The Nation Newspaper

Tag: minorities

  • ‘Minorities must be treated fairly’

    ‘Minorities must be treated fairly’

    Itsekiri High Chief Ritalori Ogbebor, in this interview with Musa Odoshimokhe, speaks on restructuring, underdevelopment in oil-producing areas and the future of the country. 

    Will the restructuring of the country promote the interest of the minorities?

    This debate had been on-going for a long time, and when we look at the various responses and positions taken by Nigerians on the topic, one could say that some people do not actually understand what the topic is all about.

    I want to make it clear that restructuring does not mean the country will fall apart. It is not a call for separation or disintegration of the country as being speculated. It is simply the call for us to get things right. The call is to ensure justice, fairness and equity in Nigeria. There is no sense in how the country is currently being managed because lots of injustices permeate the land.

    This is a country where minorities are living like second class citiz ens or slaves. Those who belong to the dominant ethnic groups dominate the political life of the country and the system seems not recognise the minorities position. Minorities don’t have a say on how the country is run. The minorities have been relegated, to the extent that the resources they produce are being managed with impunity and this must stop. They must be allowed to benefit from their God given mineral resources. In my place, the Itsekiri land, where the oil is being extracted, the whole land had been desolated due to the after effect of the oil exploration. Agricultural products cannot do well, aquatic life is almost zero and the fishing communities are finding it difficult to survive. The environmental pollution and human degradation caused by the refinement of the crude oil in the minorities’ belt is aching.  We do hope that restructuring will correct the imbalance in the way resources are allocated because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.  When justice, fairness and equity become the barometer to govern Nigeria, thing will be better. The situation has degenerated to the extent that local collaborators do not want the situation to change; some are even seeking the instrumentality of the law to perpetuate the heinous crime on their people.

    Could that form part of the reasons why you took some Itsekiri leaders to court over the management of funds meant for your community?     

    This is the second injunction I have obtained to safeguard the money meant to develop Itsekiri land. But incidentally, some people are still mismanaging the funds. I obtained the injunction to protect the Itsekiri Regional Development Council (IRDC). The funds amount to N2.1b, which was given by Chevron to develop the communities. These are areas being exploited by the oil companies. It is meant to bring the people back to normal business life, since their lands have been rendered almost useless due to oil spillages and air pollution. The funds are expected to provide schools, build clinics or hospitals for the people, and grow the cottage industries for people. These are the things that the money is meant for, but unfortunately, after over 10 years, these people are yet to see any meaningful developments despite the money given to the leaders of the communities. The negative deed of those whose hands the money fell is weighing on the people. We are brothers and sisters and that is why we marry foreigners easily because most of us are so related that we cannot marry ourselves. And for them not to feel for the people, shows how callous they are.  So, whatever misdeed carryout from one community affects the other communities. When the money is sent, the so-called elders collect the money for their personal use without following due process. This is the reason, young and promising people are moving to the city for greener pasture. Our land is losing its shine because the youths are not willing to remain in the place. Youths who manage to remain there have become vagabonds, they are now beggars, this is making people like me, to begin to get agitated and fully prepared to save the community from further destruction. We are all saddened by this development, where is the future of our children and those not yet born.

    Do you have the support of other leaders on the fund issue?

    The situation was so unpredictable until the new Olu came on the throne. What the Olu did when he came on the throne was to say that all those who have been in charge of managing the money for the development of the communities without any visible project to show for it should hand off. I think that was the best thing a leader must tell his followers. This is something that we all had been wishing; he came on the throne and set about correcting the shortcomings that had devastated the communities. There were these so-called leaders who disagreed with the Olu’s position; they wanted to continue to have the money without bothering about the people that the money is meant for. They do not have the fear of God. They do not have conscience and are not worried of the greater consequences of their action. The next thing they did was to take the Olu to court, they did not only institute a suit against him, but they ensured that they took him out of his kingdom over the matter, where he would have to be travelling to defend the suit against him.  Now, the Itsekiri people are aggrieved that they cannot take the Olu to court because when the Olu speaks from the throne of his forefathers, whatever he says is binding. It is our duty to implement what the Olu has said; it was unfortunate that about three chiefs are in this matter.

    So, what is the implication of taking the monarch to court?

    At council meeting, I told them that they should remember that they pledged to support the Olu in order to promote the welfare of the people. They should remember that the day they were made chiefs, that was the day they pledged their loyalty to the throne. Those who betray the Olu betray Itsekiri land and whatever prayer given to them by the Olu would be reverted, if they betray him and that becomes a curse. All these do not mean anything to them; they are just after the money. They went to court to stop the Olu, when we found that we could not condone the situation, we went to court and they beat us over the matter. They striped the women naked, when we protested that the court was not in our jurisdiction, they took the matter from Asaba to Ughelli and from there to Agbor. They finally took it to Effurun and I found this really nauseating. That of course was indiscipline in Itsekiri land, nobody should tolerate it. I told them when they were breaching the laws of the land and the palace that they were undermining the credibility of the Olu. You don’t play with the credibility of the throne because the throne of Itsekiri stands for credibility. There are certain thrones in the South which nobody should play with. You don’t joke with the Benin throne, Olu of Warri throne, the Alafin of Oyo throne and the Ooni of Ife. These are thrones that have stood the test of time, these thrones are very important to the society as the case may be. The emirate has it throne, so when I saw this negative trend and as a chief, I have to defend the custom.

    What has been the government response to the situation?

    These boys are using their political parties’ affiliation to oppress the throne. They have more respect for the parties than the throne. They are even ready to dethrone an Oba. They use their political power against the throne and these are the things I will not accept. It will not be in my time and in Itsekiri land will descend so low. I saw them undermining and disobeying the throne, so I went to court myself. This time I want to prove to them that they are thieves and criminals. It is not the throne that is at fault, they are the one at fault. I reported the matter to the police, EFCC and to other law enforcement agencies. That was when the Police found that seven different accounts were illegally opened. They have been misusing the money for 10 years but, I felt I should not condone that as a mother. They can bribe anybody to look the other way when things like that happen, but not me. I told the Olu that the throne has to be strong. And for the throne to be strong the people must be strong and if the people are not strong, the strong cannot be strong.

    I want to use this medium to appeal to all Itsekiri wherever they are that they cannot abandon their home because of the fear of some people. They must join hands to ensure that our villages and communities are developed. We have N2.1 billion and we still have other money that Chevron has not paid.

     

  • ‘Minorities must be treated fairly’

    ‘Minorities must be treated fairly’

    Itsekiri High Chief Ritalori Ogbebor, in this interview with Musa Odoshimokhe, speaks on restructuring, underdevelopment in oil-producing areas and the future of the country.

    Will the restructuring of the country promote the interest of the minorities?

    This debate had been on-going for a long time, and when we look at the various responses and positions taken by Nigerians on the topic, one could say that some people do not actually understand what the topic is all about.

    I want to make it clear that restructuring does not mean the country will fall apart. It is not a call for separation or disintegration of the country as being speculated. It is simply the call for us to get things right. The call is to ensure justice, fairness and equity in Nigeria. There is no sense in how the country is currently being managed because lots of injustices permeate the land.

    This is a country where minorities are living like second class citisens or slaves. Those who belong to the dominant ethnic groups dominate the political life of the country and the system seems not recognise the minorities position. Minorities don’t have a say on how the country is run. The minorities have been relegated, to the extent that the resources they produce are being managed with impunity and this must stop. They must be allowed to benefit from their God given mineral resources. In my place, the Itsekiri land, where the oil is being extracted, the whole land had been desolated due to the after effect of the oil exploration. Agricultural products cannot do well, aquatic life is almost zero and the fishing communities are finding it difficult to survive. The environmental pollution and human degradation caused by the refinement of the crude oil in the minorities’ belt is aching.  We do hope that restructuring will correct the imbalance in the way resources are allocated because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.  When justice, fairness and equity become the barometer to govern Nigeria, thing will be better. The situation has degenerated to the extent that local collaborators do not want the situation to change; some are even seeking the instrumentality of the law to perpetuate the heinous crime on their people.

    Could that form part of the reasons why you took some Itsekiri leaders to court over the management of funds meant for your community?     

    This is the second injunction I have obtained to safeguard the money meant to develop Itsekiri land. But incidentally, some people are still mismanaging the funds. I obtained the injunction to protect the Itsekiri Regional Development Council (IRDC). The funds amount to N2.1b, which was given by Chevron to develop the communities. These are areas being exploited by the oil companies. It is meant to bring the people back to normal business life, since their lands have been rendered almost useless due to oil spillages and air pollution. The funds are expected to provide schools, build clinics or hospitals for the people, and grow the cottage industries for people. These are the things that the money is meant for, but unfortunately, after over 10 years, these people are yet to see any meaningful developments despite the money given to the leaders of the communities. The negative deed of those whose hands the money fell is weighing on the people. We are brothers and sisters and that is why we marry foreigners easily because most of us are so related that we cannot marry ourselves. And for them not to feel for the people, shows how callous they are.  So, whatever misdeed carryout from one community affects the other communities. When the money is sent, the so-called elders collect the money for their personal use without following due process. This is the reason, young and promising people are moving to the city for greener pasture. Our land is losing its shine because the youths are not willing to remain in the place. Youths who manage to remain there have become vagabonds, they are now beggars, this is making people like me, to begin to get agitated and fully prepared to save the community from further destruction. We are all saddened by this development, where is the future of our children and those not yet born.

    Do you have the support of other leaders on the fund issue?

    The situation was so unpredictable until the new Olu came on the throne. What the Olu did when he came on the throne was to say that all those who have been in charge of managing the money for the development of the communities without any visible project to show for it should hand off. I think that was the best thing a leader must tell his followers. This is something that we all had been wishing; he came on the throne and set about correcting the shortcomings that had devastated the communities. There were these so-called leaders who disagreed with the Olu’s position; they wanted to continue to have the money without bothering about the people that the money is meant for. They do not have the fear of God. They do not have conscience and are not worried of the greater consequences of their action. The next thing they did was to take the Olu to court, they did not only institute a suit against him, but they ensured that they took him out of his kingdom over the matter, where he would have to be travelling to defend the suit against him.  Now, the Itsekiri people are aggrieved that they cannot take the Olu to court because when the Olu speak from the throne of his forefathers, whatever he says is binding. It is our duty to implement what the Olu has said; it was unfortunate that about three chiefs are in this matter.

    So, what is the implication of taking the monarch to court?

    At council meeting, I told them that they should remember that they pledged to support the Olu in order to promote the welfare of the people. They should remember that the day they were made chiefs, that was the day they pledged their loyalty to the throne. Those who betray the Olu betray Itsekiri land and whatever prayer given to them by the Olu would be reverted, if they betray him and that becomes a curse. All these do not mean anything to them; they are just after the money. They went to court to stop the Olu, when we found that we could not condone the situation, we went to court and they beat us over the matter. They striped the women naked, when we protested that the court was not in our jurisdiction, they took the matter from Asaba to Ughelli and from there to Agbor. They finally took it to Effurun and I found this really nauseating. That of course was indiscipline in Itsekiri land, nobody should tolerate it. I told them when they were breaching the laws of the land and the palace that they were undermining the credibility of the Olu. You don’t play with the credibility of the throne because the throne of Itsekiri stands for credibility. There are certain thrones in the South which nobody should play with. You don’t joke with the Benin throne, Olu of Warri throne, the Alafin of Oyo throne and the Ooni of Ife. These are thrones that have stood the test of time, these thrones are very important to the society as the case may be. The emirate has it throne, so when I saw this negative trend and as a chief, I have to defend the custom.

    What has been the government response to the situation?

    These boys are using their political parties’ affiliation to oppress the throne. They have more respect for the parties than the throne. They are even ready to dethrone an Oba. They use their political power against the throne and these are the things I will not accept. It will not be in my time and in Itsekiri land will descend so low. I saw them undermining and disobeying the throne, so I went to court myself. This time I want to prove to them that they are thieves and criminals. It is not the throne that is at fault, they are the one at fault. I reported the matter to the police, EFCC and to other law enforcement agencies. That was when the Police found that seven different accounts were illegally opened. They have been misusing the money for 10 years but, I felt I should not condone that as a mother. They can bribe anybody to look the other way when things like that happen, but not me. I told the Olu that the throne has to be strong. And for the throne to be strong the people must be strong and if the people are not strong, the strong cannot be strong.

    I want to use this medium to appeal to all Itsekiri wherever they are that they cannot abandon their home because of the fear of some people. They must join hands to ensure that our villages and communities are developed. We have N2.1 billion and we still have other money that Chevron has not paid.

     

  • ‘Minorities must be treated fairly’

    ‘Minorities must be treated fairly’

    Itsekiri High Chief Ritalori Ogbebor, in this interview with Musa Odoshimokhe, speaks on restructuring, underdevelopment in oil-producing areas and the future of the country. 

    Will the restructuring of the country promote the interest of the minorities?

    This debate had been on-going for a long time, and when we look at the various responses and positions taken by Nigerians on the topic, one could say that some people do not actually understand what the topic is all about.

    I want to make it clear that restructuring does not mean the country will fall apart. It is not a call for separation or disintegration of the country as being speculated. It is simply the call for us to get things right. The call is to ensure justice, fairness and equity in Nigeria. There is no sense in how the country is currently being managed because lots of injustices permeate the land.

    This is a country where minorities are living like second class citisens or slaves. Those who belong to the dominant ethnic groups dominate the political life of the country and the system seems not recognise the minorities position. Minorities don’t have a say on how the country is run. The minorities have been relegated, to the extent that the resources they produce are being managed with impunity and this must stop. They must be allowed to benefit from their God given mineral resources. In my place, the Itsekiri land, where the oil is being extracted, the whole land had been desolated due to the after effect of the oil exploration. Agricultural products cannot do well, aquatic life is almost zero and the fishing communities are finding it difficult to survive. The environmental pollution and human degradation caused by the refinement of the crude oil in the minorities’ belt is aching.  We do hope that restructuring will correct the imbalance in the way resources are allocated because what is good for the goose is good for the gander.  When justice, fairness and equity become the barometer to govern Nigeria, thing will be better. The situation has degenerated to the extent that local collaborators do not want the situation to change; some are even seeking the instrumentality of the law to perpetuate the heinous crime on their people.

    Could that form part of the reasons why you took some Itsekiri leaders to court over the management of funds meant for your community?     

    This is the second injunction I have obtained to safeguard the money meant to develop Itsekiri land. But incidentally, some people are still mismanaging the funds. I obtained the injunction to protect the Itsekiri Regional Development Council (IRDC). The funds amount to about N2.1 billion which was given by Chevron to develop the communities. These are areas being exploited by the oil companies. It is meant to bring the people back to normal business life, since their lands have been rendered almost useless due to oil spillages and air pollution. The funds are expected to provide schools, build clinics or hospitals for the people, and grow the cottage industries for people. These are the things that the money is meant for, but unfortunately, after over 10 years, these people are yet to see any meaningful developments despite the money given to the leaders of the communities. The negative deed of those whose hands the money fell is weighing on the people. We are brothers and sisters and that is why we marry foreigners easily because most of us are so related that we cannot marry ourselves. And for them not to feel for the people, shows how callous they are.  So, whatever misdeed carryout from one community affects the other communities. When the money is sent, the so-called elders collect the money for their personal use without following due process. This is the reason, young and promising people are moving to the city for greener pasture. Our land is losing its shine because the youths are not willing to remain in the place. Youths who manage to remain there have become vagabonds, they are now beggars, this is making people like me, to begin to get agitated and fully prepared to save the community from further destruction. We are all saddened by this development, where is the future of our children and those not yet born.

    Do you have the support of other leaders on the fund issue?

    The situation was so unpredictable until the new Olu came on the throne. What the Olu did when he came on the throne was to say that all those who have been in charge of managing the money for the development of the communities without any visible project to show for it should hand off. I think that was the best thing a leader must tell his followers. This is something that we all had been wishing; he came on the throne and set about correcting the shortcomings that had devastated the communities. There were these so-called leaders who disagreed with the Olu’s position; they wanted to continue to have the money without bothering about the people that the money is meant for. They do not have the fear of God. They do not have conscience and are not worried of the greater consequences of their action. The next thing they did was to take the Olu to court, they did not only institute a suit against him, but they ensured that they took him out of his kingdom over the matter, where he would have to be travelling to defend the suit against him.  Now, the Itsekiri people are aggrieved that they cannot take the Olu to court because when the Olu speak from the throne of his forefathers, whatever he says is binding. It is our duty to implement what the Olu has said; it was unfortunate that about three chiefs are in this matter.

    So, what is the implication of taking the monarch to court?

    At council meeting, I told them that they should remember that they pledged to support the Olu in order to promote the welfare of the people. They should remember that the day they were made chiefs, that was the day they pledged their loyalty to the throne. Those who betray the Olu betray Itsekiri land and whatever prayer given to them by the Olu would be reverted, if they betray him and that becomes a curse. All these do not mean anything to them; they are just after the money. They went to court to stop the Olu, when we found that we could not condone the situation, we went to court and they beat us over the matter. They striped the women naked, when we protested that the court was not in our jurisdiction, they took the matter from Asaba to Ughelli and from there to Agbor. They finally took it to Effurun and I found this really nauseating. That of course was indiscipline in Itsekiri land, nobody should tolerate it. I told them when they were breaching the laws of the land and the palace that they were undermining the credibility of the Olu. You don’t play with the credibility of the throne because the throne of Itsekiri stands for credibility. There are certain thrones in the South which nobody should play with. You don’t joke with the Benin throne, Olu of Warri throne, the Alafin of Oyo throne and the Ooni of Ife. These are thrones that have stood the test of time, these thrones are very important to the society as the case may be. The emirate has it throne, so when I saw this negative trend and as a chief, I have to defend the custom.

    What has been the government response to the situation?

    These boys are using their political parties’ affiliation to oppress the throne. They have more respect for the parties than the throne. They are even ready to dethrone an Oba. They use their political power against the throne and these are the things I will not accept. It will not be in my time and in Itsekiri land will descend so low. I saw them undermining and disobeying the throne, so I went to court myself. This time I want to prove to them that they are thieves and criminals. It is not the throne that is at fault, they are the one at fault. I reported the matter to the police, EFCC and to other law enforcement agencies. That was when the Police found that seven different accounts were illegally opened. They have been misusing the money for 10 years but, I felt I should not condone that as a mother. They can bribe anybody to look the other way when things like that happen, but not me. I told the Olu that the throne has to be strong. And for the throne to be strong the people must be strong and if the people are not strong, the strong cannot be strong.

    I want to use this medium to appeal to all Itsekiri wherever they are that they cannot abandon their home because of the fear of some people. They must join hands to ensure that our villages and communities are developed. We have N2.1 billion and we still have other money that Chevron has not paid.

     

  • Killing the minorities, slowly

    Sir: Nigeria started running the parliamentary system of government from 1960 which was terminated in 1966 by a military coup. During this time, the country had Northern, Western and Eastern regions.

    These three regions gave rise to the idea of three major ethnic groups: Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo for Northern, Western and Eastern regions in that order. Mid-Western region was later created from Western region in 1963, bringing the regions to four, but the idea of three major ethnic groups persisted as the members of such were not ready to allow another ethnic group join their fold.

    The current six geo-political zones, North-west, North-central, North-east, South-west, South-east and South-south were created by late Sani Abacha in 1995, but the three major ethnic groups still would never want other ethnic groups to represent their respective geo-political zones.

    There are over 250 ethnic groups in Nigeria. Apart from the South-west and South-east whose natives are Yoruba and Ibo respectively, other zones have many ethnic groups. I will pick two major ethnic groups from each state of a particular zone.

    In the North-west, we have Hausa-Fulani, Kanuri (Jigawa), Hausa-Fulani, Jaba (Kaduna), Hausa-Fulani, Baju, (Kano), Hausa-Fulani, Maguzawa (Katsina), Hausa-Fulani, Zuru (Kebbi), Hausa-Fulani, Zara (Sokoto) and Hausa-Fulani, Gbagyi (Zamfara). In North-central exist Gbagyi, Gwandara (Abuja), Tiv, Idoma (Benue), Igala, Ebira (Kogi), Yoruba, Nupe (Kwara), Eggon, Tiv (Nasarawa), Nupe, Gbagyi (Niger) and Berom, Mangu (Plateau). For South-south, there is Ibibio, Annang (Akwa Ibom), Ijaw, Nembe (Bayelsa), Efik, Ejagham (Cross River), Urhobo, Itsekiri (Delta), Bini, Esan (Edo) and Ikwere, Ogoni (Rivers). North-east have Bachama, Margi (Adamawa), Sayawa, Fulani (Bauchi), Kanuri, Babur (Borno), Fulani, Tangalawaja (Gombe), Mumuye, Tiv (Taraba) and Fulani, Kanuri (Yobe).

    The population of the identified major ethnic groups in percentage are: Yoruba (17.8), Ibo (17.5), Hausa (16.8), Fulani (10.3), Tiv (5.6), Ijaw (5.1) and Kanuri (4.7). Since Hausa and Fulani prefer being paired and called Hausa, it is therefore appropriate to have six major ethnic groups representing each of the six geo-political zones based on the above population ranking as; Hausa (North-west), Yoruba (South-west), Ibo (South-east), Tiv (North-central), Ijaw (South-south)  and Kanuri (North-east).

    The promotion of Yoruba and Ibo from South-west and South-east accordingly is in order but where only Hausa from North, Bini, Efik, Ibibio and Ijaw from South-south are promoted is completely wrong. Those behind such activities are either doing so out of ignorance or are intent on evil. The languages and traditions of the six major ethnic groups should be promoted and the translation of some vital information by some federal ministries, departments and agencies into Hausa, Yoruba and Ibo should also be done in Tiv, Ijaw and Kanuri.

     

    • Donald Gaadi

    Abuja.

  • Atiku to Buhari: Treat minorities well

    Atiku to Buhari: Treat minorities well

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar said Wednesday that Nigeria can show example to the world on how to treat minority groups by placing high priority to the treatment of its minorities and the way it treats them.

    Reacting to President Buhari’s address to the United Nations General Assembly, Atiku said that minorities all over the world deserve the cooperation of majority groups

    In a statement from his media office in Abuja, Atiku said President Buhari did the right thing by drawing the UN’s attention to the sufferings of Myanmar’s Rohingya people, cited by the UN as perhaps the world’s most persecuted minorities.

    He congratulates President Muhammadu Buhari on a successful outing at the 72nd Session of United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday the 19th of September, 2017.

    Atiku aligns with the President’s message of gratitude to the international community for their efforts in the Lake Chad region which has helped bring succor to Nigerians affected by the scourge of terrorism.

    “It is my sincere desire that arising from President Buhari’s speech, the UN will increase its support to Nigeria and her neighbors in the Lake Chad Region as we redouble our efforts to rid the region of the scourge of terrorism and restore peace and prosperity to a once thriving zone”, he said.

  • Sultan canvasses better treatment of minorities

    Sultan canvasses better treatment of minorities

    •Urges unity among Muslims

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has advocated a better treatment of minorities to have a just, equitable and peaceful society.

    He urged the Muslim Ummah to continue to live in unity, saying “the strength of any group is unity”.

    The monarch spoke at the weekend at the fund-raising and foundation-laying of the mosque in the palace of the Attah of Ayede- Ekiti, Ekiti State, Oba Mumini Adebayo Orisagbemi.

    The sultan, who was represented by the Deputy President of the Nigeria Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Sakariyau Babalola, said the event was significant because “this is the first time a Muslim cba is on the throne and on ground in a city of Muslim minority to receive the leader of the Muslim Ummah.”

    Babalola, who is also the president of the Muslim Ummah in the Southwest (MUSWEN), donated N2 million for the construction of the Mosque.

    The sultan enjoined the people to cooperate with the oba to enthrone peace, even as he urged the Muslims in Ayede to remain good ambassadors of Islam.

    His words: “Since the inception of Islam, Muslims have always lived as minorities in any new environment. It is only after they might have settled down and established themselves that, by the leave of Allah, their display of unity and positive contributions to the development of their community, they become the majority.

    “At the initial stage of Islam, when Prophet Muhammad and his companions were forced to migrate from Makkah to Madinah for safety from persecution of the pagan majority in Makkah, they were in the minority.

    “They were also in the minority when they established the world’s first Islamic democratic government headed by the Prophet in Madinah.

    “And if we look critically at the world today, we shall discover that the most active Muslim population is in the West where Muslims are in the minority. This further confirms that people in the minority are more active because they enjoy unity and cooperation, even  in the face of threats.”

  • Ogoni clean-up: Hope for minorities?

    Ogoni clean-up: Hope for minorities?

    Sir: The launch of the clean-up of Ogoni land in response to 2011 United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP) report marks a potential shift from previous government management of the issue of the fragile ecosystem and sustainable development in the Niger- Delta. It is indeed a remarkable achievement in itself – a product of an unprecedented non – violent struggle by the Ogoni people to redress the socio-economic crimes by the Nigerian state through the unwholesome oil exploration activities by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

    As laudable as the Ogoni clean-up appears, key question remains: Does the government have the political and the moral capital and indeed capability to resolve the fundamental issues of oil exploration and exploitation that drove the region into almost five decades of under-development and environmental degradation?

    The Niger Delta serves as a host community to Nigeria’s vast oil and infrastructure of 30 oil fields, 5,284 wells, and 7,000 kilometres of pipeline, 10 export terminals, 275 flow stations, 10 gas plants, three refineries and a massive liquefied natural gas (LPG) sector. This perhaps underscores the strategic importance of the region to national development hence the core issues of authentic reconciliation should be pursued by the federal government in line with the new threat from the Niger Delta Avengers to avoid further collateral damage and breach of peace in the volatile region.

    While acknowledging that criminality in the Niger Delta should not be encouraged under any circumstance particularly the destruction of strategic national assets, it is expedient that the government of the Niger Delta states and the centre acknowledge the tensions between peace and justice and to recognise that pragmatism and recent development indicate that justice cannot always claim primacy in nation-building efforts. While impunity for people who have committed the gravest acts of destroying national asset is morally repugnant, sometimes doing a deal with perpetrators is unavoidable and indeed necessary to prevent further conflict and suffering in the land.

    Going forward therefore, I am inclined to suggest that all options including the pursuit of full amnesty without undue political colourations must be on table. Pointedly, the real strategic options in addition to the clean–up campaign by the federal government should be a sustained peace process which can be done to accommodate the need for peace with the demand for social-economic justice particularly through the mechanism of deliberate development plan and projects of the region in a holistic manner.

    The NDDC and the ministry of the Niger Delta in my view are political sedative. These agencies of government have failed to incorporate the interests and aspirations of the people. Moreover, there has been no peace dividend for the communities, high levels of unemployment prevalent especially among youth and women. More are still displaced and remain mired in poverty, without proper housing and under constant military surveillance.

    It is hoped that the faithful implementation of the UNEP report in Ogoni land will be a sweet-smelling savour for healing broken minds and a foundation stone for restorative justice and authentic reconciliation mechanism for minorities in the Niger- Delta and the country at large. A policy and legislative reform to help improve social protection programmes and address unemployment is urgently needed to enforce socio- economic rights, including affirmative action or a bill of rights for minorities.

     

    • Samuel Akpobome Orovwuje,

    Lagos.