After about 19 months in office, the Buhari administration opted for a change of strategy in handling the crisis in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. The 2015 general election had shown that the people of the region stood with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that fielded Dr. Goodluck Jonathan as its presidential candidate and voted massively for him. Unfortunately, the political contest did not end with the election. No sooner did General Muhammadu Buhari assume office than a new militancy group – the Niger Delta Avengers – emerge. The group swore to bring the Federal Government to its knees. Week after week, crude oil pipelines were vandalised and oil workers abducted. Consequently, crude oil production plummeted from 2.2 million barrels daily to a little over one million barrels. This was at a time when the price of the commodity on which the federal revenue depended suffered a significant decline. It was a crisis.
The Buhari administration responded by wielding the big stick. Heavily armed soldiers were deployed to crush the militants. Helicopters, warships and armoured personnel carriers were sent to pummel the militants to submission. President Buhari pledged to hammer the saboteurs in the same way he had moved against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North. But, the haemorrhage continued.
However, realising that the nation’s economy continued to bleed, the administration changed gear towards the end of 2016. It initiated dialogue sessions with elders from the region and promised reconciliation. In the President’s New Year Speech, he pledged that new initiatives would be unfolded in the year. Acting President Yemi Osinbajo’s shuttle diplomacy that has taken him to states in the zone, and saw him meeting with a cross-section of the people, including elders, traditional rulers and the youth, appears to be yielding fruits. Oil production has since shot up to about two million barrels per day, while the creeks are now relatively calm. This is the road to travel. We note that in one of the sessions the Pan-Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) held with President Buhari last year, a 16-point demand was made.
During his visit, Acting President Osinbajo announced that the government had acceded to the demands. He promised that the National Maritime University at Okerenkoko would soon take off. To demonstrate seriousness, too, he said the Ogoni environment clean-up scheme which he launched with fanfare last year had commenced, with Shell making an initial contribution of $10 million. The Board of Trustees has swung into action and it is expected that, in accordance with the agreement by all, SPDC will contribute $200 million before the end of 2017.
Professor Osinbajo promised that, “the Ministry of Petroleum, in collaboration with the oil companies, is working on several initiatives for host communities, including working with illegal refiners in oil-bearing communities to participate in modular refineries to be established. There is no doubt that thermal power stations should be stationed here, it makes sense; the gas deposits are here.
“The biggest benefit we can obtain is to attract more investment to the region. But investors have a choice. They will go where they find an enabling environment, especially security. It is up to us as government and people to assure the necessary enabling circumstances for investment.”
This is the crux of the matter. The elders must find a way of permanently reining in their young hot heads if peace is to reign and investment is to be drawn to a territory that has been neglected for so long. We urge all the stakeholders to accept the olive branch from the government, realising that all the wrongs of ages, including those by their own state and local governments, cannot be remedied in one year.
Governments in Nigeria have a reputation for breaching agreements. We hope the Niger Delta case would be different. Equity and justice are the bedrock of modern development. Unless the governments in Nigeria deal equitably with the communities and people in all parts of the country, the future may remain bleak. As the Acting President acknowledged, the Niger Delta is the region that lays the golden egg and, if treated well, it could yield even more. The people have valid points in calling for attention to the neglected environment. If both sides live up to the demands of the moment, the country’s future is indeed bright.
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