The current crisis in the Niger Delta in the form of the transformation of that region into a mini-Iraq with aggrieved citizens taking oil workers hostage, and demanding ransom as if they were disciples of Osama Bin Laden is the inevitable outcome of the failure of the Nigerian state and the professional political class to address the politics of oil. It can only get worse and it will. It would appear that the youths of the Niger Delta have finally discovered how best to treat and beat the Nigerian state. In the past week, they have kidnapped four oil workers: a Briton, a Honduran, an American, and a Bulgarian. They have seized two vessels, and attacked three flow stations. They are threatening to move from one oil major to the other. They call themselves Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).

Each time radical militants of the Niger Delta seize oil flow stations, kidnap oil workers and inflict punishment on Nigerian security forces, the international price of crude oil shoots up. The daily production output of the oil companies in the Delta drops, and so Nigeria loses revenue. Oil theft is made easier, and perhaps more important for the purpose of the militias, the international community focuses afresh on the problems of the Niger Delta. Their action is dramatic. The effect is even more so. Shell which depends on the Niger Delta for ten per cent of its global oil production, as well as the other oil majors are already used to crises of this nature. There can be no doubt that they consider violent attacks on their processes and installations, part of the price to be paid for doing business in Nigeria. Shell has evacuated over 300 of its staff. Chevron has suspended some of its operations. But they will return either as partners of the Nigerian state or of the commanders of the Niger Delta, depending on how the coming showdown is resolved.

The main challenge lies in how six, seven years into civilian democracy, the Nigerian government has not been able to make any progress in the Niger Delta. The situation in that region worsened during military rule especially under General Sani Abacha who unleashed a regime of terror and repression on the people, killing Ken Saro-Wiwa, the MOSOP activist and eight others. Abacha turned the people against one another and sacked communities. There was some respite under General Abdusalami Abubakar whose main contribution was to organise fresh elections and hand over to civilians. But with the return to civilian rule in 1999, it was expected that there would be ample opportunities for addressing the injustice, the abuse of human rights, the repression and the exploitation which had driven the people of the Niger Delta to the wall. Unfortunately, the response of the Obasanjo administration has been characterised by a disconnect between form and substance.

Take the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) set up by Obasanjo administration in 1999 to replace the ineffective Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (1992). This is the ad-hoc structure which is supposed to facilitate development in the Niger Delta by identifying and addressing the urgent needs of the people as a complement to the efforts of the state governments and the Corporate Social Responsibility contributions of the oil majors. There is a lot that the NDDC has been able to achieve: schools that have been built, bridges and other social infrastructure, chairs that have been taken to schools, new access roads, but all these do not amount to much. Years of neglect, inequity and deep-seated contempt make whatever is done for the people of the Niger Delta appear too little too late, and coming from the same Obasanjo that has not shown much sympathy, mere sop.

Besides, the NDDC is grossly under-funded. It is saddled with an assignment that covers about nine states, over 300 communities, each with its own peculiar and costly needs, lack of adequate funding limits its capacity. And because its commissioners are political appointees representing different states and interests, NDDC is further hobbled by the placement of politics before the development agenda. The oil companies are not helping to fund the NDDC adequately since in any case they have their own community development projects or so they claim. The state governments are of no help either. In the last six years, states of the Niger Delta have received more money than at any other time in Nigerian history, but this has not translated into any concrete difference. The youths of the Delta are aware of the existence of the NDDC, but when they see a road there or a school there, and they place that beside the amount of oil that has been taken from the Delta since 1956, they are not impressed. They want more. When they are snubbed or asked to go and ask their state Governors for greater accountability, they get angry.

Take also the government's peace-making strategies: Each time the people revolted either as aggrieved farmers or housewives, both the oil companies and government were wont to negotiate with and make peace with the local elite in the persons of traditional rulers, or youth leaders for whom something is packaged either in form of contracts or cash inducements. Thus, a self-seeking kleptocratic elite has since emerged in the Niger Delta which does not in any way represent the interests of the people. It is even a cheated elite.

The angry youths who have since formed themselves into formidable militias have exposed the limitations of that rent-collecting elite and its manipulation by the state. The other year, one traditional ruler was chased out of town by aggrieved youths who accused him of stealing money meant for the community. Youth leaders have also been sanctioned in many communities. Unlike the rent-collectors, the angry youths of the militias see themselves as revolutionaries. They are the ones now dictating the pace of the politics of the mangrove forest. No one should be surprised that there is no Niger Delta elite who can confidently condemn what these angry youths are doing. Such a leader may find it difficult to return home. So, in that sense, the strategy by the Nigerian state of using selected Niger Delta leaders against the people has failed.

A third grand strategy against the Niger Delta has been the use of violence, and the harassment of the rebels. The scope of repression in the Niger Delta is enormous. Even in ordinarily peaceful circumstances, soldiers are stationed in the region. Ordinary persons going about their businesses are searched. In their own environment, the people are subjected to constant harassment by agents of the state. Human rights abuse in terms of the despoliation of the environment, killings and the pauperisation of the people over the years have combined to create in the average Niger Deltan a feeling of discomfort and resentment towards Nigeria. Between 1996 and 2000 for example, more than five military Task Forces were set up to keep the people of the Niger Delta in check. These include the Rivers State Internal Security Task Force, Operation Salvage, Operation Flush, Operation Storm, Operation Sweep, and Operation Restore Hope. What the militias of the Niger Delta have now advertised is the limits of the use of repression as a tool of state engineering. The militias in the current confrontation are obviously as equipped if not better equipped than the Nigerian army. They are turning their guns and rockets on Nigerian soldiers.

They are mowing down these soldiers and collecting oil company workers as hostages. They are speaking up for all marginalised minorities who are not recognised in Section 55 of the Constitution. They have even given an ultimatum. They want their leader, Asari Dokubo released or by February 1, they would hit at the soft underbelly of the Nigerian state and halt all oil exploration activities in the Niger Delta. If President Obasanjo had thought that by arresting and charging Asari Dokubo to court, the militias of the Niger Delta would be cowed, he is now mistaken. The Niger Delta militias are waging a kind of Holy War against Nigeria. It is a war of nerves. It is a costly war. For every Asari Dokubo that is arrested, there are many more in the creeks who are willing to take up arms. When Asari Dokubo is taken to court, he wears an Isaac Adaka Boro T-shirt. He abuses the judge that is hearing his case. His T-shirt is a symbolic statement. His attack on the judge is an attack on the Nigerian state. So what would the President do? Will he declare war against the Niger Delta? Or a state of emergency? Or will he eat the humble pie?

Now we know: no one has a monopoly of madness. This is the answer to the crazy failure of the Nigerian state to give the people of the Niger Delta an opportunity to articulate and canvass their aspirations. Under civilian rule, the psychological assault has been particularly intense. At the National Conference, delegates from the South -South had to stage a walk-out because the North bluntly refused to entertain their demand for resource control. The 19 states of the North even went to court to challenge the derivation formula. South-South leaders are insisting that the President of Nigeria must come from the South-South in 2007, the Northern elite have more or less told them to shut up.

When the people of the Niger Delta further remind the Nigerian state of their contributions to the Nigerian economy through their ownership of crude oil, which accounts for 90 per cent of national revenue, they are told that the oil belongs to the North. This was mouthed by Northern leaders at the National Conference but it is given an intellectual coverage in a booklet by Yusufu Bala Usman and Alkasum Abba: The Misrepresentation of Nigeria: The Facts and the Figures (May 2000) under what the authors call "the geological and hydrological realities of Nigeria" and "the formation of the Niger Delta". The young men in the creeks hear all these, and they are convinced that the only language that Nigeria can understand is that of violence.

Where now are those loud mouths, those arm-chair geologists who always claim that the oil in the delta is no more than sedimentary deposits flowing from the North to the South. Where are those oligarchs who push the view that the Presidency is too good for the South-South? The Niger Delta is the most vulnerable part of the Nigerian fabric. The present drift requires more creative thinking on the part of the state. Who are the sponsors of the militias in the Delta? How did they manage to smuggle their sophisticated arms into the country? Do they keep any bank accounts? If so, who is their banker? Are there fifth columnists involved? Is the conflict stage-managed? President Obasanjo in six years has succeeded in offending so many stakeholders, should any one or group feel determined enough to ambush and sabotage his government, the easiest battlefield is the Niger Delta where the hunted is now the hunter. If anyone wants to disrupt Nigeria and make it ungovernable, all he needs to do is to rent the militias in the Niger Delta and stop the oil pipelines from flowing. Armed robbers, saboteurs and professional terrorists can also take advantage of the situation. By refusing to allow dialogue on the issues of resource allocation and power sharing, the Nigerian state has created war within its own borders. Until the Niger Delta question is resolved, Nigeria sits on a carton of explosives and turns its face towards fire.

Robot  # 1 | 21.01.2006 05:37

Thecurrent crisis in the Niger Delta in the form of the transformation of that region into a mini-Iraq with aggrieved citizens taking oil workers hostage, and demanding ransom as if they were disciples of Osama Bin Laden is the inevitable outcome of the failure of the Nigerian state and the professional political class to address the politics of oil. It can only get worse and it will. It would appear that the youths of the Niger Delta have finally discovered how best to treat and beat the Nigerian state. In the past week, they have kidnapped four oil workers: a Briton, a Honduran, an Ame...Read the full article.

Eja  # 2 | 21.01.2006 17:49

You asked some important questions towards the ending of your excellent article. Some of these are questions that one would expect any state with a competent and unbiased security system to answer with ease. The science of forensics is extremely advanced and there are certain aspects of it which, when put to work, would reveal the identity of the backers and sources of the sophisticated weapons being used by the militias. However, it may be that the most powerful forces operating in Nigeria have decided that it would serve their best interests to allow the resource rich areas to descend into further chaos. Rising oil prices after all means more dollars in someone's pockets. Also, the more the delta descends into chaos, the easier it is for the so-called rulers of Nigeria to find an alibi for their responsibility in creating the hell Niger Delta people are living through. Let it carry on for a few more years and people may start looking back at the time of abacha (and maybe even babangida!) with nostalgia. Worse days turn the bad days into 'good old days'. I suspect that what we have witnessed this last few years in the DRC was a test case. And, the ones who ran that laboratory for irresponsible resource extraction must be certain by now of the things they need to put in place in order that they may get the same thing working in Nigeria. Nigerians need to wake up and realise that we are in a hostile world. There are human beings on this planet who see actually see us as squatters on what thier 'god' has ordained to be their birthright. We need to put our short-term thinking permenently aside and start looking at events and asking "if this carries on evolving as it is, where would we be in ten years time?".

Root  # 3 | 21.01.2006 18:18

I think its unfortunate that after more than 40 years, the plight of the niger-delta people has not been adequately adressed.They are basically asking for what majority of all nigerians are asking for,however in all fairness to them they deserve to be treated with due respect and listened to by the FG,For God's sake 90% of the country's comes from the Niger delta....,why then does the federal government impose their so called private "rent collecting" leaders on them? Is ALAMS really a Niger-delta leader....?contrast him with Ken sarowiwa,Asari dokubo,Ledum mitee and a crop of others(why do we choose to call them activists..?)Are they not more suitable to Lead the nigerdelta people,are they not more suitable to be chiefs..?,why does the FG forcefully crush any voice the grassroots tend to raise by bombing communities?,Payment of bribes to the traditional rulers is only a temporal option as there are more "ordinary citizens" than traditional rulers..,why is there no infratructure,no social security, No healthcare,and no Electricity...in the heart of where the money used to fund these sham existent sectors in the nigerian nation is generated from?.What is done by the oil companies to check the spate of oil pollution...?do they realise that some communities in the niger delta are dependent on fishing as a means of livelihood?is it just greed that drives people into oil bunkering,destruction of oil pipes or poverty whilst they stare at money in form of Black-Gold tapped from their communities?Why dont they have as good enough roads as we have in Abuja,Lagos...?And the money used to build these roads comes from the federation accounts....? Lets face the facts we need to be plain.... The corporate existence of Nigeria primarily depends on the revenue generated from oil sales...(if you are in doubt..ask yourself the following questions...1.what is the state of our solid minerals sector(what would we depend pending the time it would revamped?)2.Are you aware of what E.U agricultural subsidies are doing to african countries dependent on exporting cash crops?) (We need the nigerdelta..but maybe...a first step might be equity(although preferential treatment is arguable)to ensure peaceful co-existence with the Niger-delta people.The actions the "youths"have taken is very unfortunate(kidnapping)... people who take these actions are people who generally feel they have nothing to loose(apart from their life obviously)........ we hope these wounds are healed..because the dynamics in the niger-delta seem to be changing by these recent events.

Root  # 4 | 21.01.2006 18:20

I think its unfortunate that after more than 40 years, the plight of the niger-delta people has not been adequately adressed.They are basically asking for what majority of all nigerians are asking for,however in all fairness to them they deserve to be treated with due respect and listened to by the FG,For God's sake 90% of the country's revenue comes from the Niger delta....,why then does the federal government impose their so called private "rent collecting" leaders on them? Is ALAMS really a Niger-delta leader....?contrast him with Ken sarowiwa,Asari dokubo,Ledum mitee and a crop of others(why do we choose to call them activists..?)Are they not more suitable to Lead the nigerdelta people,are they not more suitable to be chiefs..?,why does the FG forcefully crush any voice the grassroots tend to raise by bombing communities?,Payment of bribes to the traditional rulers is only a temporal option as there are more "ordinary citizens" than traditional rulers..,why is there no infratructure,no social security, No healthcare,and no Electricity...in the heart of where the money used to fund these sham existent sectors in the nigerian nation is generated from?.What is done by the oil companies to check the spate of oil pollution...?do they realise that some communities in the niger delta are dependent on fishing as a means of livelihood?is it just greed that drives people into oil bunkering,destruction of oil pipes or poverty whilst they stare at money in form of Black-Gold tapped from their communities?Why dont they have as good enough roads as we have in Abuja,Lagos...?And the money used to build these roads comes from the federation accounts....? Lets face the facts we need to be plain.... The corporate existence of Nigeria primarily depends on the revenue generated from oil sales...(if you are in doubt..ask yourself the following questions...1.what is the state of our solid minerals sector(what would we depend pending the time it would revamped?)2.Are you aware of what E.U agricultural subsidies are doing to african countries dependent on exporting cash crops?) (We need the nigerdelta..but maybe...a first step might be equity(although preferential treatment is arguable)to ensure peaceful co-existence with the Niger-delta people.The actions the "youths"have taken is very unfortunate(kidnapping)... people who take these actions are people who generally feel they have nothing to loose(apart from their life obviously)........ we hope these wounds are healed..because the dynamics in the niger-delta seem to be changing by these recent events.

Abraxas  # 5 | 22.01.2006 03:48

Hi, folks! Definitely, Nigeria is in a state of deep-rooted denial about the insurgency in the Niger Delta region. For close to 24 hours after this article by Dr. Reuben Abati was posted on this website (NVS), there was no reaction from the usually over- exuberant crowd of avid pro-Aso Rock praise-singers and sycophants (e.g. Taslim, Prophet, I Love Nigeria, etc) on this forum! A scenario whereby so-called cultists, village urchins, or Area Boys from the Niger Delta proceed off-shore into the Atlantic Ocean, and effortlessly board a floating petroleum production platform, supposedly guarded by supposedly well-armed, US-assisted and trained soldiers of the Nigerian armed forces (Army, Navy, and Air force!), overwhelm the security of the platform with frightening ease, and take live foreign hostages away, after killing some Nigerian soldiers on board, tells a lot about the glaring vulnerability of the Nigerian state to trans-national terrorism. The conspiracy theory is further gaining grounds that, indeed, the Nigerian power elite and influence peddlers in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, have decided that it would serve their best interests to allow the Niger Delta region to rot away, or to descend into deeper and deeper disorder, paving way for the escalation of crude oil prices, which ultimately empower their pockets. How rather simplistic! But then, that is the stuff of which the Nigerian elite are made, stupid as it may seem. By the way, had the raid on the off-shore production platform been on-shore, predictably, General Obasanjo (Baba Gbenga) would have resorted to the usual Odi treatment: i.e. general mayhem! It will be recalled that the White House, Washington DC, initially down-played the nuisance value of Iraqi insurgents, just like Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, is doing about the full-blown insurgency currently ravaging Nigeria, both in the Niger Delta region and elsewhere in the country. Pretending that a problem does not exist does not necessarily make it disappear. Crude oil is the metaphorical cake of the Nigerian state. But as we all know very well, you cannot eat your cake and still have it. Unfortunately, the Nigerian status quo believes it can short-change the people of the Niger Delta region, and still get away with it, under the bogus camouflage of keeping Nigeria one. That is the problem! Abraxas.

Omovudu  # 6 | 22.01.2006 14:40

These fresh wounds in the Niger Delta today speak of a deeper hermorage within the structure of the Nigerian nation. The issues of justice, equity and fairness lie at the heart of the matter and the nation must find a resolution to them before it becomes too late. To refuse to address the root cause of these increasingly repeated outbursts is just postponing an evil day whose inevitability is certain. These rampaging youths would continue to latch onto the injustice of the region to provide a defence for their criminal acts and over time their acts seem to become legitimate (as we currently see of Dokubo Asari) which would only result in complicating the problem. Obasanjo does not seem enthusiastic in facing the realities of the situation and providing or facilitating an equitable solution and this why we say that inspite of the measured successes of his administration, regime change (including Atiku!) is neccessary in 2007. Omovudu

Jack  # 7 | 23.01.2006 06:43

The boyz are course. OBJ has no option than to play ball. If there is a fowl, the Niger Delta will take a free kick. The new breed of chaps in the creek aint dullards, they are sound graduates, some with masters degree and advanced technical know how. They know the creeks , the pipes, the flowstations and all, they can stop the exports. I know them, Nigeria can at least release Asari Dokubo it will help the case.

Alaowei Boma  # 8 | 26.01.2006 07:52

Greetings Mr Abati,While I could say your write-up was quite sound , but I cannot help but poke at your subtle misrepresentation of the Niger Delta in one of your opening remarks you did suggest that the Niger Delta struggles are "... in the form of the transformation of that region into a mini-iraq with aggrieved citizens taking oil workers hostage, and demanding ransom as if they were disciples of Osama Bin Laden." Now, looking at the Niger Delta struggles in the spectrum of the occurence in Iraq shows a clear difference between the two cases . Where the Niger Deltans have had to live with 50years of deprivation, deterioration,exploitation,and enslavement ,if you like, by their own kit and kin in the project called Nigeria . It is a struggle, of Nigerians against Nigerians, and a struggle between the Christian South,it is a plea for recognition rather than repulsion,it is about obtaining rights through the system the Nigerian state upholds, it is speaking in the language of the federal government where the tongue of dynamities and guns are prefered to the whispers of dialogues in black and white,ink and papper,and open speeches, and it is about creating awareness on the plight of the average Niger Deltan where citizens of oil producing communities are bound to fall more easily to the bullets of a government official than the strokes of a common thief or even an armed robber. Secondly, you also seem to refer to a money churnning hostage taking industry in the Niger Delta, which is a rather unfortunate stance on your part. According to media reports which you would have accessed yourself , you would agree that the reports stated that compensation for oil polluted communities in Bayelsa, as approved by the Federal Legislative arm of government was what the "aggrieved youths" requested, and I think it is rather unfortunate and deplorable that the delibrate misconstruction of the statements of these hostage takers by people like you ,Mr Abati, would have led to the dead lock that has ensued between negotiators and the 'hostage takers.' While most Niger Deltans would have loved to see an end to the ordeals of the Niger Delta and the hostages as well, it is certain that from the acts of misleading Federal apologists, more and more innocent Niger Deltans would have to scamp for safety against an Odi,Odioma,Tombia,Obakiri etc styled reprisals and it may take more time to cool the already over heated area. Also, your statements " It appears that the youths of the Niger Delta have finally discovered how to treat and beat the Nigerian state." "Oil theft is made easier" leaves room for one to wonder if you are more comfortable with the militant approach where lives are lost, rather than the efforts of the prominent Niger Deltan elders who propagated the Niger Delta's stance in the concluded National reforms confrence.You also indicate ,by chance, that the Oil rather than the loss of lives is of paramount importance. In a region where more than 90% of the nation's foreign exchange is earned , and the citizens of the Oil producing communities are subjected to all forms of physical abuse by the Federal troops and officials it is sickening to know that people are more concerned with the stealing of Oil rather than the stealing of human lives. In sequel to your remarks that "...things worsened during the military rule under Abacha...", I did like to draw your attention to the fact that while the Niger Delta had its problems with the Abacha regime there were no mass muders, or high- handed unleashment of terror on a single group of Nigerians as the case was under this regime . Apart from the Civil war when we lost people in their thousands at a stretch, it was only under this regime that 6months into power, the president odered the utter destruction of a community, which is yet to be proved to have to have commited the crime for which it was utterly destroyed, and for the first time I can see a connection between Iraq under Sadddam Hussein and the Niger-Delta under Rtd.General Olusegun Obasanjo, where people would greet law enforcement agents ,only to be forced down untimely graves by the bullets,grinades,and ammourery of the people they welcomed without any suspiscion. Finally, with regards to the 'Obasanjo pet project' (the NDDC), it is an open secret that it is an object of political manouverings and appeasals, and a scheme for political job seeking, it is a lame parastatal that was formed to buttress the popularity of Mr.President in the Niger Delta, and despite the fact that the fact that the scraped PTF evidently provided more devidents to the Niger Deltans, and indeed the entire Nigerian populace, I see no reason why people should expect Niger Deltans to roll their drums,clap,sing and start dancing because Obasanjo's organisation carries a more patronising name . I think I will take my leave here, but then I wold love to correct the notion that "... in the last six years, states of the Niger Delta have received more money than at any other time in Nigerian history, but it has not translated to any concrete difference", and this is so because the Federal government has also received more money . The federal government has also had more jurisdiction over the monies it received seizing state allocations whenever it wills, closing State government accounts, and deceiving the populace by creating its own oil trading price, so that it makes it difficult for the populace to criticise its high handedness in spending government funds . There are hardly any visible Federal projects, apart from the wranglings of the Federal government and other public officials, and the occassional tape cutting by Mr President during his visit to his political subjects(governors).Besides, given the fact that the an auditor general was relieved of his duties because he opened the lid that the Federal government never released the amounts it 'advertised' on the dailies, it even makes it more nasty for a federal government "friends" and cronies to question the "concreteness" of the projects that were carried out in the Niger Delta by Niger Deltan governments. The Niger Delta surely wants acountability, but let the Federal government help it to hold its leaders accountable by being accountable itself . The Federal government, with the president at the top, can not have a record that is darker than black, and expect to question the credibility of people that are yet to achieve the level of economic, and financial filth,mismanagement, thuggery and high-handedness that exists in the presidency .

emj  # 9 | 26.01.2006 10:26

good write up reuben. our people and govt have been blind and deaf to the situation in the niger delta for long. The militants in the region are no longer patient nor ready to allow the degradation of their area to continue. Those chaps are well educated and have sound mind, contrary to what the govt of nigeria believes, what is unfolding in the region, must have taken many years of planning. They are just executing what they must have put on hold for several years. I'm sure that when obj was sworn in in 1999, the people of the area thought that at last here comes a govt that will listen and do something positive for this region, unfortunately, he got carried away by the political sponsors who want returns on their investment, it does not matter what those demand are, and how it affects the country, of course most of them get paid with the issuance/ allocation of oil blocks. In as much as i don't condone lawlessness in any society, i must say that the situation in that region came about as a reason of our lack of focus on what is important. We have neglected the region that is a source of 90% of our wealth. Rather than develop that area properly, we choose to allow a complete devastation of the region. The people have been deprived of land to plant and harvest food, there is no good stream from which the villagers can do their chores nor fetch water, etc. The whole ecological system of the area is destroyed. All the govt seems to do is to allocate oil blocks. The goose that lays the golden eggs is destroyed gradually and nobody seem to care.

UNREGISTERED  # 10 | 26.01.2006 17:54

I Hope Someone Is Not Saying "serves "them" Right" Here 'cos We Must Know (in The Words Of Theodore Roosevelt's Admonition) "when To Stop Raking The Muck".