Group Exposes Conflict Triggers in Niger Delta

Group Exposes Conflict Triggers in Niger Delta

CIVIL society group, Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN) has exposed what they consider as potentially dangerous conflict triggers in the Niger Delta, Nigeria's troubled oil and gas region

The group therefore, wants President Goodluck Jonathan, to urgently tackle the Niger Delta problems in a bid to avert another cycle of violent conflict.

Mr. Inemo Semiama, spokesperson for the SDN in an on-line statement to AkanimoReports on Tuesday, harped on the amnesty programme, the stand off between Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State and other political actors, the James Ibori affair in Delta State, and the demolition of houses in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

SDN is claiming that the amnesty programme lacks direction, pointing out that media and diplomatic sources complain that they have seen nothing new in weeks.

According to the group, ''the government process has in fact taken two partial steps - the former Amnesty Committee has been dissolved, the Minister in charge, Godwin Abbe has been removed and a new Minister for the Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe has been appointed. Timi Alaibe, the former managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), has also been appointed as a special advisor on the region with overall responsibility for the amnesty process''.

Continuing, they said, ''however none of this has resulted in any real progress on the sketchy plans that were first drafted almost a year ago. As the drift continues the risks of incidents, the election cycle, and disgruntlement triggering fresh conflict increases. Each month closer to the elections also increases the level of political distraction that can alone stall any significant initiative''.

''One critical problem that is often overlooked with regard to the Niger Delta is that policy formulation is handed to political actors who have little or no experience with developing coherent and integrated plans. Their normal working environment - which consumes most available time- is focused on fire fighting political contests and dividing sources of patronage. Little has yet changed between the Yar'Adua and Jonathan regimes in this regard'', they added.

SDN, according to Mr. Semiama, is arguing that if the window of opportunity is not to be lost then the President Jonathan needs to acknowledge that he must have a plan or continue to run the risk of a monumental failure that could occur within weeks or months.

They said the first step will be to create a working environment for policy formulation that is sufficiently removed from the politics to allow real work to be done.

This, SDN said, will require co-opting or utilising individuals who have necessary experience. One possibility is further utilising the Presidential Advisory Committee to kick start the process, where Emeka Anyouku, the former Commonwealth Secretary General, heads a sub committee on the Niger Delta. ''This could be combined with reaching further outside for experts and also draw on drafters of the Niger Delta Technical Committee Report. Any credible variation on the above would be virtually assured of international support- as technical assistance has been repeatedly offered with little uptake'', they added.

Semiama said SDN believes that civil society groups, the media and the international community can help this process by pointing out the obvious without being unreasonable, pointing out that as pleas to date for improved plans have failed to promote action the message may need to be blunter- the President needs to hear clearly that existing plans for peace in the Niger Delta are utterly inadequate and that he must give the issue fresh impetus or risk a major failure.

''We have repeatedly described the current situation as unstable and vulnerable to conflict triggers that could set off fresh fighting without further warning. Examples of possible flash points have emerged in the past month in Bayelsa and Delta states'', SDN said.

According to them, ''in Bayelsa State the stand-off between Governor Sylva, and a swathe of other political actors(including his deputy) continues to worsen. All sides accuse the other of corruption. Sylva claims to be running a state administration that is broke, burdened by debts from the previous administration.

''Despite forging agreements with the World Bank and a range of other donors motivated by transparency pledges, there has been no explanation of why a state with a cash flow of hundreds of millions of dollars cannot restructure and mount even a semblance of normal government. Sylva is also under increasing pressure from corruption investigations by the EFCC and others which have led to the arrest of several of his senior finance officials.

''The danger in this situation is that all sides show a readiness to resort to violence to defend their interests. The groups mustered against the Governor are accused of using political connections to involve the EFCC while the Governor is alleged to be drawing "former militants" ever closer as a presumed last ditch shield to his arrest or removal. On Monday, a car bomb exploded on the street of the Deputy Governor's house which all but guarantees further escalation of tensions''. ' In Delta State, they said there has been a ''farcical'' attempt to arrest former Governor James Ibori on fresh money laundering charges.

''A police team sent to his village was rebuffed - with differing accounts as to whether they were beaten, shot at, or merely turned back. It is possible that Ibori fears extradition to the United Kingdom (on money laundering charges) or fresh detention in Nigeria but his response has mounted a direct challenge to the Jonathan administration and the rule of law. There is also little doubt that he is capable of using his considerable wealth to generate further conflict if it will secure him leverage over his latest difficulties'', SDN said.

Continuing, they said both situations present risks that militants will be used either as proxies or directly by political actors, insisting that the amnesty process in its present rickety form will do little to moderate these risks and the potential for escalation is obvious.

They added, ''as federal political actors are involved in both cases oil facilities could once again become a pawn in any further conflict''.

SDN said the Federal Government may stumble through crises in both Bayelsa and Delta states, ''but to overcome the now routine resort to violence by political actors the government will need overwhelming support from communities, local civil leaders and government bodies. This can only be secured through a peace plan that wins commitment from all quarters''.

In Rivers State, they claimed that the issue of demolition of houses in Port Harcourt has been relatively quiet since a number of residents were killed in the Bundu waterfront area when security forces sought to forcefully advance demolition preparations.

But, after a lull, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, the state commissioner for works has told local media that he will resume demolitions in one of the nineteen waterfronts - Abonemma Wharf - this May.

''The fundamental issues have not changed. While compensation has been offered to some landlords the demolitions will displace thousands immediately and many more if the demolitions spread to other areas as planned'', SDN said.

The group is saying that there is still a pressing need for actors engaged with the Rivers State Government to remind them that they cannot claim to be stabilising their state at the same time that they are planning mass displacements.

ENDS

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