Dear Prime Minister Gordon Brown:The Niger Delta Solidarity Campaign thanks the Prime Minister very much for the timely response to our letter calling attention to the acts of terror being perpetuated by the Nigerian Government against the innocent people of the Niger Delta. The reply was signed by Mr. Steve Seaman of the Africa Directorate (Southern Central and West) and dated 12 June 2009.
WE SAY NO TO BRITISH MILITARY ASSITANCE THAT SUSTAINS CORRUPT RULE
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With regard to British military assistance in Nigeria, we would like to draw your attention to a recent article on the Nigerian Daily Sun, Wednesday July 8, 2009 on the visit by the Director, Policy and Plans (International) Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom, Mrs. Teresa Jones to Nigeria, during which the Nigerian Minister of State for Defence, Chief Demola Seriki made an appeal for military assistance from Britain to arrest the situation in the Niger Delta, because according to him “it portends grave danger to Nigeria’s democracy”. We urge the British government to refuse any requests for military assistance to the Nigerian government as well as any further military involvement in the Niger Delta as it can only lead to more atrocities and massacres in the Niger Delta, and consequently more disruption of oil facilities in the region as the last military operations by the Nigerian Armed forces Joint Task Force (JTF) have shown. Further military action will only compound the problems that are manifested as reduced oil production/output and the destruction of lives and properties in the Niger Delta. The Niger Delta situation does not portend grave danger to democracy, nor is the Niger Delta a threat to democracy in Nigeria, rather it is the actions of the misguided rulership of Nigeria that is a continued threat to, and is endangering democracy.
We at Niger Delta Solidarity Campaign do not condone violence against civilians by anyone - the JTF or militants. We the people of the Niger Delta would like to reiterate again our opposition to a military solution to the Niger Delta crises. We implore the British government to use it’s good relations with Nigeria to prevail upon the Nigerian leaders to allow international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union to mediate in this long lasting conflict.
RETERIERATING THE MAIN CAUSES OF THE CRISES
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The current Niger Delta crises, where a lot of oil and gas installations have been shut down can be traced to a number of factors, namely;
1. The continued gas flaring that affects the health and well-being of the Niger Delta people, but also contributes massively to global warming which affects the whole planet.
2. The continued environmental pollution caused by constant crude oil leakages and bad industrial practices that destroy the Niger Delta farmlands, creeks and rivers, which destroy our livelihood and our way of life.
3. Failure by the central government to address the inequalities of resource/revenue distribution from oil and gas exploitation.
4. Massive corruption by public officers
5. And the use of the Nigerian armed forces in the form of the J.T.F to terrorize, brutalize and commit atrocities to stifle genuine and peaceful demands, and cover up for official oil theft.
These are the main factors that are endangering democracy in Nigeria. And Britain providing further military assistance to Nigeria’s armed forces can only compound an already worsening situation, which will lead to intense civil conflict, massacres, genocidal acts, and international refugee crises that the West Africa sub-region cannot cope with.
The Niger Delta Solidarity Campaign (NDSC) understands that multinational companies connected to Britain have large investments in the Niger Delta and are rightly concerned about the security of their investments. The people of the Niger Delta are peace loving and do not regard or see Britain or its associated multinational firms as their enemy. Rather, in the process of trying to protect the environment and its people from extreme exploitation and central government victimization, temporary measures are sometimes resorted to by direct action groups to call attention to the plight of the Niger Delta. The people of the Niger Delta welcome dialogue and constructive engagement as the way forward for the sustainable exploitation of oil/gas resources in our homeland. This is where we believe that Britain has a major role to play.
BRITAIN NEEDS TO ACT NOW
The imperative that drives and sustains democracy in Britain is not different from the yearnings of the Niger Delta people and Nigerians in general – A society of social justice, equity and participation for all. It is universally understood that national security and democracy are best served when there is an investment in programs and infrastructure within national borders that gives a lifeline to its citizenry to participate and excel.
We call upon the British government to partner and collaborate with the genuine stakeholders, Nigerian federal authorities, Niger Delta State governments and other international aid organizations to embark upon the urgent and much needed development initiatives that will usher in a new era of peace, harmony and prosperity in the region.
In Nigeria, over 50 years of oil and gas exploration and exploitation in Ijawland and Niger Delta territories has made our land the poster definition of the paradox of plenty. Since 1957, when oil and gas exploration began in Oloibiri in commercial quantities to date, over a trillion dollars have been generated. This astronomical wealth has gone into the pockets of a few – The leaders and their friends and allies, while the people of the Niger Delta continue to wallow in abject poverty with no good roads, schools, hospitals, industries or modern cities to show for all the wealth that have been generated from our land.
EXTRAJUDICIAL KILLINGS
We would also like to raise the issues of the numbers of civilians that have been killed, injured and the livelihoods destroyed by the recent onslaught by the Nigerian Army's Joint Task Force. As stated in the reply sent to us, “it is difficult to estimate the exact numbers of civilian lives affected”. However this is not due to the area being isolated. On the contrary the areas attacked including the following towns, Okerenkoko, Oporoza, Kunukunuma, Kurutie, Peretorukorigbene, Benikuru, Kokodiagbene and Duabriye and outlying villages are not in any way hidden.
The reality about the lack of information is due to a media blackout by the Nigerian government and their refusal to allow humanitarian agencies to access the towns and villages. At this time thousands of refugees are living in the forest and temporary accommodations in other areas. We therefore prevail upon your government to put immediate and strong pressure on the Nigerian government to allow aid workers access to all the towns in question and the refugees so as to see for themselves and hear the testimonies of the people as to what has taken place.
We are also bringing to your attention the extra-judicial murder of two young men by the JTF which was videoed and is now in the public domain on
http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=434&task=videodirectlink&id=27.
We have been informed about several other cases of extra judicial executions in the Niger Delta since the current military invasion including the execution of Mr.Ken Niweigha of Odi town (Bayelsa State), who was summarily executed (for allegedly trying to escape) by the Nigerian military forces after being arrested and presented to the media.
AMNESTY
The Nigerian authorities are proposing an Amnesty for militants as the solution to resolving the crises. We question the effectiveness of such a policy without a neutral body or persons to verify, evaluate and make sure that all parties are respecting their parts of the bargain. It’s no secret that there is a strong element of distrust and lack of confidence between the Niger Delta people and the Nigerian government due to many years of insincerity and unfulfilled promises by various Nigerian governments.
Along with the Amnesty, we at the Niger Delta Solidarity Campaign would implore the British government to prevail upon the Nigerian authorities;
1. To allow international humanitarian organizations to the areas under occupation by the JTF to assist the injured, displaced and desperate people of the region.
2. To immediately withdraw officers and men of the Joint Task force from the region. The JTF has become more of an occupation force in our land and is part of the “blood oil” syndicate which specializes in illegal oil theft and export of crude.
3. To take full responsibility for the rebuilding of the destroyed towns and communities and the immediate resettlement of all displaced people.
4. To pay adequate compensation to the families of those who have been brutally killed in the communities invaded by the Joint task Force.
6. To seek for international mediation of the Niger Delta crises. Some of the Niger Delta militants including MEND have called for the intervention of United Nations under the leadership of well-respected international figures such as Mr. Jimmy Carter or Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
7. To answer the call by Nigerians of different origins for a sovereign national conference, which has been going on for the past 15 years and Nigerian rulers have been ignoring it with dire consequences, such as constant civil unrest, decaying institutions, decaying infrastructure and continued under development with its failure to meet basic goals of governance.
The NDSC again calls for a sovereign National Conference as the main forum to resolve the Niger Delta question as well as the structure (including tribal/ethnic issues) of Nigeria. It’s urgent that we tackle the root causes of the problems that threaten and continue to poison the very fabric of the Nigerian nation. The main demand is True-Federalism with all that it implies.
We challenge the British and Nigerian Governments to a superior platform of nonviolence in addressing the issues of the Niger Delta. The circle of oppressive violence and corruption must be broken for a functional Nigeria, the source of all military advise must be sealed and the ideology of supply of arms and violence to sustain oil production in the Niger Delta must end.
If a solution is not found, then the final result could be the collapse of Nigeria with catastrophic humanitarian and refugee crises. Apart from the human cost of such a scenario, the whole of West Africa might not be able to handle such a development.
Yours Sincerely,
Inemo Samiama
Coordinator
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