down and reason that we are likely beingmanipulated from outside to continue to disagree with each other as people ofone united nation.From allindications, there seem to be some people or groups that would not want peace toreturn to the oil region for whatever reasons. The government should both lookfar beyond our shores for those engineering and gaining from the renewed conflictin the Niger Delta, it looks more likely too that there are people (agents) inor around government. This assertion may be wrong but supposing it is true? Let’sbe wise for once, gra gra no go solvethis matter o!. God bless Nigeria!(IFEANYI IZEZE lives in Abuja: iizeze@yahoo.com; 234-8033043009)