Niger Delta: The extremities of Nigerian consciousness

On 13 May 2009, the Joint Task Force of the Nigerian military began its latest campaign of violence against Niger Delta communities. It used ground troops, tanks and helicopter gunships to attack towns and villages in the Warri South West, [Delta State"> region. In all, nine towns and villages have been attacked. In addition, over the past week, two towns in Rivers State – Abonnema and Buguma – have also been under attack.

The Niger Delta has been subjected to a continued military campaign since 1990 when the town of Umuechem in Rivers State was ransacked by the militia known as the Mobile Police [MOPO for short). The campaign then became centered on Ogoniland, culminating in the judicial murder of the ‘Ogoni 9’, including Ken Saro-Wiwa. However it was under the civilian government of President Obasanjo that the three states – Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers – became under occupation and the attacks against people and property were escalated.

The latest attacks are the most ferocious to date as bombs were indiscriminately dropped on heavily populated towns and villages with no concern for civilian deaths and injuries. As the government have enforced a media ban, it is difficult to assess the number of deaths and displaced. Estimates on the former range between hundreds and 2,000 (Sahara Reporters) with a further 20,000 displaced people who have had to flee their homes.

In a recent post I made the comment that the response from the Nigerian blogosphere has been disappointingly sparse.

To be frank, I expected to read that were Nigerians outraged by this attack on their fellow citizens by the Nigerian military, especially since the Nigerian mainstream media has been uncritical. Unfortunately there wasn’t as much as I had hoped and hope is all too important in the struggle against tyranny.

Chidi opera reports has a number of reports on the Niger Delta including one which the writers claims that the PDP tried to recruit one of the top militant leaders Mr. Government Ekpumupolo aka Tom Polo.

The whole story sounds very sinister, with former disgraced Bayelsa State Governor of transvestite fame, Diepriye Alamesigha as the contact man. What the story does suggest is that there are communication channels between the militants, the oil companies and the Nigerian military, which on some levels seems rather too friendly for purported enemies.

In a later post, they report that the top positions of the Niger Delta quango – the Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) may not be appointed without the approval of former President Obasanjo. However on 31 May, the blog reports that it will be ‘scaling down its operations for security reasons’.

Throwing more light on this decision, the publisher/editor-in-chief, Mr. Chidi Anthony Opara told one of our network members in Owerri that, ‘It has become necessary to scale down our operations because of the need to protect our network members and contacts, most of whom the security agencies I learnt, have started closing in on.’

Nigerian Curiosity comments on the current ‘fuel crisis and resulting violence in the Niger Delta’. It is not clear but I don’t believe there is a direct correlation between the two. However s/he states:

‘Civil society and ordinary individuals bemoaned the current fuel shortage and groups like the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) took to the streets in protest. The government soon reached out to explain that the shortages stemmed from its attempts to fight the “cabals” (or oil mafia, as some refer to those in control of illegal bunkering) and even the NLC gave some limited/temporary support of the government's efforts.’

This implies that the decision to invade the Warri South West was in order to put a stop to oil bunkering in the area. However as Nigerian Curiosity points out – their are many players in the oil bunkering business – government officials, the military, international business and some of the militants and considers that the focus on MEND is a ‘distraction’.
I strongly believe that just as the government has chosen to put on a show of proving that it will root out militants, it must show the people that it will root out those in control of illegal bunkering, and by that, I mean the domestic and international interests who directly impact and control fuel supply in the country.

Personally, I cannot help but wonder if this war with MEND, at this particular time, is not a diversionary tactic to confuse the issues.

Waffarian has an angry post in which she criticises the Nigerian press for the failure to comment or even report on the attacks and the general lack of interest from the Nigerian public.

‘WHAT IS THE NIGERIAN PRESS DOING? NOBODY KNOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING. IS DELTA STATE NOT A PART OF NIGERIA? WHY IS NOBODY COVERING THIS FUCKING OFFENSIVE THAT THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT HAS EMBARKED ON? WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING? WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY KNOW ANYTHING?

WHY ARE PEOPLE NOT TALKING ABOUT THIS?

WHY DOES NOBODY CARE?

I DON'T GET IT. WHY ARE PEOPLE IN OTHER PARTS OF NIGERIA NOT CONCERNED? I DON'T GET IT...’

Nigeria Whats New? informs us that in February this year, President Yar’Adua made a promise to the UN Human Rights Council that he would not engage in any military action in the Niger Delta for ‘risk of loss of innocent lives’. However he has ignored his promise and now thousands of civilians are under fire.

Civilians are now bearing the brunt of this violence as thousands of villagers displaced and thousands more trapped in the cross fire. Scenes of the unthinkable, Biafra? Former President Obasanjo wrote the militants off as thugs and criminals but now, a war has broken out against the so-called freedom fighters who insist that the region should control its resources totally. The federal government is blaming among many the collaboration of foreign business. There are many questions about this war.

Black Looks also has a number of reports and commentary on the latest military attack against Nigerian people. In ‘Back to the Future’ she reports the statement by Senator from Kebbe, Mohammed Ibn N’Allah, who said 20 million Niger Deltans are expendable in order to save Nigeria.

‘What is happening in the Niger Delta is pure criminality of the highest order, arising from total disregard for constituted authority. In Iraq, thousands of people lost their lives because of an insurrection against the government during the reign of former Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein. We can do away with 20 million militants for the rest 120 million Nigerians to live.’

In ‘Truths and Untruths’ she writes:

‘My thoughts are that instead of focusing on the militants, lets look at the Nigerian military state and try and discern a more truthful perspective. What is their record in the Niger Delta? Umuechem October/November 1990; Ilaje community in 1998 (the case against Chevron which took place in December last year); Oleh, Ozoro, and Olomoro towns in Isokoland in 1999; Ogoni between 1990 through to the judicial murder of the ‘Ogoni 9’ in November 1995; Kaiama and Odi towns in January and November 1999; the rape of women by soldiers in Choba (Ikwerre) in 1999; the attacks on communities in Delta state by the Nigerian military on behalf of Chevron in 2002.

These attacks took place before militants took up arms at least on the present scale. The rhetoric coming from the Nigerian military state and its leaders including those in the Niger Delta states is that the militants are a threat to the security and sustainability of Nigeria. But if we are truthful we find that the danger actually comes from the militarisation of Nigeria’s governance, which is only thinly veiled by the second civilian republic. Human rights abuses and collective punishment together with the ongoing partnership between the military state and multinational corporations are a threat to us all. Who knows when it will be your community that is attacked with such wanton display of power and guns.

* Sokari Ekine blogs at Black Looks.
* Please send comments to [email protected] or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.