Ifeatu Agbu
5 July 2009
analysis
Lagos — Amnesty is the latest catch-word in the search for an antidote to the festering crisis in Nigeria's delta region.
Like a signpost, it simply directs the traveller on the way forward and it is up to the journeyman to determine the contents of his baggage to ensure a successful trip. By granting "amnesty and unconditional pardon to all persons who have directly or indirectly participated in the commission of offences associated with militant activities in the Niger Delta," President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua appears to be heading in the right direction.
The success of this new approach would, however, depend on the sincerity of the Federal Government and its ability to win the trust of a people that have been neglected and deceived by previous political leaders. Thus, the Yar'Adua administration must be ready to match words with actions for this major strategic change. Good enough, the President admitted while signing the Amnesty Proclamation that "previous attempts at meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the people" were inadequate.
Amnesty is only a prelude to finding satisfactory solution to the main cause of the crisis in the region, which is lack of development. Amnesty must, therefore, be followed with several programmes that would rapidly and significantly transform the oil-bearing communities. The need for re-orientation, training and empowerment of the youths cannot be over-emphasized. The energies of the youths need to be properly channeled towards productive ventures.
If amnesty is not followed with a proper programme of demobilization, disarmament and re-integration it will be like the unsuccessful mopping up of illegal arms in 2005, when the Rivers State government granted amnesty to militants and asked them to turn-in their guns. That exercise was abused because some criminals used it as a means of making money. They turned-in Dane guns for 250,000 naira and got better ones with the money.
There is no doubt that the Niger Delta needs a massive and urgent intervention in the mold of the Marshall Plan which the US did for Europe at the end of the Second World War. This position had been canvassed at several conferences, one of which was in the South-South legislative conference on constitutional review held in Port Harcourt in 2007.
The lawmakers said that "based on the various existing reports, studies and plans that have been produced over the past 50 years, the nation should now have a "Marshall Plan" approach to the transformation of the region and turn it into a hub for the economic progress of the nation." They warned that "time is running out and further delays in the purposeful resolution of the crises as presently exist in the Niger-Delta region will certainly not augur well for the nation."
While detailing the necessary constitutional reviews that would bring the desired changes, the legislators gave a recipe for quick intervention to douse the tension in the region that provides the bulwark for the nation's economy. For them, the way forward is the implementation of the Regional Development Master Plan being driven by the Niger-Delta Development Commission, NDDC. This road map should be a take-off point for the Federal Government to outline the development projects to be carried out in the region in the short, medium and long terms.
It is such concrete actions that would build the necessary confidence for the amnesty to work. If that happens, then the armed conflicts would abate, thereby creating the peaceful atmosphere for development to take place. However, peace has to be cultivated. You don't sow the seeds of crisis and expect to reap tranquillity. In other words, we need justice to pave the way for peace. Thus, deploying the armed forces to the creeks of the Niger Delta only exacerbates the crisis. On the other hand, building roads, bridges, health facilities, schools, electricity projects, among others, would send the right signals and strike the right cord for development and growth.
While the government pushes for development, it needs the cooperation of all the stakeholders in the region for meaningful progress to be achieved. Here, it is important to rein-in the youths who have resorted to violence to force the hands of government. More efforts must be made to change the mindset of the youths by training them to use non-violent means to achieve their objectives.
The Non-Violence Training Programme for Youths initiated by the NDDC has been widely acclaimed as a practical way of curbing the spate of militancy in the region. The scheme, which was introduced as part of the strategies adopted by a Think Tank on the Niger Delta, is to serve as a reforming programme for youths who may have resorted to anti-social activities as a result of unemployment.
Beyond making the youths the apostles of peace, they should also be put through skill acquisition pragrammes to arm them with the knowledge that would ultimately give them a legitimate means of livelihood. What has been gained through the non-violence training must be sustained to ensure that they do not relapse into another round of romance with violence. This can be achieved by making sure that the youths are gainfully employed. There is no faulting the adage that the devil finds work for the idle hand.
There is a need for militants to change their strategy to make sure that the gains of the struggle are sustainable so that they can benefit the people in the creeks. Blowing up of pipelines inflicts more pains on the ordinary people, destroys the ecosystem and renders Niger Delta farmers and fishermen jobless as well as increase the level of diseases and other environmental hazards. It is not the kind of struggle the people bargained for. We want a struggle that will enhance the living standard of our people. Not the other way round.
The report of the Niger Delta Technical Committee offers another unique opportunity to holistically transform the neglected region that produces over 90 per cent of Nigeria's wealth. It is surprising that the recommendations of the Ledum Mitee committee are still not being implemented. Perhaps, this has helped to reinforce the impression that the Federal Government is not genuinely interested in addressing the development challenges of the oil-rich region.
The Mitee committee harmonised all previous recommendations on how to fast-track the development of the Niger Delta region. One such recommendation is on the ever controversial issue of resource allocation. The report said the allocation of funds from national oil and gas revenues to the region should be increased to 25 per cent, up from 13 per cent, in order to finance new infrastructure. It is pertinent to recall that before the advent of oil, derivation was as high as 50 per cent. Then, the major sources of national revenue were cash crops produced mainly by the major ethnic groups in the country. If one may ask; why is it that the derivation that was good for the major ethnic groups is not good for the minorities?
The report also urged the Federal Government to pay the outstanding debts (about N326 billion) it owes the NDDC so that the commission will be better placed to deliver on its mandate. If this debt can not be paid at once, it can be paid in instalments. Since the debt is a statutory obligation, it can never expire.
The objective of granting the general amnesty will only be achieved if Niger Deltans see Mr. President as truly committed to addressing the injustice inherent in neglecting the development of the region, which produces the wealth of the nation.
Agbu wrote from Port Harcourt
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