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Tag: amnesty

  • Lamentation of two ex-militants

    Lamentation of two ex-militants

    For some time now, there have been complaints about the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Most  times there are complaints, the leadership of the programme has always explained them away by saying the complainants were fake.  Adediwura Aderibigbe tells yet another tale of aggrieved ex-militants who traced their woes to their camp leaders

    The duo walked into The Nation’s headquarters in Lagos. The young men in their late 20s did not look an inch individuals who can foment trouble. Phillip Ukange and Avurakoghene Ogofotha said they are ex-Niger Delta militants, whose allowances are allegedly being owed. They presented identification cards to prove they were militants enrolled on the Amnesty Programme.

    Mili 3
    Ogofotha

    Ogofotha said after laying down his arms following the offer of amnesty by the late President Umar Yar’adua, he enrolled at the University of Benin. Now, he is troubled that his education is under threat as the expected source of funding has dried.

    Ukange said he was entitled to N65, 000 monthly allowance; he said he only got paid for six months.

    The young men claimed they were victims of corruption in the Presidential Amnesty Programme having being enrolled in the 2012 phase two of the initiative.

    Ogofotha said: “I want to do something meaningful with my life. I am an ex-militant of the second phase of the amnesty programme, I have not been paid since 2012 when they started paying money into the account of the second-phase ex-militants.

    “As at the time, they gave us a phone contact of a man called Tony (he said he couldn’t recall Tony’s full name) who was said to be the paymaster. We called him but to no avail. We also tried to go to the office but whenever we attempted going there they would bar us.

    “Although some other affected ex-militants have gone to lay complaints but nothing was done; sometimes we would be molested by the military men there.

    “I am not the only one, we are over hundred. Some got their money for a number of months while others were partly paid. When we disarmed, I actually started school with the hope of using the allowance to pursue my education in the university but that was not the case. It became difficult for me to pay my school fees to the extent that I had to resort to menial jobs to remain in school. As it is now, my graduating from the school is hanging in balance; I may not be graduating with the right grade because of financial difficulties. All I want is to get paid in full from January 2012 till date.”

    They said as militants they could afford all they wanted but not freedom to live and walk around. “There was money but we were not free to move around and enjoy the money. We were always staying in the bush,” said 28-year-old Ogofotha.

    He went on: “Some of the repented ex-militants might have gone back. For me, I don’t want to go back; I want to go to school and live a different life but I need the money to complete my education. I may not be able to give you the exact number of the ex-militants affected by the unpaid allowances but I know we will be up to five hundred as it cuts across different states.

    “They have influenced the list of the ex-militants, some of them have put their girlfriends in the position. They receive money that ex-militants are supposed to be receiving and they are even going for training abroad.

    “When we took our protest to Abuja in 2013, they promised that they would send officials to come and rectify the problem in Warri. They did come to find out if we were the real people documented as ex-militants. And when they came, they found out that we were the real people because they came with their own list which tallied with what was on ground. They promised us that when they got back to Abuja they would rectify the problem but since then we have not heard anything.”

    mili 4
    Phillip

    Ukange said he got his first six months payments.

    “When I noticed I stopped receiving money I called my Generale,George Esebaro. He is the leader of the group called Uti Camp which I belonged. When I called him, he said I was a very rude boy, that since I had been receiving my money I did not pay return, I did not call him let alone send him call cards so that was why he went to Abuja to block my account.

    “He told me that the people that have been receiving normally paid him some money. So, if I could not do the same, then I should not expect to keep receiving money. Since then, he stopped responding to my calls; sometimes he would pick, he would warn me not to disturb him and hang up.”

    Ogofotha offered more insight: “At the initial stage before they started paying into our accounts, the money was being paid through our leaders who were always deducting from our legitimate allowance; out of N65, 000 we were being paid, each ex-militant would pay their leader N25, 000 – sometimes we were not even paid anything.

    “Meanwhile, at a point, some ex-militants refused to comply and all allowances were blocked by the leader of my camp, Abraham Ekokotu. He had gone to court to get a documentation to back his action which resulted in the blockade of accounts from my camp called Agbalakoko Camp.

    “When the affected ex-militants stopped receiving money, they had to seek a way out and he forced them to sign an agreement even as some of them could not read, they had to sign. The accounts were later unblocked when the people succumbed to his demands.

    “It has not been easy for me going to school though my brother has been assisting me in a little way and advising me not to get involved in anything violent. When they stopped my payment, my intention was to go back to the creeks but my father did not allow me to.”

     

  • Presidency and amnesty for Boko Haram

    Many Nigerians must have  felt somewhat relieved on this year’s Democracy Day when it was announced that the Federal Government had offered amnesty to members of the violent Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

    Their thinking was that the killings and bombings that have sent thousands of innocent Nigerians to their early graves in the past few years will come to an end, thanks to the reprieve.

    They want the country to experience peace and harmony once again as soon as possible and at any cost.

    Unfortunately, they may now have to wait a little longer as their hopes were dashed when the Presidency, 48 hours after the offer, denied ever offering ‘amnesty’ to the sect.

    At an elaborate function at the International Conference Centre, Abuja tagged “A day with Young Leaders of Nigeria” to mark the nation’s Democracy Day, Minister of Youth Development, Boni Haruna had announced that the President had offered amnesty to the insurgents in order to bring the ongoing violent attacks to an end.

    He said: “President Goodluck Jonathan has also declared amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect. Series of integration programmes have been lined up for the members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace.

    “Let me use this opportunity, on behalf of the Federal Government, to call on the members of the Boko Haram sect to embrace the government’s gesture and key into the amnesty programme.”

    The programme, where the amnesty was announced, was carried live on many television and radio stations.

    The President, who spoke after the Minister at the occasion, did not make any reference to the Minister’s remarks.

    Despite the offer of amnesty, the insurgents, as if rejecting it killed the Emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Idris Timta, in an ambush involving three traditional rulers in Borno State barely 24 hours after the offer was made.

    To probably save government’s ‘face’, the Presidency, after the fresh attack, denied ever offering ‘amnesty’ to the sect.

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, 48 hours after the offer was made, said: “Let me refer you to the speech by the President. If you read the speech line by line, you will see that it contains the very message that the President wanted to put across and in that speech if you look at it, I don’t think the President used amnesty, instead he spoke about those who are willing to renounce terrorism, those who are willing to embrace peace, opportunities have been created for them through the fact-finding committee, through the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolutions of Conflict in the Northeastern part of Nigeria.

    “So, I will refer you basically to the speech by the President.”

    Some online responses to the latest development maintained that it was another incompetency on the part of the government.

    Also some political analysts believed that if the minister had erred about the offer of amnesty and the President in error of omission also forgot to correct the minister at the event, government’s response, they say, should have come as soon as possible the same day and shouldn’t have waited for 48 hours to elapse.

    There are still some Nigerians who believed that what played out was aimed at testing the waters in order to find out if the sect will actually lay down their arms and embrace the amnesty.

    This category of Nigerians believes the development could be part of a grand plan to find lasting solution to the crisis.

    Apart from the sect’s killing of the Emir after the offer of amnesty, other attacks have taken place in the country, including the killing of about 40 Nigerians when the sect bombed a football viewing centre in Mubi, Adamawa State on Sunday last week.

    On the same day, suspected members of the Boko Haram burnt down many houses, shops and two churches in Gwoshe town in Gwoza.

    Some lives were also lost on Monday last week as the terrorists attacked church worshippers in Attagara Village in Borno State.

    With all these latest attacks, some observers believe the sect may not really be interested in accepting the offer for peace to reign but are rather bent on causing more havoc in a bid to bring the country to its knees.

    If the aim of the insurgents is to destroy Nigeria, many Nigerians are definitely in full support of President Jonathan’s directive to the security agencies to apply maximum force within the law to crush its members.

    But everything must first be done to truly know the motives of the insurgents.

  • Fighting terrorism with Amnesty

    Fighting terrorism with Amnesty

    Never mind the barefaced denial from Dr. Reuben Abati, Presidential Spokesman that the Commander-In-Chief, President Goodluck Jonathan, did not offer the Islamist group, Boko Haram, amnesty.

    On democracy day, we heard the speech of the Minister of Youth Development, Mr. Boni Haruna, loud and clear, and should anyone be in doubt, here are his words, verbatim: “President Goodluck Jonathan has declared amnesty for members of the Boko Haram sect.”

    The minister added that, “Series of integration programmes have been lined up for the members of the sect who would surrender their arms and embrace peace.”

    Reiterating his earlier declaration, he emphasised: “Let me use this opportunity on behalf of the Federal Government, to call on the members of the Boko Haram sect to embrace the government’s gesture and key to amnesty programme.”

    To all intent and purpose, every line of that statement by the minister on behalf of the federal government was denied by Reuben Abati.

    How low can an administration sink when it thrives on falsehood and deceit? How can a government continue to speak with discordant tune on a critical issue like national security that requires a clear and emphatic position? Who is fooling who? When will this government show some responsibility, sincerity of purpose, courage, seriousness and true leadership to begin to actually lead? How is the citizenry expected to support the fight against terrorism when the government does not even know what it wants? We know that should Abubakar Shekau (Boko Haram leader) contact Mr. President this very moment requesting for amnesty, this administration will grant it.

    What is the implication of this for the ongoing fight against the insurgents? Is this how we will immortalise our armed forces for the sacrifice and ultimate price they are paying in Nigeria’s north east? Is this how we will honour the many innocent men, women and children Boko Haram has visited with untimely death?

    Government deliberately made plans for such declaration not to come from Mr. President to create the impression that he remains ruthless in his stand against the religious extremists.

    The greatest disservice we can do to the lives that are being lost to the Haramite’smachetes, guns and bombs, is to, in one fell swoop, blot away their atrocities and reward them with billions, turning Shekau and his Amirs – as he calls his generals – to the latest Tompolos, Boyloafs, Ateke Toms and Asari-Dokubos in town who now waltz the corridors of power.

    The proclamation of amnesty is nothing new. For as much as we know, since last year, the government’s amnesty offer has been on the table. Any attempt to declare amnesty for the vicious group now or in the nearest future will throw up more questions than answers like: When did Boko Haram request for amnesty? Why is the President offering what wasn’t requested even in the face of escalating bloodshed? Does he want to feign ignorance that the Islamist sect bluntly rejected his first amnesty offer? What makes him think they have changed their stance? Has the Commander-In-Chief lost confidence in the ability of the Nigerian security operatives to effectively wipe out the fundamentalists? Who are the sponsors of this terror groups in Nigeria? Why is it taking so long for the government toexpose them? Or are they bigger than the country?

    The emptiness and indiscretion of that pronouncement by Mr. Haruna was laid bare as the government had hitherto made an offer of amnesty to the terrorists through the Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Conflict in the North Eastern part of Nigeria. Their offer of amnesty is still on the table. So why declare amnesty again for Boko Haram when they spat on the face of the government by stating unequivocally and categorically that they don’t need amnesty but the government should instead, plead for amnesty from them. The government still doesn’t get it that these terrorists don’t flinch at the thought of getting billions from government as amnesty package.

    In a desperate and clumsy bid to bring the terrorists to the negotiation table, the government is offering amnesty to faceless people – ghosts. Such ignominious gesture is tantamount to ‘radicalising’ the youths across the country to think that the way to get government’s attention is to pick up arms against the state. We say no, to all forms of bestiality of our youths, which this amnesty charade is all about. It defies every logic and rationale that the FG even contemplated amnesty to faceless terrorists, mindless killers and maniacs that have sent over 15,000 Nigerians to their graves since their Jihad began. More than 4,000 of that figure have being killed this year alone.

    It is foolhardy to think amnesty can de-radicalise a terrorist. To the Jihadists, terrorism is a way of life they’ve come to know, a new religion and message that they are ready to die for while forcefully propagating. Granting amnesty to Boko Haram is yet another indication that the Jonathan government is at crossroads. Besides, there is more politics in this amnesty charade than meets the eye. The religious radicals have a warped ideology that everything about Western Education is forbidden. How then, can government, in the name of amnesty, send Shekau for instance, to study Aeronautic Engineering in United Kingdom or Medical Science in Australiain the guise of rehabilitation for integration? I don’t think the FG has thought this through. Amnesty or any such thing can never completely dissect this tumor out of the northern community.

    Moreover, calling on Boko Haram members to unconditionally renounce their evil acts and embrace peace and days later denying that such a call was never made must have heightened the curiosity and skepticism of the Islamist group over the (in)sincerity of the government to any peace deal.

    Dr. Jonathan, it appears, wants to exploit the window that the prisoners swap for abducted Chibok schoolgirls present to negotiate an armistice with the dreaded sect. Their demand over the Chibok girls should not be misconstrued as amnesty.

    Sadly and expectedly, the present administration has failed to take responsibility for the welfare of soldiers who daily put their lives in harm’s way in the war against terror. Nothing has been done to rehabilitate the victims of Boko Haram bombings, no one talks about taking responsibility for the bereaved families of our gallant fallen heroes in the frontlines, and no one ensures that owners of properties destroyed are adequately compensated.

    Before now, the government’s position was to crush the marauders with military might but the war is now beyond the capability and capacity of the Nigerian security operatives. Though, the posture of FG signifies the carrot and stick approach as its strategy, it is now glaring to every discerning observer that only the ‘carrot’ approach is now the Jonathan administration’s best bet.

    That the President has buckled yet again shows the FG lacks courage, political will, 21st century military equipment, personnel and intelligence to challenge and discomfit the salafist sect headlong. Begging terrorists cap in hand is tantamount to resigning to fate and handing the initiative of the terror war to the monsters. They’re now in a position of strength. This is indeed, the impetus they need to overrun the troubled states. God forbid.

    Apparently, we lived in self-denial that our security operatives were up to the task, or underestimated the capacity of the enemies to wage a potent, sustained campaign against the state.

    Rewarding terrorism, militancy and all forms of hooliganism, cultism and brigandage are sure fire highways to an irrevocable descent to a failed nation. There are handwritings on the wall that Nigeria is on the road to Yugoslavia, Somalia or Syria.

    Victims of the insurgency will not be impressed. And such victims are many: immediate and long-term victims, direct and indirect victims, individual and co-operate victims. Even the terrorists are not impressed; they want a war with the Nigerian military. They cherish a quick pathway to meet ‘Allah’ should they be killed in such duels.

    Amnesty to the Haramites is the greatest disservice to the lives lost to the insurgency, while it takes the assault on the collective psyche of Nigerians to dizzying heights.

    Ilevbare can be followed via twitter @tilevbare.

  • Amnesty trainee’s body returned to Nigeria without brain, heart

    Amnesty trainee’s body returned to Nigeria without brain, heart

    Nearly 10 months after the death of Deck Cadet Godwin Ezebri, an amnesty trainee, in Panama, South America, his remains are still lying at the morgue of the Military Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos.

    The young, promising seafarer’s burial is delayed by the suspicion that he may have been murdered. There is also the delay in returning some of the vital organs removed from his body during an autopsy carried out in the South American country last year.

    The young man, popularly called Akaba or Bribinya, was described as very bright and promising. He carried the hopes and aspirations of not only his family, but of his community and kinsmen as well as of his country.

    The bubbly 27-year-old left Nigeria in 2011 to study at Gdynia Maritime University in Poland as part of the Federal Government’s amnesty programme. He was one of the first set of beneficiaries of the divisive programme.

    Ezebri was aboard the maritime vessel MV Green Guatemala as part of his training in maritime technology when he died abruptly. Medical records obtained by our reporter indicated that he “slumped and died”, ostensibly from heart failure, on June 6 (or 7) 2013.

    Some of his relatives, who spoke with Niger Delta Report shortly after his death, said they were not convinced by the story of his death, adding that they suspected foul play.

    “We are curious because just hours before his death, as claimed by the crew, he had chatted with his brother on Facebook. He wanted his younger brother’s bank details so that he could send some money to Nigeria. Only for us to be told that he had died from heart attack. It is suspicious,” a family source told our reporter.

    More intriguing for the grieving family was that the incident occurred when Godwin was the only Nigerian aboard the vessel. Two other Nigerian cadets who were also attached to MV Green Guatemala had left the boat just days earlier.

    His remains were ferried back to Nigeria in July – barely a month later. They came without the heart, brain and other organs, much to the chagrin of his family members.

    Attempts to repatriate the missing organs, it was gathered, have dragged on for several months. Expectedly, the delay led in gaining the parts and inability of the family to bury the young man led to tension between them and the agents to the shipper.

    The accompanying autopsy and, later, a coroner’s report signed by Dr. Omar A. Zapata Coroner Coordinator of the Legal Medicine and Forensic Science Institute, Province of Colon, have failed to assuage the angst and suspicion of the Ezebris.ore worrying for the family and the amnesty office was conflicting report about the time of death and reports that Godwin had indicated his will to disembark at the nearest seaport.

    The crew master of the vessel, Capt L. Sapelevics, in his report, said he said he wished to “sign off/disembark at the next port”.

    What happened between the time he expressed that indication and his death are contentious, at least for the family.

    He reported exclusively obtained by NDR stated: “Two hours before his death the master of the crew ordered a check of his blood pressure, pulse and temperature which were all normal.”

    Two hours later, though, he “slumped and died”.

    A family source told this reporter that as soon as the body arrived Lagos, agents working for Green Reefer, owners of the vessel, made an offer of “N500,000 financial assistance” to assist his family with his burial.

    The family said they rejected the offer because they felt “there was more to the death than the company was revealing”.

    The family’s protestation delayed his burial – first by days, then by several weeks and now by nearly a year.

    The family, led by Pax Ezebri, demanded a fresh autopsy to ascertain the actual cause of death. He also protested perceived shoddy handling of the death of the promising 27-year-old by the Office of the Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta

    The aggrieved family expressed their displeasure in a petition to the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), over the matter. The petitioned raised posers about the conflicting time of death contained in the reports of Sapelevics and the coroner’s.

    They also slammed the amnesty office, saying it never at any time officially informed them officially about the death of their brother but were “only requested by phone call to come to Lagos to receive the remains of their brother and the sum of N500,000.00 for burial assistance.”

    NIMASA waded into the issue, leading to the performance of a fresh autopsy by a team of experts from a reputable hospital (names withheld) in Lagos.

    “When they opened his skull, they found that his brain was removed and replaced with a towel, which we think was a ploy to fool us. His entire heart was also missing, while other organs were sliced and shredded,” a relative of the deceased told our reporter.

    Series of meeting were held at NIMASA office in Lagos, where OSAPND, the vessel owners represented by a renowned legal firm, and Global Oil Service, which handled the placement of the deceased on the vessel.

    At one of such meetings at NIMASA office on Burma Street, Apapa Lagos on Friday, November 8, all the parties attended the meeting with a team of medical experts.

    Rather than make headway, it was reliably gathered that the meeting was rowdy and almost degenerated into a physical conflict between some of the parties.

    A source at the meeting said one of the brothers, identified as Ebiakpo Ezebri, who is a former councillor in Burutu Local Government Area, wondered why the committee was still bothering about report of the autopsy when it was clear that his brother was killed.

    Speaking further, Ebiakpo reportedly stated: “What happened was clearly a murder in Panama. What we want to know is why was our brother murdered?”

    Our source, who attended the meeting, said the family, also demanded the return of all the missing body parts. “The lawyer told the chairman of the committee that other organs returned along with the body were slashed and cut to pieces.”

    Also expressing displeasure with the situation, Pax Ezebri, the deceased’s older brother reportedly slammed the Amnesty Office for its initially handling of the messy situation, noting: “If we had taken the corpse and gone to bury as the Amnesty Office wanted, we wouldn’t have known about missing brain and other body parts.”

    It was further learnt that the family warned that they have options on how to avenge the death, adding that they were only waiting and hoping the government got to the bottom of the matter.

    “At the end of the stormy deliberation, it was resolved that other amnesty trainees aboard the vessels be brought to the next session slated for November 22, to tell the committee what really transpired,” our source stated.

    However, four months after that meeting, Niger Delta Report authoritatively learnt that the missing parts have been neither returned nor any headway made in the investigation to unravel the incident that led to Ezebri’s death.

    Our findings showed that the Green Reefer told the family that they could not secure agents or airlines willing to repatriate the organs to Nigeria.

    In one of the communications between the company and NIMASA, the shippers said: “Regarding repatriation of the organs, most airlines simply refuse to carry same considering it as human waste, even though same would be sent dry packed which means they would be basically dehydrated.

    “The travel agent is still working with courier companies however this is proving very difficult,” the email, which was obtained by our reporter, added.

    Contacted, Pax Ezebri confirmed the development in a telephone interview with our reporter on Saturday morning but added that he had received assurances through an email from the legal representative of the shipping firm that the organs would reach Nigeria by Wednesday (two days ago).

    “They sent me an email yesterday (last Friday) that they have secured an airline willing to bring the organs. So we are expecting them. Our doctors and the professors who will conduct the autopsy are prepared. We want to know what happened so that we can get it over with once and for all,” Pax Ezebri added.

     

  • Amnesty report an indictment on Fed Govt, NOSDRA, says Igbapike

    Amnesty report an indictment on Fed Govt, NOSDRA, says Igbapike

    Osteen Igbapike is a renowned environmental activist and lawyer for spill impacted communities in Delta and Bayelsa states are of the Niger Delta. He spoke with SHOLA O’NEIL on the recent Amnesty International’s damning report on Shell’s response and management of oil spill in the region.

     

    What is your reaction to the last week’s Amnesty International report on Shell and Pollution in the Niger Delta?

    God bless Amnesty International for being the conscience of the oil industry. Amnesty International has preached this sermon times without number to IOCs and their collaborators in government offices. There is nothing new in that report; it merely has restated what Amnesty International has been saying over the years that these oil companies are responsible for all the environmental woes in the Niger Delta due to negligence and sharp practices. When these facts are becoming clearer by the day SPDC in particular has been struggling to convince the world that the environmental woes are as a result of oil thieves. Amnesty’s position is a further affirmation of what we, as host communities, victims and sufferers of countless known and unknown, resolved and unresolved pollution cases arising from SPDC’s negligence and ailing facilities have been saying all these years. I am happy that Governor Uduaghan has added his voice to our clamour.

    Unfortunately, this report, like others before it, does not have the teeth of a court judgment. Shell knows this and continues with impunity in defiling our environment. The United Nation’s Environmental Programme Report on Ogoni is a case in point. SPDC and the Federal Government have refused to implement that report till date. Let UNEP, Amnesty International and other environmental rights agencies say whatever they want, Shell will not change its posture and attitude towards pollution and oil spills because the regulatory agencies and the government lack the political and technical will to enforce the laws.

    Do you see the report as an indictment on NOSDRA and similar organs?

    Not just NOSDRA, but all Ministry and government agencies jostling for the plum environmental watchdog turf. So an indictment is an understatement. Indictment is just a euphemism of the “cosy relationship” between these IOCs and their watchdogs, the so-called regulators. This is complicated by the fact that the Federal Government is the most senior JV partner in all oil businesses in Nigeria.

    This explains why the problem with spill response and environmental management is systemic and institutional. Our popular cliché of ‘Nigerian Factor’ further helps to complicate our woes as Niger Deltans.

    Now let me explain. Before the creation of NOSDRA in 2006, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), an offshoot of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, was in charge of spills, environmental management and regulating the so-called IOCs beside the Petroleum Act, 1969. DPR created EGASPIN in 1992 and reviewed it in 2002 as the sole document for oil industry best practice in spills and environmental management amongst others. This document first was not law, second the cosy relationship between the IOCs and the sole regulator DPR blighted the proper implementation of EGASPIN and it suffered from internal inconsistencies.

    Our economy being oil-driven and oil business managed by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources resulted in a conflict of interest because the Federal Government, as senior JV partner, pays the larger share.

    But you see Nigeria is not the only country with oil-driven economy. The Middle East is. The Arabs created ministry for environment. Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Environment ought to serve the same purpose but the Ministry of Petroleum Resource refuse to let go through DPR and worsen things.

    The Bonga oil spill is reputed to be one the biggest in the country, similar to the Gulf of Mexico BP debacle, how do we compare in terms of handling?

    The response and management of the BP spill in the US will tell what is wrong with our system here. What Obama did in the Deepwater Horizon incident was to sever Federal Agencies that hitherto issued permits for offshore drilling and handed that power over to a Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. According to him the relationship between the Federal Agencies and the oil companies was too cosy. In Nigeria, our environmental watchdogs are Abuja, not in Niger Delta where we have the environmental issues, they are in the same cosy relationship without any consequence and it is business as usual.

    From 2006 NOSDRA became, by law, the lead agency in oil spill response and environmental management in Nigeria. Sadly, now apart from NOSDRA, other Government agencies are juggling to have dealings with IOCs for no other purpose but to line their pockets without any proper legal/regulatory or at best conflicting legal framework. DPR has refused to let go. NIMASA is taking a fair share of the role of NOSDRA because its leadership is incompetent with little or no technical knowledge. This is further worsened by the fact that corruption has eaten the fabric of what the agency is supposed to achieve. So they just remain in Abuja receive allocation from the Federal Government, pay staff salaries and remain docile.

    So, the Bonga spill occurred NOSDRA did not know what do when NIMASA was kicking. NOSDRA suddenly woke from its slumber to slam ‘N5b administrative penalty’ whatever that means on SPDC and SPDC said they won’t pay and didn’t. The type of penalty speaks volume of the kind of leadership in NOSDRA because there is no basis for it either in law or morals. Sadly, incompetent persons are placed in sensitive positions to check the activities and recklessness of Shell and other IOCs as it affects the environment, a very important component in the wellbeing and quality of life of the people of the Niger Delta.

    I will further explain the malaise in handling the Bonga spill. The then Minister of Environment, Mrs Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia, after an over-flight of the spill area, gave a thumbs-up to Shell – a polluter of that magnitude! She did not go down there to see what happened. She and Peter Idabor the DG of NOSDRA did an over flight in a chopper provided by SPDC. They did not get down to the communities. They saw the Bonga spill from the prism of SPDC and went back to Abuja with praises for SPDC.

    These environmental watchdogs are so detached from the people in fact they do not care about the people they appointed to protect. The masters attitude is replicated in all zonal offices as the Zonal Directors take instructions from Abuja on what to and what not to do and everybody plays to the gallery and fall over themselves to get involved and be in the thick of the action without thought for the people of the impacted communities.

    On the Bonga Oil spill Procedural steps and regulations on spill management were not followed. As a result, the agency relied on figure provided by Shell, which by its own estimate, was about 40,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into the environment. Yet, nothing was done about it.

    You sound like you doubt the 40,000barrels figure?

    That is what Amnesty International is saying. Shell consistently underreport and manipulate spill figures to escape damage and liability. As I speak there have series of spills from the Forcados Terminal from the Crude Loading Platform of SPDC called the Single Point Mooring. SPDC has started the abracadabra with NOSDRA. I had to report to the Honourable Commissioner for Environment to help since NOSDRA is comatose for obvious reasons. These spills occurred on the 3/1/2012, 30/9/2013 and 5/11/2013. The polluted communities were never taken along on the constitution of the Joint Investigation Team and the JIV for deliberate reasons.

    Some top officials of NOSDRA and other regulators are very corrupt and incompetent people who ought not to be there.

    That is a serious allegation…

    Not allegation, but fact. Let me explain to you. The law provides that if there is a spill, NOSDRA constitutes JIV comprising the agency, the polluter and the polluted (impacted communities). Not just that, but they are to do that within 48 – 72 hours to ascertain the cause and extent of the spill. To establish the extent of pollution, NOSDRA should get an ESI (environment sensitive index) of the area before the spill. It would then match the ESI to the area during the spill to get the extent and what to do during and after the spill. But up till this moment, with all the resources and allocations, NOSDRA does not have that invaluable document.

    That is the incompetence. Now let me tell you about the corruption in NOSDRA. I have used this analogy before, I will use it again. In a situation where security agency arrests a thief and relies on the suspect to provide and fuel vehicles to convey him to court, also provides the courtroom, logistics, pay the hotel bills and feed the officers and give them pocket money to buy groundnut, gala and even GSM phones and recharge card, how do you expect the case to go? That is the situation we find NOSDRA in. Shell provides helicopter and the pilot, boats and driver and cars to take them on JIV. If the site is outside their area, the company also provides hotel accommodation, feeding and ‘logistics’.

    Now the situation is so bad that other agencies have seen pollution as a good hunting ground. NESDRA, states and federal ministries of environment and even NIMASA have joined because they want a piece of the polluters’ cake at the expense of the environment.

    Do you think the Federal Government is committed to fighting environmental pollution?

    No, it is not. You expect President Goodluck Jonathan, who is closest to Oloibiri, among Nigerian leaders, to understand the plight of the people, but he is not because the economy is oil driven. Nobody, not even a president who is victim of oil pollution, wants to upset the apple cart.

    The problem is when you have a government that is involved in the oil business with a JV stake of over 50 per cent and the government appoints regulators and fund them! You should wonder how there can be fair play and justice and how the agencies, which funding come from the oil business can be above board.

    What then is the way forward?

    Government should hands off oil business. It should stop funding the various agencies and ask them to generate their own fund. There is the polluter pay principle, which stipulates penalty for pollution. The agencies are not bothered about enforcing them because whether they do or not, they still get their allocations from government coffers.

    Then, duplicity of regulatory agencies is a drain on public fund. They should all be collapsed into one efficient body with powers to enforce laws and impose appropriate penalties. Government should stop creating unnecessary position and portfolios simply to settle political interests.

    How has the judiciary fared in the quest of justice in oil spill cases?

    I have been involved in dozens of court cases over pollution and I can tell you that even the legendary patience of the biblical Job is not enough to wait. You see many people who can afford it are now taking their cases against IOCs outside the country because it is difficult to get justice here. Shell and others have been severally sued outside the shores of Nigeria.

    Again, even justice is affected by the environment. I have said before that Nigeria’s economy is oil driven and the government cannot tolerate anything that interferes with its daily bread. The government has its interest and influence.

    Then there is also the justice-for-sale syndrome. The honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, Aloma Mukhtar, said there is black market justice, it also affects environment cases. Some judges are easily influenced to chase technicality at the expense of justice.

    This is very frustrating for the victims of these pollutions and it has led some communities and their leaders to endorse illegal bunkering, which is a crime that should be condemned no matter the circumstance. They do this to get their own pound of flesh from a system that has made environmental justice so difficult and far-fetched.

     

  • Amnesty: Shell’s oil theft claims for spills untrue

    Global watchdog Amnesty International (AI) has picked holes in oil giant Shell’s claims that its Nigerian oil spills are caused by theft and sabotage.

    The claims “are often untrue”, said Amnesty, adding: “Investigation into the incident have been manipulated.’’

    Shell’s assessment of the oil spill probes have been “subjective, misleading and downright false”, Amnesty said yesterday in a report.

    The report’s release coincided with the appearance of Shell and the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPRED) before the Senator Bukola Saraki-led Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology over the oil spills in Ogoniland in Rivers State.

    The analysis was carried out by United States consultants AccuFacts at the request of the London-based Amnesty and the Nigeria-based Centre for Environment, Human Rights and Development.

    “Shell is being disingenuous about the devastation caused by its Niger Delta operations,” Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty’s director of Global Issues, said in an e-mailed statement.

    “This new evidence shows that Shell’s claims about the oil spills cannot be trusted.”

    Hundreds of spills occur every year in the country, destroying the environment the livelihood of rural communities in the Niger Delta. Pipeline ruptures can be caused by corrosion, poor maintenance and equipment failure, as well as by thieves and saboteurs.

    Reacting, Shell described as “unsubstantiated” assertions that it had exaggerated the impact of crude oil theft and sabotage to distract attention from operational performance.”

    Its spokesman, Precious Okolobo, said in a statement: “We seek to bring greater transparency and independent oversight to the issue of oil spills, and will continue to find ways to enhance this.”

    Shell, which has been operating in Nigeria for more than 70 years, has been criticised for polluting the environment. In 2009, it agreed to pay $15.5 million to settle U.S. lawsuits brought by Nigerians representing Ogoniland. It denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement.

  • Amnesty: Ex-militants flay calls for Kuku’s sack

    The John Togo-led Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) has condemned the call for the removal of Hon Kingsley Kuku as Chairman of the Federal Amnesty Programme by a section of ex-militants in the Niger Delta.

    The NDLF also dissociated its members from criminal activities like sea piracy and others in the region, stressing that the the group would never embark on any act that threatens the prevailing peace in the region.

    The group’s position was contained in a press statement by its spokesperson, Capt Mark Anthony, which was made available to Niger Delta Report in Port Harcourt.

    It described reported arrest of some of the group’s members for alleged sea piracy as false and calculated attempt to smear the name of the group.

    NDLF said“The activities of some unscrupulous Niger Delta youths who hide under the cover of “ex-militants” to blackmail the hard-earned reputation of Hon. Kingsley Kuku and demanded for his removal from the amnesty office.

    “We want to be categorical in our statement that these sets of acclaimed ‘generals’ are fake as they never at any time engaged in the violent armed Niger Delta struggle. You cannot call yourself a general without a barracks and foot-soldiers or blow up any pipeline in Niger Delta only to suddenly wake up from your mother’s hut and ascribe the title to yourself.

    “The term “general” is not a child’s play. It is for those leaders of former militant camps who led their boys violently against federal troops led by army generals. General Sagir Belo and General Charles Omoregie of the Nigerian army,” the statement added.

    Mark Anthony described those calling for Kuku’s sack as “fake and street urchins”, urging Nigerians and President Goodluck Jonathan not to take them seriously in matters affecting the region.

    He said the renowned ex-militant leaders were satisfied and comfortable with the activities of the amnesty under Kuku and could therefore not call for his sack.

    The NDLF leader noted that Kuku had never short-paid or make arbitrary deduction of funds meant for ex-militants or diverted their gratuity to his private use as claimed by those calling for his removal.

    “Hon. Kingsley Kuku is a man of high outstanding integrity who had displayed efficient and robust management of the federal amnesty programme which result is the enduring peace and maximum oil production in Niger Delta.”

    “Therefore, we are appealing to Mr. President and the general public to disregard any self-styled ex-militant leader or group calling for the sack of the amnesty boss is doing so out of ignorance and selfish reasons. They are fake and do not understand how we fought the Niger Delta struggle.”

     

     

  • Niger Delta youths praise govt on amnesty

    Niger Delta youths praise govt on amnesty

    The Niger Delta Youth Leaders Administrative Council (NDYLAC) has praised the Federal Government for the presidential amnesty programme, saying it had transformed the lives of youths in the region.
    The President of NDYLAC, Mr Emeka Uzoka commended the government for the programme when he addressed newsmen in Abuja.
    He also praised Mr Kingsley Kuku, the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, for his efficient coordination of the amnesty programme.
    Uzoka said that the programme had recorded laudable achievements in the Niger Delta.
    “Mr. Kuku has contributed immensely to the empowerment of our youths, especially in the area of capacity building.
    “Through this programme, most of the ex-militants and youths have been trained as pilots, shipbuilders and skilled personnel in the oil and gas industries.
    “Also, there are engineers and other professionals among the beneficiaries of the presidential amnesty programme”, he said.
    Uzoka stressed that Kuku’s leadership of the presidential amnesty committee engendered the quality management of amnesty programme, urging the people of the region to support the committee’s activities.
    ”All we need at this time is the consolidation of the achievements and the celebration of the gains of the amnesty programme,’’ he added.

  • Nearly 1,000 died in Nigerian prisons – Amnesty

    Nearly 1,000 people, mostly suspected Islamist militants, died in Nigerian jails in the first half of this year, Amnesty International has said.

    Amnesty said some of the 950 victims were suspected to have been executed but many died because of the harsh, overcrowded conditions of the jails.

    Some starved to death. Others died after being shot or badly beaten then getting no medical attention.

    “The evidence we’ve gathered suggested that hundreds of people died in military custody in 2013 alone. This is a staggeringly high figure that requires urgent action by the Nigerian government,” Reuters quoted Lucy Freeman, Amnesty International’s deputy Africa director, as saying in a statement.

    Military spokesman, Brigadier General Chris Olukolade, said the army had not yet seen the report but would respond when it became available to them.

    The government’s habitual position is that detainees are well treated and rare cases of abuse dealt with.

    A four-year-old insurgency waged by Islamist sect Boko Haram, aiming to revive a medieval Islamic empire in Nigeria’s largely Muslim northeast, has killed thousands and brought a heavy military presence across the region.

    Residents of affected areas, as well as numerous human rights groups, have long accused the Nigerian military of carrying out summary executions of Boko Haram suspects and others – a charge it always denies.

    Privately, security officials admit such abuses are more widespread but see them as a reaction to an enemy whose vicious guerrilla tactics create a climate of fear.

     

  • Nigeria’s killings shown disregard for life, education – Amnesty

    The rights group Amnesty International said the killing of school children in Nigeria shown an absolute disregard for the right to life and education.

    In a report it said hundreds have been killed in attacks by militants and thousands have been forced from school.

    On Sunday up to 50 students died when militants attacked an agricultural college in Yobe State.

    The Boko Haram sect, which means “western education is forbidden,” has targeted many schools recently.

    Nigerian authorities were urged to “provide better protection” for schools.

    In the wake of the college attack earlier this week, officials told the BBC the government and military would work to increase protection in schools.

    On Thursday, the authorities said they had bombed Boko Haram camps in response to the latest attacks, killing “many” militants.

    An army spokesman said 15 people had been arrested.

    Amnesty has calculated that in 2013, scores of pupils and 70 teachers have been slaughtered.

    Some 50 schools have been also burnt or damaged and more than 60 others have been forced to close.

    In some cases students have been murdered in their sleep, and in others, burnt alive in locked dormitories.

    BBC World Service Africa says the report represents a catalogue of horror.

    In May, Nigeria declared a state of emergency in three north-eastern states: Yobe, Borno and Adamawa.

    Authorities launched a military offensive aimed at crushing the Islamists. Casualty figures vary widely but reports suggested hundreds of people have been killed.

    Amnesty said it is not aware of anyone being prosecuted by the Nigerian government in connection with the school attacks.