The above
quotation was the title of a press release I issued as the spokesperson of the
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on June 25, 2009 after the completion
of our assignment in setting up Internally Displaced Person’s (IDPs) camp in
Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South West, Delta State.
The NEMA’s
intervention followed a clash between the military-led Joint Task Force (JTF)
and Tompolo-led Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) which
had claimed responsibility for the deaths of some soldiers and displacements of
citizens.
Even
though
the military endorsed our passage to the creek in May 2009, some of us
were
scared stiff of the possibility of being captured by militants on a
suspicion
of being government’s spies. Surprisingly we were well-received by
communityleaders and local government council officials which was then
under theChairmanship of younger brother to Government Tompolo, the most
wanted Militant
Leader.
To our amazement, we discovered some Hausa-Fulani folks within the
hinterland
who had adopted Ijaw-land as home away from home, speaking the local
dialect
fluently and even enjoying the locally brewed gin!
It was a
scary adventure for NEMA responders as we persuaded women and children to come out from their hideouts in the bush. Their plights were better imagined as we
had to close down some schools and health centres and converted them to IDP
camps. Some pregnant women delivered babies in the thick forest; their men
languished in the bush and stayed on water as thousands other displaced persons
had scattered into the neighbouring states of Bayelsa, Edo, Ondo and Rivers.
While the
Nigerian troops were still hunting for the militants, NEMA’s reports and intelligent
information from other sources, persuaded the peace-loving President Umaru Musa
Yar’Adua, a Muslim Northerner from Katsina State to endorse the Amnesty
Agreement.
The elusive
Tompolo and other ex-militant leaders emerged from their hideouts and agreed tothe Amnesty programmes in the Presidential Villa as they surrendered their sophisticated weapons and were eventually pardoned by
Yar’Adua’s government.
The risky
decision of President Yar’Adua in embracing dialogues and approving the Amnesty
for the Niger Delta militants rather than confrontation through military might,
quickly stabilised the region, boosted the volume of crude oil production, steadied
supply of gas to electricity power stations, increased revenue to the
Federation Account and ensured engagement of many youths of that region in
various productive ventures including capacity building programmes at home and
abroad.
Precisely
seven years after, we are back to the old story as militants have staged a resurgence of hostilities through a new group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) which is attracting global media attention by destructions of oil facilities in
the region. This unfortunate development is coming at a period when Nigerian
troops are contending with Boko Haram menace in the North-East.
The
activities of NDA and other similar groups are reminiscence of Pre-Yar’Adua’s
Amnesty when the militants engaged in abductions of oil workers, especially the
expatriates; rampant sea-piracy; destructions of oil facilities and killing of
ordinary citizens and security personnel.
There are
concerns expressed by some ex-militants that the Amnesty Programme may soon be
jettisoned by Buhari’s administration as the Coordinator of the PresidentialAmnesty Programme, Brig. Gen Paul Boroh (rtd), recently disclosed that the
programme is very expensive and cannot be sustained in perpetuity ().
Coupled with
that fear are the unfounded allegations that the current administration is
after ex-militant leaders who supported Goodluck Jonathan in the last
presidential election. Some are even claiming that the prosecution of Tompolo
by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corrupt practices is
political witch-hunting.
There are
certainly those that are not comfortable with military threats to ‘crush’ NigerDelta militants like Boko Haram Terrorists considering the fact that Nigerian
troops are already overstretched as they engage in war on terror in the North-East.
The Niger Delta creek is also precariously impenetrable terrain. Such threats,
according to some critics, portray the government as adopting confrontational
stance rather than diplomatic approach at addressing the youth restiveness.
In the face
of military threats to crush the vandals, it is the unidentified militants that
are currently ‘crushing’ and crippling Nigeria’s economy through the
destructions of oil installations that provide gas for domestic power generation
and crude oil for export. For instance, after the attack on the Nigeria Gas
Company's pipeline in January 2016, the Minister of Power and Works, Raji
Fashola announced that the country was losing N470m daily.
On the other hand, the Minister of State for Petroleum and Managing Director of
NNPC, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, also disclosed that Nigeria losses 800,000 barrels ofcrude oil daily due to pipeline vandalism which easily translates to the revenue loss of over
N7bn daily.
And just
recently the Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control of theNational Economic Council (NEC) )
revealed that the Federal Government does not have adequate operational vessels
to patrol and secure the network of pipelines in the Niger Delta.
While we
must condemn the destruction of oil facilities by the Niger Delta militants,
the government should tread a political line through dialogues. President
Buhari should ignore any misleading advice as some zealots would rather want
our President to act like a no-nonsense cowboy in Hollywood movies. At over 70 years, President Buhari does not
have that youthful strength and excessive power of military dictatorship to re-enact
forceful compliance to orders because of democratic ethos.
As the
father of the nation, Buhari should employ humane and thoughtful strategies
that would not exacerbate the already tense political and economic situations
in the country. He should demonstrate exemplary leadership qualities through
compassionate disposition and diplomatic overtures to the belligerent militants
whose sponsors are yet to be identified.
Since the
most wanted Niger Delta militant, Government Tompolo, has issued Open Letters,appealing to President Muhamadu Buhari to intervene on his plight, the
government should temper justice with mercy and capitalise on that and woo
other leaders in the region for amicable solutions to the crises.
After
fruitful dialogues government should work out concrete structures that would permanently
address the plight of people whose environment provides the chunk of our national
revenue. The government should also pursue aggressive economic diversification
programmes for other geopolitical zones towards economic self-reliant and sustenance.
Yushau A.
Shuaib
Abuja
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