Mustapha Shehu
25 October 2009
New York — Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of THISDAY newspapers, Mr. Nd-uka Obaigbena, on Friday in New York, said the successes recently recorded in the resolution of the Niger Delta crisis were predicated on four key pillars.
He identified the four pillars as dialogue, matched by strong political will, sincere leadership backed by local cooperation and commitment.
Obaigbena added that the peace efforts are progressing in an atmosphere of give and take between the government and the local people in the region.
His explanation was in answer to a question on the Niger Delta after he had moderated a session titled: "Economic Strategies for War-torn Countries" at the Conference on Peace through Reconstruction organised by the Earth Institute and Centre for Capitalism and Society, both of Columbia University, New York.
He noted that the foreign intervention model whereby aid is channeled to the Niger Delta area would not work as Nigerians are capable of resolving their problems through dialogue.
This, he reiterated, underscores the efficacy of the solutions pursued through local co-operation and understanding.
He said the Yar'Adua administration was able to curtail the crisis in the Niger Delta region which involved armed militancy, kidnapping and sabotage among others, by employing the political model of crisis resolution through local co-operation to achieve peace and economic stability. He added that if the proposed Petroleum industry Bill (PIB) is passed by the Federal Legislature, the people of the Niger Delta would be part owners of the resources found in the region which in turn will cement the peace process.
THISDAY Chairman noted that a continued crisis in the region would not augur well for both Nigeria and its biggest trading partner in the oil sector, the United States. The unprecedented amnesty approach by the current leadership, he added, has engendered trust and created the enabling environment for genuine dialogue and confidence building to commence.
He then canvassed the adoption of the Nigerian model for internal conflict resolution by other developing countries engulfed by crisis.
Other speakers at the session included Roger B Myerson, a Glenn A. Lloyd distinguished service professor at the University of Chicago and winner of 2007 Nobel Prize in economics.
Myerson, who spoke on reconstruction efforts in Iraq, said the political model of reconstructing the Iraqi society takes precedence over the economic model currently being pursued.
He posited that the most practically sustainable post-crisis reconstruction plan in Iraq must entail rebuilding of political institutions particularly at the local levels.
Others who spoke at the session are Dr. Raymond Gilpin, Associate Vice-President, Sustainable Economies at the US Institute of Peace; Prof. Susan L. Woodward, a Professor of Political Science at The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
Dr. Michael Penfold, an Associate Director, Public Policy and Competitiveness, CAF ("Corporación Andina de Fomento"), and a former Tinker Professor, SIPA, Columbia University and Prof. Tatiana Wah, from Haitian Policy Programme Development Policy Advisor, Earth Institute, Columbia University and Assistant Professor, New School University, Robert J. Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy.
The session was preceded by introductory remarks from Prof. Edmund S. Phelps, Director, Center on Capitalism and Society (CCS) and McVickar Professor of Political Economy at the Columbia University. He was a winner of 2006 Nobel Prize in Economics.
They were joined by Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director, The Earth Institute, Columbia University and Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary General on the Millennium Development Goals. He is also a member of CCS.
The first session in the conference was entitled "Issues, Lessons and Policy Guidelines for Effective Reconstruction" and will be moderated by Ambassador Richard Solomon, President, United States Institute of Peace.
The second panel will discuss "A Change in Strategy for Economic Reconstruction in Afghanistan" and will be moderated by Thomas R. Keene, Editor at Large, Bloomberg News and Host, Bloomberg Surveillance and Bloomberg on the Economy.
Another panel will discuss "Aid, Investment and Community-based Approaches to Reconstruction in Africa" and will be moderated by Sachs.
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If three initiatives recently undertaken by the Nigerian leadership are successsful, and there is success just in the undertaking, then Nigeria would have traversed a major hurdle on the road to its development. The three initiaves are: 1. Comprehensive settlement of the conflict in the Delta region. 2. Regularization of the Banking sector. and 3. Clarifying policy on the acquisition and supply of power. Of course, there is the practical benefit to manufacturing and business houses, and the boost in economic activity that would be created in the space that the initiatives provide. Nigeria must after all find a way to establish its niche in a rapidly changing world. More important is the socio/political, and psychological space that is created by this restatement of the standards that organize the intercourse between Nigerians. The initiatives talk to a code of conduct in the business of Nigeria. They place the issue of trust before Nigerians. They present to Nigerians the opportunity to say to each other and to the world what it means to be Nigerian.