Peace Dialogue in the Creeks

To forestall a reoccurence of the unrest that once characterised the Niger Delta region, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, recently braved the odds to sojourn to the creeks and enclaves to dialogue for peace, Chiemelie Ezeobi reports

The Niger Delta region, found in the southern part of Nigeria, is a populous area inhabited by a diversity of minority ethnic groups. Best known for its rich oil resources, the region is also known for its continuous agitation for control of its resources. However, the quest for control has caused years of unrest and insecurity, which snowballed into militancy and kidnapping until the Amnesty Programme was borne to assuage parts of their demands.

But the region was not always known for conflict. It all started in the 1990s, when ethnic groups, most notably the Ijaw and the Ogoni established groups to confront the Nigerian government and multinational oil companies.

Citing undue exploitation and environmental pollution by the foreign oil companies, the groups had taken up arms against them. It exacerbated in 2004 as piracy and kidnappings became the order of the day.

Amnesty Programme
In 2009, a presidential amnesty program was established. This came in form of support and training for the ex-militants, who in exchange laid down arms. The programme proved to be a success as about 15,000 militants signed for presidential amnesty program.

Creation of NDDC

As part of measures to address the issues, the then administration of President Olusegun Obasanjo created the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2000. Its sole mandate is to develop the petroleum-rich Niger-Delta region.

The development is focused on social and physical infrastructures, ecological/environmental remediation and human development.

Recent Ultimatum
Apart from the crisis that almost tore the NDDC apart when calls for audit were made, the region was passably calm. However, a recent ultimatum by Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, who is the self-styled Grand Commander or leader of the dreaded Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, to cause the board of NDDC to be constituted or face a total shut-down of oil operations in the oil region, was not one to be waved off owing by the crisis generated during the infamous militancy days.

Treating the ultimatum with the urgency it required, the minister braved the odds and ventured into the creeks to dialogue with them. His move paid off as after the meeting with the elders, youths, ex-militants, the ultimatum was withdrawn and the possible crisis quelled.

For those in the know, aside the security implication of another crisis in a nation already riddled with regional pockets of insurgency and insecurity, if the ex-militants had lived up to their threats, governance might grind to a halt as the nation is yet to recover from the huge economic loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and falling oil prices.

Peace Dialogue
To address the ultimatum, the minister had first engaged in top level meetings before he set off to the peace dialogue. He embarked on the eight hours to and fro trip to Gbaramatu Kingdom, Tompolo’s enclave. His mission was to save Nigeria the challenge of blown up oil installations and Infrastructure.

Backed with a heavy deployment of military forces, he went to the creeks and succeeded in averting a full-blown fire that could cripple the already delicate economy.

According to those in the know, Akpabio had gathered that the underlying message from the militant world showed they were fed with false information, thus he felt compelled to disprove those non-factual information.

At the creeks, the minister met with Tompolo face to face, as well as with other big lords of the creeks and the elders and leaders of the region. This afforded both parties a rare opportunity to hear each other out without intermediaries and conflict entrepreneurs that may have been distorting the intentions of government to address issues.

At the all-exhaustive parley with the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Kingsley Otuaro, elders, traditional rulers and the youths, Akpabio seized the moment of the visit to explain the real challenges facing the Niger Delta region and why the inauguration of a new board will only be possible after the forensic auditors turn in their reports.

According to him, the audit was not intended to fight the Ijaw or criminalise anybody, rather, the whole essence was to chart a new course for the speedy development of the region through the frugal management of the resources allocated for the purpose and to ensure that the over 12,000 abandoned projects were completed. The new course would answer critical questions like – should the NDDC focus on completion of old projects or to start new ones? How do you do it without falling back to the rot?

He forced them to think beyond clamour for a board but to ask why for over 26 years, it was difficult to complete the headquarters of the commission and give it a befitting status in the region. He reminded them how this would be a timely stoppage of a yearly rent of N300m paid for the temporary headquarters so far in 21 years, something that has been stopped by the President Muhammadu Buhari through Akpabio.

He wondered why the people, rather than clamour for a substantive board for the Amnesty Office which pays over 30, 000 trained ex-agitators, and being run by an Interim Administration system, though an Ijaw, they looked the other way.

Lamenting at the snail speed in developing the region, he challenged the warlords to ponder over the decision of some ministers and members of the National Assembly from the region, who ordered the International Oil Companies (IOCs) to stop the payment of the statutory three and five per cent of their yearly capital budgets (capex) to the commission’s account domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This, it was gathered, paved the way for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to act on a petition to divert these sources of allocation of funds to a dedicated account tagged EFCC /NDDC account, adding that billions of naira meant for the region’s development were trapped in the said account.

It was noted that with such funds made available, other projects would be completed like the recent intervention by Akpabio to return the contractors handling the East-west Road project to site since 2015, when the project was stalled.

Harping on how Rwanda was set ablaze by false information, he reiterated the need for peace and his desire to champion the development of the region to acceptable standards.

Essentially, since a reoccurence of unrest might include the likely immediate cancellation of the Amnesty Programme that puts cash in the hands of over 30,000 youths of the Niger Delta, the danger of further driving away international oil companies (IOCs) from the region, increased unemployment, poor rentage for landlords, low patronage for business owners, the move by the minister to dialogue and the consequent decision by Tompolo and others to rescind their earlier decision and withdraw the ultimatum remains an added advantage to the current fight against insecurity and a boost for the development of the region.