Niger Delta Avenger: It Is Imperative To Change Strategy By Adopting Intellectual Militancy
Background
Recent events and activities of a new militant group by the name "Niger Delta Avenger" in the Niger Delta region have tended to portray the people and the struggle in a way that tries to diminish the intellectual struggle. A struggle of over half a century caused by neglect of the region.
The Niger Delta is the area around the southern tributaries of the River Niger which is diverse in ethnic composition endowed with rich natural resources but characterised by abject poverty due to neglect by successive governments in Nigeria and a myriad of environmental hazards compounded by oil prospecting activities of IOCs. The mono-economy system in Nigeria has been sustained by the Niger Delta region's rich oil and gas endowments since 1958 when oil was first discovered in Oloibiri and commercialised.
Since then, the people of Niger Delta have been treated with ignominy, neglect and scorn and by the power that be at the centre. The Niger Delta people on their part and in response, have adopted multi dimensional strategies aimed at drawing successive governments attention to the region's deplorable plight.
The origin of the struggle.
Prior to the escalation of the struggle in the 1990 and 2000s, one man as early as the 1960s decided to take up the gauntlet. The man Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro, while in the University of Nigeria, Nsukka was involved in student unionism. His activities escalated and set the tone for the struggle in the Niger Delta for the emancipation and equitable treatment of the Niger Delta people in the Nigerian Federation. In the process of his struggle, he was arrested and sentenced to death but was later pardoned and drafted into the Nigerian Army before he was eventually killed in the battlefield.
The execution of ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni nine etc made more groups to emerge in the struggle all geared towards agitating against the insensitivity of the Federal government to the plight of the Niger Delta people.
But the continued proliferation of agitating groups, including splinter groups and factions have made coordination unwieldy and the agitation seeming directionless and selfish. In the past, in order to bring all groups together, a declaration was made in Kaiama that a climate change protest be held in which all group members should dress in black. In the process some members were arrested and in a bid to make their voice heard, the then President of Ijaw Youth Council, Alhaji Asari Dokubo escalated the struggle to an armed struggle. He continued the struggle with the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, a reincarnation of Isaac Boro's platform after exiting office as president of Ijaw Youth Council.
The brutal high handedness of the Nigerian Federation to the growing agitation drove things all more in the direction of armed struggle. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta MEND led by Government Ekpemupolo aka TOMPOLO took the lead in reaching out to, synergizing and coordinating various armed agitators.
The success of MEND and other militant groups brought the Niger Delta concern and struggle on the global stage particularly with the sophisticated arms used and the well tailored media propaganda, yet the federal government refused to recognise the universally acknowledged principles of sharing in oil producing nations which is "quid, quid protantolosolosocedit" (the man who owns the land owns what is on it, beneath it and above it). The Niger Delta region has continued to be exploited, raped and allocated, suffocated and spoon fed with the laughable minuscule thirteen percent derivation formula.
Why is the Niger Delta being hounded and hectored by successive governments?
Why are the genuine efforts of the Niger Delta martyrs not being considered?
Just this month a group of militants the Niger Delta Avengers claimed responsibility for the latest massive bombing in the area, according to an online media, Niger Delta Avengers released a 12 Point Agenda for Peace in Nigeria as follows:
"1. Immediate implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference.
2. President Buhari, the DS SSS and Timipre Sylva should apologize to the people of the Niger Delta region and family of Late Chief DSP Alamieseigha for killing him with intimidation and harassment because of his party affiliation.
3. The ownership of oil blocks must reflect 60% for the oil producing people and 40% for the non-oil producing people.
4. The only Nigerian Maritime University sited in the most appropriate and befitting place Okerenkoko must start the 2015/2016 academic session immediately.
5. The Minister of transportation, Mr Rotimi Amechi should apologize to the Ijaws and the entire Niger Delta people for his careless and reckless statement about the siting of the Maritime University.
6. The Ogoniland and indeed ll oil polluted lands in the Niger Delta must be cleaned up and compensation be paid to all oil producing communities.
7. Mr Nnamdi Kanu, the Leader of IPOB must be released unconditionally as the court said.
8. The Niger Delta Amnesty programme must be well funded and let it continue to run effectively.
9. All APC members that are indicted in any corruption related cases should be made to face trial like the PDP members. Otherwise Buhari should shamefully forget about this nonsense anti-corruption fight.
10. All oil multi-nationals and foreign investors should observe this ultimatum, as their business interest in the country must be first target.
11. A word is enough for the wise.
12. Give Biafra her freedom unconditionally.
In addition, to tell the Nigeria government that we mean business at 10:55pm on Saturday the Forcados terminal crude oil export pipeline was blown up by Niger Delta Avengers"
No matter how laudable some of the group's demands may seem, the hard fact is that arm struggle will not be in the overall interest of the oil rich region now. Intellectual militancy is what is required in this present time. There is no need for the upsurge in violence. In principle, I agree with some of the group's demand. For example, I support the call for the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference, the commencement of Nigerian Maritime University sited in Okerenkoko. and the clean-up of the Ogoni land. It is a fact that the present administration has taken steps to implement the UNEP Report on Ogoni. We should pray that current efforts come to full realisation.
Many more militants groups are springing up on weekly basis, the Isoko Militants Group is the latest among them. When Tompolo and other militants groups embraced the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, in October 2009, many saw their move as a turning point in militant activities in the Niger Delta. Oil production improved and government hired them to secure oil installations in the region.
The issue of the Niger Delta environment no doubt has not been fully resolved. What President Musa Yar'Adua did was a short term solution to a long term problem. How can only the violent be paid? Many more sets of violent groups will emerge even after Avengers since the violence enterprise is what seem to draw the attention of the powers that be who are interested in protecting their personal investments in the area.
I urge the Federal Government to take a more pragmatic approach to solving the Niger Delta problem.
In partnership with the multinational oil companies the Federal Government should not speculate and pay lip service in order to score a political point as an end in the implementation of UNEP Report. They should ensure the effective cleaning of the polluted environment, the oil well owners should also be involved. The host communities in the Niger Delta should be empowered by building concrete social and economic infrastructures in those places, such as schools (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary (including more Maritime Universities, institutions for environmental studies and research), hospitals, good roads and bridges, employ capable manpower. There are many places that seaports can be established in the Niger Delta region. Delta State alone has over 163km of coastal line.
A deep sea port can be established there which will bring industrialisation to the region. The entire gamut of maritime related business opportunities that exist including the crayfish business in Akwa Ibom should be promoted, supported and invested in by the Federal Government for the local and export market which will add value to the national GDP. This is in line with current thinking on economic diversification in Nigeria.
The indigenes of the Niger Delta communities should be carried along in all these considerations as beneficiaries. I believe that, should this be done, it will heal the Niger Delta "blight" perpetually, instead of paying few sets of people and armed agitation groups and mistaking them for representatives of Niger Delta youths.
To the average or any other militant group, we admonish you to change strategy. I urge you to stop destroying the few national assets in our region and bringing more untold hardship on our people that we seek to protect in the first place. It is advisable to adopt intellectual militancy, which is the civilised and coordinated presentation of our complaints and grouses through discussions, peaceful protest, court actions, non-violent diplomatic global and political channels such as the United Nations, Africa Union, ECOWAS, OPEC, ASEAN, European Union, ICC etc.
Ijebu Afoke Dickson wrote from Isoko, Delta State. [email protected]