By Raymond Mordi

 

 

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, are singing discordant tunes that may jeopardise the Niger Delta amnesty programme, which is arguably the biggest achievement of the late Umaru Yar’Adua administration. The group has warned that it might resume hostilities in the Niger Delta due to alleged failure of the federal government to continue negotiations with its nominated Aaron Team comprising of eminent Nigerians like Mike Akhigbe, Wole Soyinka and Amagbe Kentebe, among others.

MEND insists that the late Yar’Adua demonstrated a stronger resolve to address the injustice in the Niger Delta than the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the region. Jomo Gbomo, MEND’s spokesperson, said the presidency had refused to talk with the Aaron Team for inexplicable reasons since the late president took ill. “The late president promised to discuss every demand of MEND and the people of the Niger Delta. He kept his word and demonstrated a remarkable knowledge of the problem and was positively working towards a just solution,” Gbomo explained. The MEND Aaron Team comprises of patriotic Nigerians, who volunteered their precious time in order to work towards a just peace in the Niger Delta.

The group wants the government to heed the advice of Ledum Mitee, chairman, Technical Committee on Niger Delta, by entering into dialogue with all stakeholders, including MEND, in other to sustain peace in the region. Gbomo said MEND does not expect much from President Jonathan. According to him, “from his actions so far, he has indicated that he

still does not understand why MEND and other groups in the Delta have been fighting.”

Indications, however, are that MEND’s utterance is nothing but a ploy to draw attention to itself in the midst of the serious politicking going on within government circles.

For instance, this is coming at a time the government has concluded plans to mobilise the pardoned youths to a camp for rehabilitation, in fulfilment of the amnesty agreement. Samuel Odeh, minister of state for Niger Delta Affairs, who explained government’s position last week, noted that the amnesty programme had delivered the region from undue restiveness, and that the federal government is bent on fulfilling its own end of the bargain by embarking on the rehabilitation of the ex-militants. His words: “I am happy to tell you that in the Niger Delta region today, we no longer have militants, we only have ex-militants. It is also important to announce to you that in a forthnight from now, the first batch of ex-militants will proceed to the camp in Cross River State, where they will be trained and of course rehabilitated to live a decent life like other people.” Thus, through the rehabilitation programme, the Jonathan-led administration has promised to advance the amnesty programme by providing for the retraining, rehabilitation and employment of some 20,000 militants. 

Besides, the government has recently come up with a cash incentive scheme for individuals in the oil-producing areas of the Niger Delta. Under the proposal, persons aged 18 years and above are entitled to claims from a fund that is being set up by government. Emmanuel Egbogah, special a

adviser to the president on petroleum matters, observed that a fund made up of one per cent of the impact value of oil exploration has been set up, as part of the amnesty programme. “Oil producing communities benefiting from this fund will spend the money as they wish,” he added.  This initiative, he explained, was part of the amnesty programme which had not been announced by late President Yar’Adua before his death.

Under the scheme, N95 billion will be made available by the federal government and paid directly to the oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.  Egbogah suggested that the rural communities will be encouraged to form cooperatives and trusts to receive the money and that fund managers will be appointed to help them along. He said that he would soon be proposing these changes to the Federal Executive Council for approval after which they will be incorporated in the Petroleum Industry Bill by the National Assembly.  Cash disbursement is expected to start as early as November this year.

On the surface, it sounds like a good idea. But the policy amounts to giving a man a fish, rather than teaching him how to fish, and may not stand the test of time. A number of logistic problems would emerge in the course of disbursing the money. For instance, the youths of the Niger Delta many of whom distrust their leaders may want to claim the money directly rather than pass through local chiefs and politicians. Moreover, there are complicated land tenure problems in the region, and it is not certain who owns what among the 187 communities identified by the federal government. 

Would the idea of

of giving money directly to the oil-producing communities as compensation for the use of their land, replace other compensations routinely given out by oil companies to improve the quality of life in the region? These compensations include award of scholarships, building of schools and clinics, roads and rural electrification.  

One of the biggest problems in the Niger Delta, like elsewhere in the country, is that of corruption and lack of accountability. If there is accountability and good governance and the various allocations to the region, through the states, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and the Ministry of Niger Delta, are well utilised the people of the region would be better off for it.  Following the discovery of oil in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State, in 1956, the British colonial administration had in 1957 mandated the Willinks Commission to study the overall circumstances of the Niger Delta people including their fears, habitat and prospects.  In its findings, the commission concluded that the region was poor, backward and neglected.  Today, 53 years, the Niger Delta is still poor, backward and neglected.  Successive Nigerian governments have been seeking ways and means of addressing the situation. They have created many commissions and committees culminating in the creation of the NDDC and a new Ministry of Niger Delta.

A lot of scepticism had pervaded the amnesty programme right from the time the late Yar’Adua first announced it. This scepticism remained throughout the programme, which ran from August 6 to October 4, 2009. It was when the major militant leaders finally laid down their arms

at the eleventh hour that people started to view it seriously. Though the Niger Delta has opened a new chapter with the amnesty programme, an atmosphere of uncertainty still pervades the region. MEND’s credibility and support base in the post-amnesty era remains unclear. But if the group continues to threaten massive attacks and does not carry through on its threats, it will begin to lose its credibility as a militant force. Likewise, if government does not follow through on its promises to develop the impoverished region, MEND’s symbolic power could gain in popularity amongst disillusioned militants.

 

Mitee: Advises government to negotiate with militants

Jonathan:

Ode:

Egbogah: Announces setting up of special fund for oil-producing communities