थे प्रिस ऑफ़ VOILENCE

SOUTH SOUTH BUREAU CHIEF TONY ITA ETIM, WRITES ON THE PRICE OF VOILENCE

At the recent South -South Legislative Retreat on Constitution Review 2008, Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi stunned the gathering that his government has more than 100 billion naira idling away in banks. According to Amaechi, because of the insecurity in the state and other part of Niger Delta region, contractors are not interested in accepting contracts for developmental projects and facilities in the state. And in places and projects where the contractors have collected mobilization fee and had moved to site, the contractors have abandoned such projects for fear of their staff being taken hostages by the rampaging criminals masquerading as militants or freedom fighters for the region. ‘I can’t execute my projects because of security threat. I have more than 100 billion in the banks as nobody is ready to build.” Such abandoned projects in Rivers state included the Trans-Kalabari Road, the Unity Road, the Eleme Junction Fly Over Project. He lamented that companies rejected a N4.3 billion contract to build a model secondary school at Buguma, Asari Toru Local Government Area.

Port Harcourt is the hub of oil and gas industry in Africa but the crisis is gradually moving the oil capital to Lagos. “We are on ourselves killing our economic centre- Lagos is taking over our position as the hub of oil centre in Nigeria, regretted Amaechi. Some oilcompanies that are yet to comply with a federal government directive to relocate their headquarters from outside the Niger Delta region now use the violence in the area as an excuse to violate the directive that headquarters of oil companies must be located in their area of operation. Mobil still operates from Lagos.


Julius Berger, which was handling part of the East West Road project and the Eleme Fly Over project have pulled out of the state and region. Saturday Champion gathered that the departure of the company has left more than 4,500 indigenes of Niger Delta unemployed. Amaechi has declared militancy has hampered the development of the Niger Delta. “We are building an economy base on criminality…politicians are benefiting, people are forming NGOs and get funds from government,” lamented Amaechi.

In Bonny local government area which hosts the Nigeria Natural Liquidified Gas Company, until three weeks ago all the banks in the area were closed down because of armed robbery and threat of militant attacks. In fact Saturday Champion gathered that one of the commercial banks there have closed shop and left the island because of the insecurity there. Also few weeks back Bonny was a deserted as the were rumour that some armed group would attacked non indigenes and beheaded them if the strangers do not park out of the island. There was panic and strangers relocated from the area in their thousands and many businesses were closed down and some may never reopen. Also the Bonny River and waterways have now become havens for pirates and hijacking of supply vessels working for oil companies in the area. Even passengers boats are not spare by pirates who robbed the passengers, killed some and in most cases went away with the boats engines. Traveling through the Bonny waterways in now a risky venture. Only oil companies and other who can afford armed military escorts now ply the routes. As it is in Bonny so is the situation in many of the more than 3000 creeks and waterways in the region.

The violence in the Niger Delta can be likened to cutting our noses to spite our faces. Criminal elements in the region have hijacked the people genuine agitation for resources control and better deal from the oil companies and federal government for their criminal interests. Negative effect of violence on the economy of Niger Delta are evidence in virtually all nooks and crannies of the region; night life has come virtually to a stand still as there are curfew in some places while commercial motorcycles which is the commonest and most popular means of transportation has been banned in some states all in a bid to check crime. Night clubs and similar businesses that thrive most in the night have been impacted negatively as residents are now scared of venturing outside after night fall for fear of being attack as well as harassment by security agents who now swamp major streets in the region.


Hijacking of supply vessels to oil companies, attacks on Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Bonga facility, Chevron’s Escravos, Mobil in Eket, and kidnapping of Auminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) staff has impacted negatively on the operations of these companies, its subsidiaries and other complimentary business that depend on them. Billions of naira is being lost daily in the region as insecurity in the area persists. Overhead costs of doing business in the area are increasing as companies besides generating their own power and providing now invest heavily on security gadgets and personnel or pay community boys and some acclaimed militants groups.

Also the insecurity in the region and the rampant cases of kidnapping, especially foreigners have thwarted the exploration of the tourism potentials and industry in the region. The United States America and United Kingdom and other countries have issued travel alerts discouraging their citizens from visiting or doing businesses in the region. Warning their citizens against traveling to the region has denied Niger Delta of needed funds and resources for the development of the oil –rich but neglected area.


The cost of insecurity in the region is not limited to money alone. Degradation of the environment by deliberate act of sabotage of oil installation and facilities is worsening the already polluted and degraded environment which started more than 50 years ago when oil exploration and exploitation activities started in commercial quantity. All those attack on oil facilities like Bonga, Escravos among others have negative impact on the environment and in most cases irreparable damage are done. Even where oil facilities and equipment failed the companies do not have access to their facilities to stop spills, do remediation work or rehabilitate the land. In most cases the host communities refused them access all in a bid for the situation to get worse so that they can get more compensation. In some cases of deliberate act, the communities would insist on carrying out the clean up exercise or choose a contractor to do so. The lure of immediate gain blinds their eyes to the everlasting damage done to fauna, aquatic life and the environment, that may not be repaired.

The insecurity in the Niger Delta is also impacting negatively on the lean resources of the states in the region. Besides the regular security agencies, each state government in the region has established a security outfit comprising all security agencies. Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states each have its own Joint Task Force; Akwa Ibom has Operation Aduma (Thunder), while Cross River State has Operation MESA. These governments provide vehicles and other logistics as well as allowances to these task forces. The scarce resources that would have been used to improve the lot of the neglected, deprived and abandoned people of the area are now being use to fund federal security agencies. And the losers are the Niger Deltans.

THE WAY FORWARD:

Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka declared that “it is time to cease fire and make peace and give federal government the opportunity to test its will.” He wondered “will government keep his word that if militant cease fire Federal government will develop the Niger Delta?” Amuka lamented that the region loses billion of naira daily and the problem of political militancy has been bastardized by “people who have spoiled our names.” He pointed out “people (expatriates) who should be around to help have all gone.” Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, Engr. Patrick Ekpotu noted that “it is unfortunate the dimension of situation in the Niger Delta that we have use our hands to create.” Ekpotu insisted that Niger Deltans should not expect outsiders to solve the current problem of violence and insecurity in the region rather indigenes of the area should be honest enough to hold themselves responsible for the moral and ethical decay in the region. To resolve the problem, Ekpotu suggested “enabling the constitution to provide structural underpinnings to check criminality.” Secondly, the deputy governor wants traditional rulers to be held responsible for any decay in their domains.

Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaaghan suggested infrastructural and human capital development as the solution to the violence and insecurity in the region. Amaechi stated that the region needs value orientation while the law on abduction and kidnapping must be enforced. According to him, there is need for more conferences and seminars to be organized for the violent youths so that they can know the value of money. Also Amaechi advocated for the provision of opportunity for misguided youths to be integrated into the society and get jobs for themselves. Amaechi is adamant that those involve in violence and causing security breach in the state and region are criminals and he would not negotiate with them or give them amnesty except they repent. “I cannot support criminal and will not negotiate. Until you make it difficult to kidnap, kidnapping will continue.”