Adonis Diaries

Rebels of the Niger Delta in Nigeria: Taking matters in their hands

The Niger Delta in south-east Nigeria is the main oil production fields and generating 90% of the revenues.  This rich oil province is exploited by a dozen international oil corporations, Shell is the most powerful among them. The refineries of crude oil are decrepit and totally insufficient for local consumption.  This January, the government doubled the cost of the gallon from 30 to 6o cents.

This rich province is not receiving any significant benefit from local or federal government.  Instead, this great agricultural basket region has been reduced to a waste land from oil  production and processing…

The rebel movements such as the MEND (Emancipate Niger Delta movement), “Boyloaf”, and “Africa” are forcing the oil multinationals to restitute surplus profit directly to the local provinces, towns, and villages. These multinationals are reduced to taking care of infrastructure, public schools, dispensaries…

Amaka James Ogona, 74 year-old, a tribal chief of the little province of Olugboliri, said:”Our people exploited the land for agriculture, and now the land is ruined and the water polluted from oil discharges…The oil multinationals refused to compensate.  The sustained rebel attacks have pressured the corporation to respond positively.  The multinational Agip reconciled with the population and is extending direct regular payments and securing the maintenance of public institutions and infrastructure… When the government failed to construct the promised and judged for hydraulic project, Agip stepped in and did the project”

The Nigerian Federal government forgets to redistribute the revenues and claims that the rebel movements disruption of oil production have wasted 20 billion in revenues in the last 7 years.

Jean Ziegler, UN special rapporteur on food availability, said that “practically, every town in the rebellious region support the movements. The rebels can count on the firm logistical clandestine networks and innumerable caches in arms and food…that the government is unable to dismantle.  The repeated hostage taking activities have permitted the rebels to amass a war chest treasure, enabling them to bribe the elite government troops…”

Criminal development in Africa is mainly due to weak government institutions and resolve to get engaged in sustainable budget allocation to devastated and ignored provinces…

Note 1: Inspired from a piece by the Nigerian journalist investigative reporter Theophilus Abbah of the Nigerian daily “Sunday Trust” and published in the French weekly Corrier International #1109

Note 2: Nigeria a giant country of 160 million, the most African State, but turning fragile as a sociopolitical structure.  Half the population are Moslem in the northern region, and the remaining are either Christians or native religious sects.  In January, the government lifted subsidy on car gas and the price doubled over night, leading to protracted mass demonstrations and strikes. In the northern regions,the extremist Moslem are practically ruling and imposing the Shariaa.  From 1967 to 1970, a civil war for self-autonomy broke out in the Niger Delta that resulted in over 2 million deaths .