THE NIGER DELTA QUESTION
In the recent past and even as at the time of this writing the Niger Delta of Nigeria has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. How did we get to this point of being regarded as a troubled region of Nigeria? I will attempt an explanation.
The Dilemma of the Delta
The Niger Delta is the bulk of the region of Nigeria commonly referred to as the South-South Zone in Nigeria's recent political equation. Most of Nigeria's crude oil is drilled from the region. Crude oil has been the mainstay of Nigeria's economy and source of Nigeria's wealth for the last forty years. One would expect that this should be good news to the people of the region. Sadly, this is not the case. It is actually more like bad news. The reason is not far fetched. The most part of the Niger Delta is covered with creeks, rivers, marshlands and so on. Most of the rural communities survive by fishing and farming. A lot of the places have no vehicular access and can only be accessed through the creeks and rivers. Worst hit is Bayelsa State with perhaps the most difficult terrain in the country.
Oil spills are common in the region. When there is an oil spill, it has effects that are better imagined than described. The spill pollutes the rivers and the creeks. These are the main sources of water for everyday use among the people. Imagine if you have to cook with this water, drink it etc. This affects the ecology of the place also. The main source of protein for the people is the marine/aquatic life. The fishes and other marine life die in the water. The flow of spilled oil from the rivers and creeks affect the farmlands thus reducing productivity. There is also the problem of communicable diseases as a result of the domino effect of an oil spill. Then there is the issue of gas flaring which basically sends up polluted gas unabatedly into the atmosphere. The compounding effect of this will affect the life expectancy of the people as well as the health of the environment. This is the dilemma in which the people of the Niger Delta have found themselves.
Federal Politics and Insensitivity
The politics of Nigeria's Federal Government has not helped matters. Over the years laws have been systematically enacted which have assigned the beneficial ownership of oil minerals to the Federal Government. The Federal Government does not seem to have put measures in place to ensure that the oil exploration and drilling companies bear social responsibility to the people of the region. Instead, these companies seem to have found a willing ally in the government as against the inhabitants of the oil producing communities. There have been incidences where whole communities have been invaded by the Nigerian Army and other security arms of the government, ostensibly to protect oil companies from their protesting host communities. A case in point is the Umuechem Community saga of the 1980's. We still remember the case of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a renown author who was “judicially murdered” in incomprehensible and unfortunate circumstances by the Nigerian state then presided over by the late dictator, Sanni Abacha . Ken dared to challenge the status quo and declare an Ogoni Bill of Rights. He demanded a better deal for his people from the Federal Government and the oil companies who are lifting oil from their ancestral lands.
Again, the main power brokers at the Federal level are from the big tribes. The Federal Government determines how the resources of the country are to be used. The tribes of the Niger Delta are minority tribes within the scheme of things. Proceeds of crude lifted from the Niger Delta is used to build roads and bridges as well as provide amenities in places far flung from the Niger Delta, but “the goose that lays the golden egg” is neglected. The terrible physical terrain of the area even makes matters worse.
Another major problem is that of employment or the lack of it for the people of the area. A place like Bayelsa State has no industry. The biggest employer is the state civil service. So what happens to the teeming youthful population? How do they productively engage themselves?
With this kind of scenario, the majority of people from the Niger Delta feel shortchanged by the nation. They feel their land is being looted and plundered to the detriment of its people. They also feel the system of the Nigerian nation is skewed against the region and that justice may never be obtained from the system. Many of the young people feel they have no stake at all in the Nigeria project. This has become the breeding ground for dissent and restiveness.
Restiveness and Resistance:
Restiveness is not new in the Niger Delta. The first major incidence of restiveness occurred in the 1960s before the Nigerian Civil War. Major Isaac Adaka Boro an indigene of Kiama in present day Bayelsa State formed the first Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force. He declared the ill-fated Niger Delta Republic. He was convicted for treason. In a twist of fate, he was released and conscripted into the Nigerian army. He became an officer in the Nigerian army fighting on the Nigerian side during the civil war. He died in that war. He is regarded as a hero among the Ijaw people (the largest tribe in the region) of the Niger Delta.
Ken Saro-Wiwa also enters the annals of Niger Delta history as a hero of the struggle against the marginalization of the region by the Nigerian state. He began a grassroots campaign, “The Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People” or MOSOP for short. He espoused a peaceful but well articulated resistance to the marginalization of Ogoniland in the Niger Delta. He had done his research well. He insisted the Ogoni had a right of self determination. He was able to convince the common Ogoni person of the legitimacy of his struggle, and to his credit, he roused a whole people and spoke to the conscience of a nation. He died in very unfortunate circumstances in the 90's during the iron fisted Sanni Abacha administration. Most people felt Saros (as he was popularly known) did not deserve to die the way he did. His was a peaceful and well thought out campaign, but we must leave the rest of his tale to historians and researchers. Even after Ken Saro-Wiwa's death MOSOP has survived and continues to champion the cause the founder espoused. Saros is regarded as a martyr of the Niger Delta struggle for justice.
The Niger Delta Hostage Crisis:
Recently, there are many groups which have been formed by the young people of the Niger Delta. Prominent among them are The Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force led by “Mujahid” Asari Dokubo, The Movement for the Emancipation of The Niger Delta (MEND), and the Ijaw Youth Council. Note how similar the name of Asari Dokubo's group is to that of Isaac Boro's group of the 1960s. These groups have as their aim to seek justice and a better deal for the people of the region. Whether this indeed is the case is another matter all together.
Some of the groups work within the framework of the law by employing dialogue and lobbies. Others advocate violence, the use of force, and rebellion against the Nigerian state. Among this latter class of people who advocate the use of force we have MEND as a major force on the field. The thinking among some of these groups is, “If we cannot get justice, let us disrupt oil exploitation activities.” Some have even threatened to blow up oil installations after giving oil prospecting and drilling companies an ultimatum to vacate the region.
In the recent past, a new twist was added to the Niger Delta crisis when some foreign oil workers were abducted and taken hostage. After days of negotiations they were released only for another set of foreign oil workers to be abducted. The cycle has continued for some time now, though it is appearing to wane. The oil companies are uncomfortable with the situation, neither is the Federal Government. The hostage takers seem to like it because it gives publicity to their struggle as well as the much needed ransom money. It may well have become an industry, though I pray this is not the case.
What Message?
After the recent series of hostage taking and attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government called for a stakeholders meeting. The government agreed that the Niger Delta people have genuine grievances and they would begin to address them. They would bring development to the area, build bridges, make roads and provide employment. The question then is, “Must we wait for people to adopt violence before we can listen to their genuine complaints?” Have we just demonstrated that the only way to be heard is to destroy? Now that these youths see that violence seems to be yielding better results than the dialogue of their fathers, will it be easy to persuade them to abandon this “system” that yields results? Moreover, the spokespersons of these groups seem to have lost faith in the Federal Government. The response is that what the government is offering is too little too late. Others think the government is not sincere but is making these concessions to douse the tension only to renege after the young people have laid down their arms. Make no mistakes, I abhor violence and chaos. But we must be willing as a people to bring justice and fair-play into our system if we want to get to a common destiny as a nation.
The Leadership Problem
One major problem of the Niger Delta is that of leadership. Most of those from the region who have held political or administrative office have paid lip service to helping the region, but have actually turned the other way. For many, the problem of the region has become a political singsong for the sake of bargaining for their own personal welfare. A case in point is the disgraceful conduct of the impeached past governor of Bayelsa State, Chief D. S. P. Alamieyeseigha, who prided himself as the Governor General of the Izon Nation. I believe that if you come from among a deprived people and you are able to lift up your head then you must take the responsibility to be a “kinsman redeemer” to your people. Rather, many mind only their bellies and can sell the destiny of their regions for a “jolly good ride” while in power.
Others have been compromised through the infamous “divide and rule” tactics where their personal greed has been exploited to the detriment of the welfare of the region. There are traditional rulers and village/town committees fighting over the little handouts thrown their way just to break the consensus among the people. This is not the kind of leadership the Niger Delta needs. How do we expect the people who are far removed from our region to do something about our plight when we have not taken the responsibility to do what we can when we have the opportunity to do so? Should we even be merely waiting for the opportunity or should we create our own opportunities?
The Way Forward
It has been said that everything rises and falls on leadership. This is all the more glaring in the Niger Delta. There is a real leadership vacuum. This goes beyond the politicians and government functionaries. For any society to rise from the dust of neglect, the deprivation of poverty and the marginalization of injustice, a crop of people from within that same society must arise. These kinds of people are ordinary, yet, unusual people. They look beyond the rot to see opportunities. They do not keep themselves immobilized by sitting helplessly in their dilemma while expecting someone else from some place at some indefinite time to do something about their problem. Experience has shown that unless we have direction, understand purpose and have a definite agenda, mindset and vision, even if all the oil resources are given to the people of the region it may not necessarily guarantee a better deal for the people. Even if we have no natural resources, if we have right thinking, far seeing, selfless and purposeful leadership we can rise up to lift our heads as a people to be reckoned with. This is not about violence, anger tantrums and helpless rhetoric. As Cassius said to Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, “The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”
Are there any leaders in the Niger Delta? Beyond the rhetoric of marginalization do we have a vision for our people and our region? Are there people from among us who think we can do something constructive? Can we find real answers? Can we develop plans to contribute meaningfully to the advancement of the region? We sure can.
What Can Be Done?
There are several things we can do to raise or better the lot of the people of the Niger Delta. Some of the urgent things we can do are these:
- The Need To Find Our Identity As A People
We need to have a proper sense of being as a people. We need a proper sense of worth. There is something about oppression and marginalization. It makes the oppressed or marginalized look down on himself as if there is something inherently wrong with him. If we do not see ourselves as a blessed, productive and capable people we may never be able to reach within us to draw out the treasures God has invested in us. The greatest resources of any place primarily are the people of the place. The people of the Niger Delta are truly blessed and resourceful. For us to have survived all these centuries in the kind of physical and ecological environment we find ourselves takes more than the ordinary. Even in the skewed arrangement of Nigeria's politics it is a miracle we have survived. I have seen people paddle local canoes over rivers to go farming during a storm. It takes real courage to do that. We are a courageous people. We must find our strengths and draw upon our resourceful nature.
- We Need To Develop And Engage Our Minds.
We cannot rise beyond the level of our thinking. The Bible says, “As a person thinks, so is he.” We are what we think and we cannot be better than our thoughts. Our thinking patterns are important. We have strength and resilience as a people, but the power of thought is greater than physical strength. To engage the mind of our people, those from among us who have learned to think in productive and constructive ways must come to the rescue of the rest of us. This is not an easy task, but it is a worthwhile one. We must put a premium on educating our people. Sadly grassroots formal education is presently not in the best state among the people of the Niger Delta.
(a). This is where individual leadership and vision comes in. We cannot wait for the government forever. Could our churches and missions at least take it upon themselves to go beyond church as usual and get involved in education as well? Can those who have “made it” among us think of giving something back by building schools or even adopting children we can sponsor through school? Can we genuinely get some NGOs involved?
(b). Equally important is the non formal education. The way we think as a people can be actively influenced through the media. Influencing the thinking of a people is not a day's job. It will take a long drawn out process of continuous instruction and training.
(c). Let's use our radio stations to teach our people to be productive even within the “limits” of our seeming constraints. We must also do direct teachings through village/town meetings. This is perhaps the most effective. We must be ready to be properly engaged in this. It is the battle for the survival of a people. We must go to the grassroots.
(d). What should we teach? Let us teach our people to learn to look at the future with hope not because of a carrot someone dangles before us but because of what we can do with the little we have. Let us teach our people that the easiest way to fail as a people is to give in to discouragement, despair, and frustration. Let us teach our people that we can create a future for our children without necessarily going cap in hand or gun in hand to a system that has long closed its ears to our cries. Let us teach our people that there is so much we can do with the little we have. Let us teach our people that if we can think productively in spite of our environment, our children will have a homeland they can truly enjoy. Let us teach our people how to create our own opportunities by the common, yet uncommon resource of thought. Let us teach our people that the greatest resource is an empowered mind. Let us teach our people to think to live.
- We Need To Productively Engage Our Youth
Though we have some well educated people, the vast majority of our youth dropped out of schools which were ill equipped to teach them in the first place. The available jobs are few and far between. Is there any wonder then that there is unrest in the region? How do we productively engage these youth who have become adults but can't find the wherewithal to raise a family? How do we expect them to stay restful with nothing to do while lacking so much? As a matter of urgency, we need to develop cottage industries and little businesses to get them engaged. As a pastor, I think the African pastor and indeed the Niger Delta pastor must begin to do the unusual. Churches and missions need to find active ways to raise communal projects which will provide gainful employment for the people in the region in which they operate. Jesus after preaching to the multitude did not send them away hungry. He took five loaves and two fishes, multiplied them to feed a multitude and still had leftovers.
The Niger Delta people who have the means must think of putting something back into our communities by creating avenues for gainful employment for our vast and idle youth. We must evolve a culture of production. We should teach our people to start little businesses from the little available to them. We need to create organized pressure groups to impress it upon the oil companies not only to reserve a particular percentage of the jobs in their companies for people who qualify from the local areas, but they must be impressed to plow something back in the nature of profit yielding and job creating community investments.
- Create Skill Training Centers
For those who have dropped out of school with no prospect of returning to school, we should develop skill training centers to enable them learn a trade and move towards self employment. We can do this by having some people coming together to sponsor such projects within their communities, or religious bodies getting involved and also getting our various state governments in the region involved.
- The Most Important Thing
We must develop a long term vision for the Niger Delta, by the Niger Delta people. This is where our various state governments in the Niger Delta come in. There needs to be a clear cut hope injecting and people engaging vision for the development and transformation of the Niger Delta. Without this vision, I believe even if we have the 50% derivation the Niger Delta “leaders” are clamouring for or even 100% it may not necessarily better the lot of our people. The governments should set up a think tank in each state of the region to objectively and progressively look again at our states. How can we empower our people in the long run? What can we make out of our land? What do we want our land to be? How can we get there? What must we do? When must it be done? When do we start? How do we go about it? What do we have at our disposal? When we can come out with a clear vision for the development of our people, the next challenge is to breathe life to that vision such that it is accepted and owned by the people. Then everyone can be energized by it to do what he can to make it work.
A Word to The Governments Of The Niger Delta
Understand that the destiny of our people has been committed into your hands. It is a sacred trust. You cannot go on ego trips and looting sprees. Our people have real problems which we must address. We cannot expect others to crack our kernels for us. It is not power for the sake of power. Rather, it must be power for the sake of transforming the lives and lot of our people. The people must be better off because you are there, not necessarily that you must be “better off” because you are there. This is your challenge. There is so much you can do. Quit trying to put all the blame on the Federal Government. Accept your responsibility to our people or excuse yourself from the arena of power. You cannot ignore the festering problem of leprosy by calling it a mere rash. Please do not be side tracked. Keep this focus and you will do well.
A Word to Nigeria's Federal Government
I cannot but caution Nigeria's Federal Government and the players at the federal level. The events of the recent past indicate that the Niger Delta is coming to a breaking point. My prayer is that it will not break. It is not enough to use the problems of the region for politics. We must have a rethink. Injustice cannot go on forever. Something must give somewhere. In the words of Chinua Achebe, the Federal Government has “taken too much for the owner not to notice.” It is this notice which has given birth to the current dilemma of hostage taking and other vices in the Niger Delta. Much as I do not support these acts of violence and terror we must also not pretend as to the cause. The proper response is not for the government to threaten force or turn the place to a war zone. That is a negative action. Do something positive instead. The time has come to decisively and truthfully answer the Niger Delta question in all fairness to the people.
A Word to The Multinational Oil & Allied Companies
You have to reevaluate your activities in The Niger Delta. Irrespective of what you pay to the Federal Government you owe your host communities the basic duty of care. You lift your oil and make your money from their land. It will be better for everyone if you foster the principles of good neighbourliness . Begin to meaningfully engage with the communities in which you operate. Plow something back into each community. Let the communities be better off because of your presence. In the long run it will be a win-win situation for everyone.
Suoyo Aganaba.
mail@pastoraganaba.com
