danlaminmodu@yahoo.com

Ordinarily, everyone should support any attempt to end the criminal angle to the mess in the Niger Delta. Kidnapping of innocent citizens -including children ,aged men and women who  have been taken for ransom- became the order of the day .Innocent relations of prominent politicians have also suffered in the hands of kidnappers masquerading as  militants . Such criminal acts left many wondering why? But it was the recent seemingly endless kidnap of oil workers especially foreigners  and attacks on oil installations that  heightened  international concern  over the  intractable insecurity in the Niger Delta.

For a region that is rich in oil , naturally, insecurity in the area has domestic and international consequences  .Oil prices in recent times have had to rise or fall in accordance  with the wave of in violence  Nigeria’s Niger Delta .The environmental degradation that has trailed the activities of oil companies remains a burning issue . Shell remains in the eye of the storm in the aftermath of the Ogoni crisis which resulted in the judicial murder of late activist Ken Saro -Wiwa by the late General Sani Abacha junta.

On the domestic scene, Nigeria’s economy which relies largely on oil revenue has taken a nosedive   on the heels   of   the global financial meltdown . And the instability in the oil market has dealt major blows to government budgets at Federal and state levels. In fact, the inability to develop the Niger Delta region should be a major source of worry to all.

Several reasons including ludicrous ones have been given for the failure to develop the region .Much earlier ,politicians often argued that it was difficult to build infrastructure such as roads in the Delta because of the terrain .The curious argument was that it would cost several times more than the normal rates to build such facilities .I have never bought such arguments .I know it is fraudulent, defeatist  and escapist to say that a place where you make so much from should be left undeveloped because of natural factors .This is especially so because technology  resulting from various forms of human advancement has made this inane argument untenable.

Actually , no one talks about the terrain anymore. Why? Because some interventionist  measures bordering on tokenism have been taken to assuage the people .The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and the recently established Niger Delta Ministry have been saddled ,if you like with the task of combating the allegedly treacherous terrain .But in other parts of the world, structures have been built in spite of natural hindrances .All that always matters in the face of  a challenge like this  is the political will to do what is right.

What is even more interesting is that the realization that tokenism has not worked .And now the problem of lack of development is blamed on the militancy .The truth is that militancy in the Niger Delta apparently is also a creation of the political elite who used the young men to battle opponents especially during the 2003 elections and these ‘boys’ have now found the weapons useful sadly ever after in the advancement of the Niger Delta cause .The boys have become men in their own rights building territories under their control in the creeks .This has given rise to disruptions in the flow of oil as illegal  oil bunkering has become the next best means of survival for the militants .The argument is that  oil belongs to the Niger Delta and  it is fair for the militants to embark on bunkering .The boys have always insisted they have no apologies for that.It is made worse because some governors seem to believe appeasement will work. Only Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers has remained defiant against appeasement .Others seem to prevaricate to the peril of all.

The Nigerian federal  officials openly disagree with the militants and have labeled the problems in the zone as  issues of top priority .Sadly even the  federal government  has taken confusing steps to combat the criminal acts  including some  sort of engagement like the visit by the Vice President Goodluck Jonathan to the creeks. None of these measures  has worked as the   centres of militancy keep shifting from Rivers to Bayelsa and Delta states  like a revolving door.

For about two weeks now, there has been some sort  full-scale war in the creeks .The Nigerian military launched full scale offensives against the militants -led this time by Tom Polo .Militancy in the creeks has in recent times equally produced several leaders from Asari Dokubo, to Ateke Tom ,Henry Okah , renowned spokesperson like Cynthia White and now  Tom Polo among others .But even as the casualties of this latest  war on militants  mounted on both sides last week, it was obvious -after reviewing reports from the grapevine-that the military offensive has raised more questions than answers.

Basically, it was clear to me that the policy of appeasement has not worked .I believe it cannot work because none of the sides is honest about the issues as yet. It is becoming increasingly clear that neither NDDC nor the Niger Delta Ministry can solve the core issues of environment degradation and outright pauperization of the mass of the people. Tokenism is not a permanent cure for a cancerous situation that the Niger Delta problem has become .That is why there are people insisting that raising the revenue sharing formula based on derivation  is the best way out .Allow the people greater control of their resources .When such derivation percentage is raised ,then a mechanism aimed  at ensuring transparent governance should be instituted.

 It must equally be stated that this problem has deepened because it   also seems the Nigerian state failed to take side with the people. The state has always chosen to align fundamentally with the oil companies .Even more, Nigerian leaders bought the argument from the multinationals and saw activists like Saro wiwa as the problem .So, rather than solve the problem of poverty, injustice, degradation and outright  genocide against the people and the environment   which the oil spills have unleashed, Nigeria chose to tackle the activists.

But there appears to be a more disturbing twist in the tale now. Last week, there were clear insights from newspaper reports and rumblings by those who know, that the war going on in the creeks is laced with hypocrisy . We hear  that the militants and some of the  military personnel may have in fact become  “friends, partners  and or competitors in the illegal oil bunkering business”. Expressions like, “they know themselves, they just disagreed on sharing formula” and other unbelievable reports also unfolded  as the war raged .That is why those who claim to know what is happening are calling for a total overhaul of the measures aimed at checkmating the militants .There are unsubstantiated claims that some military personnel in the zone have become part of the illegal business .And these facts are known to the militants .There is equally yet to be proven claim that some personnel too have become owners of expensive mansions in Nigeria and overseas especially in the United Kingdom after successfully participating  in ,or taking their  share of the Niger Delta Loot .Are these claims true? Is the government aware   of these? Or are they outright propaganda against the hard fighting soldiers who seem to be sacrificing lives and limbs for their father land? Only a full scale investigation may unravel the truth   .The big question is: are Nigerian soldiers being used as pawns by top military   officers and perhaps politicians to feather their nests ? Only time will tell.