NIGER DELTA: YAR ADUA AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT:

NIGER DELTA: YAR ADUA AND CRISISSuccessive Nigeria government with their myopic
MANAGEMENT: By Chris Okaforideologies had thought that that would be the end
Nowadays reading Nigeria Newspapers orof an era but they were dead wrong. Again, early
watching either AIT or NTA International through90s saw the emergency of Kenule, Ken Beeson
cables is becoming some sort of disturbingSaro-Wiwa (October 10, 1941-November 10,
phenomenon.1995) a Nigerian author, television producer,
Over the last few years here in Ireland, I haveenvironmental activist and winner of Goldman
cultivated an unprecedented habit as a ritual toEnvironmental Prize. Saro-Wiwa was a member of
wake up as early as possible in the morning evenOgoni people, an ethnic Nigeria minority whose
when my family are still in bed, to devote at leasthomeland, Ogoniland in the Niger Delta has been
one hour to read Nigerian Newspapers throughtargeted for crude oil extraction since the 1950s
the Internet and another 45 minutes to watchand which has suffered extreme environmental
two of the aforementioned television stations.damage from decades of indiscriminate oil waste
This is normally what keeps me abreast of whatdumping. Initially as a spoke person and then the
is happening in Nigeria but then I realized that Ipresident of the Movement for Survival of the
often get uncontrollable headache doing this whichOgoni People (MOSOP), Saro-Wiwa led a
sometimes triggered my blood pressure and so Inonviolent campaign against environmental
have taken an advice from my GP to stop.degredations of the land and natural waters of
On 13th day of May, 2009, there was anOgoniland by the operations of multinational oil
unforgettable twist to the above decision. I wascompanies especially Shell. He was also an
taking the kids to their respective schools whenoutspoken critic of the Nigerian government which
my phone rang. I advertently ignored the caller. Ithe viewed as a relunctant to enforce proper
is against the law here to make or answer phoneenvironmental regulations on foreign oil companies
while driving but the caller continued unabated. Ioperating in the area.
pulled out of the road, stopped and answered theAt the peak of his nonviolent campaign, he was
call. I was actually expecting the normal telephonearrested, hastily tried by a special military tribunal
pleasantries but this was, indeed, missing. It wasand hanged in 1995 by Nigeria Military Government
rather a question: Chris where are you? I haveheaded by Gen. Sani Abacha all on charges widely
reiterated by asking the caller who the hell areviewed as entirely politically motivated and
you but it is of no use. The following messagecompletely unfounded which provoked
was apt and to the point: Check out Nigerianinternational outrage and resulted in Nigerian
Newspapers or Television stations when you getsuspension from the Commonwealth.
home to see how irresponsible your governmentIn November 20, 1999, Obasanjo led government
in Nigeria are.  Be fore I could utter a word, theordered the Odi massacre. The Odi massacre
phone went dead. Irresponsible?  Of course, thewas an attack carried out by the Nigeria military
caller was one of my close pals, a Kenya fromon the predominantly Ijaw town of ODI in
greater Dublin area. But what right does he haveBayelsa state. The attack came in the context of
to call Nigeria government irresponsible? I triedan ongoing conflict in the Niger Delta over the
immediately to call him back and take him on butrights to oil resources and environmental
my instinct warned me and so I hurriedly startedprotection. Prior to the massacre, twelve
the car and drop the kids in their various schoolsmembers of the Nigerian police were murdered
and rushed back home.by a gang near Odi, seven on November 4 and
What I read on the pages of Nigerian Papers lessthe remainder in the following days. In revenge,
than one hour after that call surpassed my widestthe military invaded, exchanged fire, and then
imagination and I agreed, without doubt, thatproceeded to indiscriminately attack the civilian
President Musa Yar Adua government, like hispopulation and the town's buildings. Every building in
predecessors has been completely irresponsiblethe town except the bank, the Anglican Church
most especially in crisis management in Nigeria. Itand the health center was burned to the ground.
is hard to believe that in 21st century that aAdaka Boro was killed in mysterious
President of a country well above 120 millioncircumstances and Ken Saro Wiwa was hanged
people could order his buccaneer military to killby Abacha junta and yet that have not stopped
defenceless civilians in course of searching forthe problems of Niger Delta. The activities of the
militants.Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta
The reason for that carnage, from what I read inotherwise known as MEND was and still is, to the
Newspapers is the killing by the militants of somebest of my knowledge, a formidable strategic to
soldiers which I abhor and condemned in itsdraw the attention of the world, Yar Adua and his
totality but I do not believe that this was enoughdeaf and lunatic treasury looters.
to kill innocent people and razed communities.The question is: don’t they have a right to
There were other excuses that the militants havevoice out their unresolved and endless
been involved in kidnapping and extortion, illegalmarginalization? Isn’t it sad that a particular
bunkering, pipeline vandalism which is more thanregion that make Nigeria the 6th largest oil
an understatement.producing nation in world cannot boost of
The following day, as I continued to search forelectricity, good roads and other social
news of what must have compelled Yar Aduainfrastructures? Is there no systematic approach
and his PDP led government to this obnoxiousto apply in order to resolve this unending conflict
action, there were more than six different videorather applying force and at the end killing
clips of civilian casualties in Niger Delta on myinnocent people. Yar Adua by this singular action
facebook apparently sent by some of my friendshas shown that he is not capable of ruling Nigeria
in United States with a curse on Yar Adua. It wasneither does he understand the evolution of crisis
an eye saw. I was moved to tears when one ofmanagement. For this reason, Yar Adua should
the people interviewed on these clips said that heapologise to Nigerians and resign peacefully. My
have not seen his wife and 4 children and hesincere judgement is that Nigerian government
believed they must have been killed and I realizedhave driven these youths to the edge of
what it meant for one to live without his loveprecipice and were left with no other option than
ones.act the way they are doing now in order to save
The Nigerian Army have really had a fun filled daytheir beleaguered people.
in Niger Delta. What with the artilleryJonathan Goodluck will, unavoidably go down in
bombardment, killing of the innocent civilians andhistory, as the Vice-President of Nigeria and an
setting ablaze of different communities in courseastute son of the said Niger Delta who kept mute
of searching for a handful of men. This is theand said nothing while his people were being
worst criminality of human kind that I have evermassacre in Niger Delta for daring to fight for
lived to witness. Nigeria army since itstheir right. He is one of the people that have
establishment have never been involved in anybetrayed these youths just like the councillors, the
single war. The only war they have fought andKings, the Local Government Chairmen, the
continue to fight is among Nigerians andGovernors, the House of Representative
unfortunately for them, the era of: This is theMembers and Senators from this region. From
voice of Major General.......of Nigeria Army is over.time to time, the Federal Government continued
In August 1990 when the then military head ofto place certain criminal-minded individuals who are
states, Gen. Ibrahim Babaginda sent some peaceafter their own selfish purpose as representatives
keeping force otherwise know as ECOMOG toof Niger Delta and who they can easily manipulate
Liberia what follows at the end of that war was awithout questioning and as far as they can have
disaster. Some of the soldiers according totheir own share to the detriment of their people.
unconfirmed reports upon returning to theToday, politicians and aspiring politicians are
country did not bother to return their guns andspringing up just like creation of local government
ammunitions to the barracks. The resultant effectand States courtesy of the oil in Niger Delta. They
was a sharp and proportionate rise in armare all waiting for 13% Federal Allocations.
robbery in Nigeria. Now, at the end of JTFSince the inception of these conflicts, no Nigeria
unceremonious exercise in Niger Delta, have theyPresident has ever made a surprise visit to this
been able to mend MEND?. The answer is NO.region to see things for themselves. They only
Unfortunately, we are only interested in mostrely on foreign media for information.
problems without finding its root cause and thusIn early 2007, a South African based CNN
the Niger Delta issues will continue to hunt Nigerianreporter named Jeff Koinange surfaced in Niger
government until the dilemma and suffering ofDelta in one of the most dreaded expository and
people in that region is unconditionally addressed.investigative journalism I have ever seen. This did
During the 60s, an undergraduate student ofnot go down well with Obasanjo regime. The then
Chemistry and student union president at theInformation Minister, Frank Nweke cried foul and
University of Nigeria, Nsukka named Isaac Adakaconcluded that the reporter paid the militants to
Boro left school to lead an armed protest againstput up a show. Jeff, upon admission of some
the exploitation of oil and gas in Niger Delta areasunethical practices as regards the coverage was
which benefited mainly the Federal Governmentunceremoniously and subsequently fired by CNN
of Nigeria and a remote Eastern Nigeria regionalsix months later. How many of our journalists
government.have ever visited Niger Delta? Apparently none
He believed that the people of the area deservedbecause a lot of them are busy chasing contracts
fairer shares of proceeds of oil wealth. He formedor plots of land in Abuja.
the Niger Delta Volunteer Force constituting mainlyI learnt a great lesson from this fracas most
his fellow Ijaw ethnic group. They declared theespecially reading Nigerian papers and television
Niger Delta Republic in February 23, 1966 andreports. I realized that if the said oil were to be
gallantly battled the Federal Forces for twelveanywhere in the north, the country would have
days but were finally routed by the far superiordivided by now. Whether all the people in Niger
Federal power. Boro and his compatriots wereDelta are exterminated or not, Nigerian
jailed for treason. However, the federal regime ofGovernment would never know peace until that
Gen. Yakubu Gowon granted him amnesty on theregion that everybody is relying on is properly
eve of Nigeria civil war in May, 1967. He thendeveloped.  The truth is that there is time for
enlisted and was commissioned as a major in theeverything under sun; time to live and time to die,
Nigeria Army. He fought on the side of thetime to be sad and time to be happy but what
Federal Government but was killed underthe Bible did not add in the book of Ecclesiastes is
mysterious circumstances in active service inthat there will be time to be united and time to
1968 at Ogu (Okrika) in Rivers State, afterbe divided. This is inevitable.
successfully liberating the Niger Delta from theChris Okafor
Biafran Forces.