In his memoir, Dreams from My Father, President Barack Obama wrote “….Maybe it was that courage, I thought that Africa most desperately needed -- honest, decent men and women with attainable ambitions, and the determination to see those ambitions through.”
This is an urgent call to all well-meaning Niger Deltans in particular and Nigerians in general to try courage in the quest for peace and justice in the Niger Delta crisis. This is no time for military bravado or political manipulations. The present crisis reaffirms the truth that the solution to the Niger Delta problem goes beyond the use of arms and intimidation by some in the region.
To briefly recap, the struggle of the Niger Delta region is necessary and important. It is indisputable that the Niger Delta region has been and is being exploited from Oloibiri 52 years ago to the present day. However, we cannot fight for the development and restoration of our land and people, when in the name of resource control and campaign for the improvement of the region we resort to and support criminality by militants, corruption and abuse of power by past and present member of the ruling class.
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Nothing has done more to damage the region than the activities of government, multi-national corporations, politicians, and militants. Corruption in government and plundering of state resources by both the federal and especially some Niger Delta governors short-change the struggling citizens of this region. The militants cannot function without the patronage of the government and the oil companies in the form of illegal oil bunkering and regular monetary payment. Allegedly, military personnel have been involved in the supply of ammunition and training of militants. Politicians have also used them to exert power and influence. The militants have played major roles in electing governors, senators, representatives, and others to offices, thus seeing themselves political as king-makers and godfathers.
Niger Delta is no longer the region it was a decade ago. Together, the people of the region and the federal government have resolved to overcome the legacy of needless strife and destruction. Through negotiation has emerged a blueprint for the development of the region, as shown with the formation of the ministry of Niger Delta.
Resolving the Niger Delta crisis will require courage and reconciliation from all stakeholders in ensuring viable and sustainable development of the region. Reconciliation refers to a relationship between a victim and a perpetrator, to act of apology and forgiveness.
We should all come together and put an end to this conflict. The termination of a conflict is a beginning of a new path leading to peace and reconciliation. Justice is the only road to peace and reconciliation. I call on President Umaru Yar Adua and the militants to commence a genuine amnesty program for past criminality. A judicial tribunal should be set up to oversee this process.
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According to the United Nations Resolution on Impunity, a judicial body's goal of ending impunity aspires to bring justice, find truth, promote accountability and deter the commission of crimes, obtain remedy and restore dignity of victims, establish historical record, promote reconciliation and establish peace and stability in a society.
Reconciliation requires that all parties work together courageously to defend the basic rights and the humanity proclaimed by our Constitution. It demands that we join hands together to eradicate the poverty spawned by a system that thrived on the deprivation of the citizens of the Niger Delta region. Reconciliation requires that we end malnutrition, homelessness, ignorance, and leave our terrible past. It demands that we put shoulders to the wheel to end crime and corruption. . I therefore call on all stake holders, religious and political leaders in the region to commit themselves to peaceful resolution of this problem by calling for a Morals Summit immediately.
Perpetual fighting is a dead end, and there can be no winners. So, let’s find the courage to work for peace and celebrate our rich diversity as a people and live in peace.
Felix Ayanruoh, Esq. (LLM USA) is an Attorney in New York City
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