MILITIAPHOBIC AMNESTY: CAN ABUJA BE TRUSTED?

A popular saying goes: A person who makes peaceful change impossible makes violent change inevitable and so is the case in full manifestation in Nigeria`s Niger-Delta. The discovery of oil in Nigeria has became a curse rather than blessing as it has brought with it negative tendencies that have incapacitated our match to the path of national development. Since Nigeria first discovered oil in the little town of Oloibiri in 1953 in the present day Bayelsa State, the federal Government has made a whopping sum of about 1.6 trillion dollars in revenue over the past 50years from oil exploitation in the various Niger-Delta communities. In the face of the alleged huge sum of petro-dollars derived from Niger-Delta, what have the people got in return? The answer is self evident damaged and polluted environment which depleted fish catches, small plots of land where people had grown crops are polluted by oil spills and gas flares. Government on their own part is not doing anything to ameliorate the suffering of the poor masses, unemployment is high, illiteracy is on the extreme end and hunger, the lack of basic infrastructural amenities is widespread among the people. The main and sole objective of the Nigerian Government is to extract the oil and pocket the huge part of the proceeds and uses the little that left to develop infrastructure in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Kaduna, meanwhile, the few and old infrastructures in oil producing region are been left to dilapidate with little or no Government concern and attention. The Federal Government has over the past 50 years shown no commitment to the development of the Niger-delta, where a large number of people are living in penury.

The scandalous neglect of the eastern region of Nigeria can be viewed in the angle of grand conspiracy theory, where successive governments have deliberately decided to under develop the entire region. Some school of thought contends that Nigeria-Biafra war is not yet over, that the war is still ongoing. In 2002, during Obasanjo´s state visit to Yenogoa, he told a gathering that Biafra war was caused by what he ``called resource control`` a reference to the current liberatory demand by oil producing states to control their resources as a crucial condition to their membership of the federation. If Biafra had won the war,”Obasanjo added, I would have been dead, your governor would not have been in the position he is today” the statements read in parts. This statement by then Nigeria president will give a critical minded person an insight of the agenda, Nigeria government is implementing. The present war is not physical where people are carry rockets, guns and matches but a full blown psychological war, where federal government is deliberately pursuing an agenda that hinder people`s match to the lane of regional development, all the peoples effort to develop are been thwarted and frustrated by the federal government. In short the whole of the eastern region is been taken as a spoil of the war, hence the ill-treatment, they are receiving from Nigerian Government, all the effort they are making to have a stronger Nigeria notwithstanding. The proceeds of oil resources are being plundered with reckless abandon as if it is no man`s business, consequently we have found ourselves in the situation we are in today.

The struggle for total emancipation of eastern region is as old as post independency Nigeria`s history. The struggle dates back to February 23,1966 when Major Isaac Adaka Boro led the first struggle and dared Nigeria federal Government by declaring Niger-Delta Republic and gallantly waged a twelve day battle against Nigeria Government, thereafter, he was jailed for treason, but was later granted amnesty and released by Yakubu Gowon on the eve of the Nigeria-Biafra war. A year later, a young igbo military officer, Col. Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu declared the sovereign state of Biafra, and this leds to three years of civil war, where millions in lives and properties were wasted. Ojukwu fled to Cote d´ivoire into exile and later granted state amnesty, returning in 1982. The issue that necessitated in the above agitations still remains unresolved and this resulted in emergence of Ken Saro-Wiwa into the struggle, but Ken substituted liberation guns for the pen, rattling Federal Government with intellectual militancy using Movement for Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) as a plateform. But the struggle was short-lived as Gen. Sani Abacha condemned and hanged Ken in a controversial circumstance in November 10, 1995. The killing of Ken has resulted in emergence of more violent and dreaded groups. Many opted for forceful and violence struggle while some still determined to pursue the struggle through non-violence. In 1998, the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) was born and being led by an Indian-trained lawyer, Raph Uwazuruike with sole aim of resuscitating Biafra through peaceful means. Many violent groups, reminiscence of Adaka Boro´s group have also sprang up, the most prominent being Movement for Emancipation of Niger-delta people, (MEND). Their target is mainly destruction of oil pipelines, storage tanks and other oil infrastructure as they believe, that is the only way they can compel the Federal Government to develop the region. Federal Government in the stiff determination to exterminate and annihilate the militants, have displayed superior military but fire-power through Odi massacre, Abala (AbiaState) invasion and current bombardment and destruction of Gbaramatu Kingdom (Delta State), but militants remained undeterred, daring the Nigeria Government with more deadly attacks on oil facilities and threatening to attack civil infrastructures in Abuja.

Niger-delta problem have became an issue of international concern as it has caused the world oil price to skyrocket and the world economy stands the risk of possible collapse, hence the need for the Nigerian Government and other international stakeholders in the Nigeria oil business to proffer an everlasting solution to the crisis. Nigerian government, in the desperate bid to save and protect it only means of revenue has proposed 60 billion naira amnesty package for the militants to disarm and embrace peace. The issue is becoming more complicated as Government is confused on the main leaders of the militant and to whom to negotiate with, as the list their leaders is endless and the militant’s unwillingness to embrace the amnesty offer is a thing of worry to the Government. One pertinent question about this amnesty package is whether if it is better panacea for Niger-delta problem, another speculation has it,  that it might end up in official corruption, where those in the authority will share the money among themselves while the masses concerned will be left in a cold to continue suffering and still remain in perpetual penury. The people of the region no longer have any faith in the desperate pledges by the Federal Government to develop the region, as the annals of the area are littered with failed promises from various central governments decades after decade since independence. Their disenchantment is therefore understandable. What if the money is invested in the area where the down trodden masses will have direct benefit, like in the area of health care, education and other civil infrastructures? This is the time for the Niger-delta stakeholders to reflect deep into this amnesty offer to decide if it is related or similar to what they wanted. For me, I recommend that the money should be channeled to an area that will benefit the masses more and not to be used to bribe people to abandon their struggle. The militants leaders like, Henry Okah, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, Farah Dagogo,Ogunbos, Boyloaf, Boy Togo, Solomon Ndigbara(Osama bin Laden), Soboma George, Tom Ateke, and Tompolo etc should know exactly what they wanted and stick only on it, although I learnt many have accepted the amnesty offer and agree to disarm, but any governmental policy that do not address the fundamental issue that necessitated the arm struggle by the able youths of the Niger-delta will never and will not stand the test of the time as only a well tailored program that will fast track development in the Niger-delta region that will bring an enduring peace.

Many Niger-delta indigenes are in doubt of government sincerity about the government pledge to develop the area and their proposed amnesty offer, as many Government actions is still pointing towards deceit and insincerity. One will not doubt some militant leader’s rejection of the amnesty because it was hurriedly put in a fire-brigade manner, and has not addressed the core and fundamental issues affecting the welfare of the entire Niger-delta people. Nigerian Government should also learn how to initiate fast-track developmental programs in Niger-delta rather than always talking with little left to do. The wind of change is slowly blowing in the east of the Niger, the direction which the wind is blowing to, no one knows, and only time will unveil the direction and position where the wind has taken to. Niger-deltas should be vigilant and watchful to checkmate any element that will unknowingly manipulate the change in the direction that will hamper the progressive development of the region.

Akusoba, Christopher Chigozie.

Lund university

Sweden

Robot  # 1 | 04.10.2009 20:56

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