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FG vs Niger Delta militants: Same mistakes all the time

April 13, 2009

Sorry to say this, but every day that passes makes it increasingly imperative that it should be said that: President Yar’Adua’s episodic blundering on critical national issues particularly as concerns the Niger Delta region is fast becoming very embarrassing not only to the federal government itself but to the entire people of this great country.

From the President’s handling of the Niger Delta issue so far, he seemed to either have deliberately positioned himself not to take honest advice giving to him or under pressure not to do anything. And worst still a combination of the two.

The most honourable and respectful way to describe the President’s pronouncements at the 47TH National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on his roadmap for peace in the Niger Delta was to say that Mr President terribly blundered and this blunder has triggered- off chains of unpleasant backlashes from the militants.



His words at thee PDP meeting: “We are funding a re-positioned Joint Task Force to enforce law and order in the area. And we have worked out the new rules of engagement for the Joint Task Force giving it a period of six months (to do what?).

“The government has released enough funds for the Joint Task Force to acquire the proper capacity to be able to enforce law and order.

“Also, we are working on terms for granting amnesty for all those who are prepared to lay down their arms in the Niger Delta region. And this amnesty will include not only laying down their arms but reintegrating them and rehabilitating them into the Nigerian society.

This was a pure double talk. And it would be in the interest of this country for the President to choose between frankness and opacity in addressing the Niger Delta question. At least let’s know where he stands on the matter.

How can the federal government talk of amnesty at the same time declare a state of emergency or rather an all-out war against the same people or group(s)?

The federal government should either be fighting war or be toeing the path of peaceful resolution through amnesty to the so- called militants. Dangling the two options at the same time is an outright deceit. You cannot be giving the militants amnesty and at the same time equipping and funding the JTF to “clean-up” the trouble spots.

It was not surprising therefore that in its swift reaction, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) said it understood the language of war by the federal government and that it was prepaid for it.

MEND said “As the government prepares its military for war against the peace loving people of the Niger Delta, we wish to warn that the freedom fighters are ready. Our differences have been put aside to face a common enemy….”

The interesting question is: Why should the federal government be granting amnesty to a group of unidentified people the same government had originally branded as oil thieves, criminals, and arms smugglers?

You see that there is an obvious deception in the entire roadmap to peace in the Niger Delta. How can you grant amnesty to people that cannot be identified, and are not ready to be identified because they are oil thieves and criminal gangs? Has the Yar’Adua-led government now identified and recognized the different “criminal gangs” before he granted the blanket amnesty in search of peace?

It is obvious that that the federal government knows that there is a legitimate agitation caused by the criminal neglect and injustice against the region and its people by the government at the centre.

The Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs was created about six months ago and the only visible asset (not to talk of achievement) has remained the man Ufot Ekaette and co Nig. The creation of the ministry was announced without a single iota of idea on what it should be doing different from what the NDDC has been doing. So they are still studying their blurred mandate.

Six months into submission of recommendations by the Mite-led Niger Delta Technical Committee, what has the Yar’Adua-led government done with it? Nothing!

Most of the recommendations do not require constitutional amendments to be implemented as feigned in the request for a jacked up of revenue derivation allocation to 25 percent from the current 13 percent.

By implementing some aspects of the recommendations, at least, the government would have been seen doing something to pacify the agitating people of the region and have some grounds to appeal to the morale of the militants to pursue the path of dialogue. Maybe the President may have opted for similar approach in addressing the problems of the Niger Delta as he did for that of the entire country where he has taken two years to study the problems and would now require six years to solve them as stated by the PDP.

Severally, it has been said that the federal government’s nonchalance towards the issues at the heart of the agitation will only help the entire struggle fine tune all aspects of its strategy.

Now, the Yar’Adua’s PDP has to convince not only Nigerians, but the international community that it has not been benefiting from the disorder and violence by militants in the region.

MEND on Friday 10 April alleged it had a secret meeting with some PDP chieftains, where it was made some plum offers to assist the party win the 2011 general elections in the Niger Delta by rigging votes and commandeering ballot boxes.

The ruling party has denied the claim but the question is: Who would Nigerians believe- MEND or PDP?

Wallahi, Nigerians would effortlessly believe MEND knowing fully well that there is nothing the PDP cannot do to remain in power.

The spokesperson for MEND, Jomo Gbomo in an e-mailed statement alleged that “under the plan, the politicians wanted MEND to embrace the amnesty offer and demobilize but return a limited number of weapons under a buy-back programme, which would be advertised to give the public the impression it has disarmed 100 percent.

“MEND would get monthly agreed financial payments into the next 2011 administration as security consultants including lucrative oil and gas contracts.”

The PDP would not have been put into this disgrace but for another blunder by the Presidency that ordered the governors of the Niger Delta to prevail on warlords in their states to accept the amnesty announced at the PDP 47th NEC meeting.

On the whole, there is obvious covert propaganda campaign by both sides. MEND is fully informed that the government is set for an all-out hostility by its JTF. However the federal government again goofed shamefully by detailing politicians from the region to make overtures of peace to the militants as a bait and this crumbled as MEND wisely rejected the plan describing it as “evil agenda.” How correct MEND was!

IFEANYI IZEZE IS AN ABUJA –BASED CONSULTANT ON POLITICAL STRATEGY AND CRISIS COMMUNICATION ([email protected])

 

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