By ‘Tope Oriola

"A new outbreak of violence should be avoided as the weaponry of the “Generals” in the last insurgency has become more sophisticated. We must avoid loss of lives and shedding of blood".

A meeting of Niger Delta stakeholders took place at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt on 27th April 2015. Ann-Kio Briggs addressed the “Lower Niger Congress” in a video posted by Sahara Reporters. Ms Briggs was quoted as stating that the “time is ripe for the Niger Delta to secede from Nigeria”. Ann-Kio Briggs requires little introduction. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) appointed her Liaison Officer for the Aaron Team set up by the group to negotiate with the federal government in 2009 during the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Ann-Kio Briggs is regarded as the “Mother” of the Niger Delta struggle. I had the opportunity to interview her in 2012 during my research on women’s engagement in the Niger Delta insurgency. Ms Briggs is well-respected in the Delta region. Therefore, this new trajectory in the Delta movement needs to be taken seriously by the incoming administration. President Jonathan’s electoral loss has widened the mature sense of injustice felt by a huge section of the region. Anyone who has spent a reasonable length of time in the Niger Delta will be appalled by the limited level of development vis-à-vis the enormous wealth generated by the region since the discovery of oil in Oloibiri in 1956.

The Niger Delta has suffered tremendously from Nigeria’s oil inebriation. And yes, that includes political elites from the region who have mismanaged allocations to the region. While we must question the veracity of the claim by Ms Briggs that there was a conspiracy among entities such as transnational oil companies, Boko Haram, the US and UK governments to get Jonathan out of power, such outlandish claims must not make us neglect some pertinent issues that need to be addressed. The Niger Delta genuinely considers the Nigerian state as unfair and unjust. They regard their involvement in the Nigerian project as “enslavement” and the 1914 amalgamation an artifice.

Will there be insurgency 2.0 or secessionist movement in the Delta region? There are three categories of people capable of re-inventing the Delta insurgency. The first comprises behemoths or “Generals” of the last outbreak of war against the Nigerian state and oil companies. They include Mr. Government Ekpemupolo or Tompolo, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, and Ebikabowei Victor Ben (General Boyloaf), among others. Boyloaf and others were able to change the complexion of violence in the region from internecine conflicts, such as the Warri ownership tripartite debacle among Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ijaw into a concise affront against the Nigerian state and its oil interests.

Tompolo was a mysterious apparition during the last insurgency. Like a few others, he has learned the politics of the oil industry and has become a security contractor. Some newspapers reported in Decemeber 2014 that he had purchased decommissioned Norwegian warships for his business. Alhaji Dokubo was the first to explicitly call for use of violence against the Nigerian state following the hanging of the Ogoni Nine which included the famous writer, Ken Saro-Wiwa. Dokubo argued that violence was the only language the Nigerian state understood. He mobilized the Niger Delta People’s Volunteer Force (NDPVF) into an insurgency machine. Asari’s NDPVF is a reincarnation of Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) established by Isaac Adaka Boro in 1966. Adaka Boro led the first secessionist movement against the newly independent Nigeria and declared establishment of “Niger Delta Republic” on 23rd February 1966. The Republic lasted 12 days.

There are documents from colonial days urging the government to ensure that Niger Delta people were not so neglected that they would feel compelled to take up arms against the state. Therefore, the Port Harcourt declaration is not unprecedented. What has changed is that while Adaka Boro regarded the Hausa-Fulanis, particularly Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa as “defenders” of the Ijaws, present-day freedom-fighters direct their grievance mainly against the Hausa-Fulani. The President-elect can repair the broken relationship and foster unity through words and actions.

A new outbreak of violence should be avoided as the weaponry of the “Generals” in the last insurgency has become more sophisticated. We must avoid loss of lives and shedding of blood. A respected leader in the Nigerian military recently informed me that the appurtenances of the good life that these insurgent “Generals” have tasted may prevent them from returning to the creeks, where conditions can be inhuman.

Nevertheless, rank and file participants in the last insurgency constitute another category with capacity for another round of war. They have sedimented knowledge — geographic, operational and mechanical — from the last exercise. These are battle-hardened individuals. They include over 20,000 individuals who accepted the government’s amnesty deal initiated in 2009. This category also includes those who never accepted amnesty. We do not have exact numbers for these individuals. What is clear is that the government will ignore them at its own risk. The fact that these individuals are still largely unintegrated to the society means they may be willing to participate in another war.

The last category includes young men and women who have reached the age of maturity since the last insurgency. They were children at the height of the last insurgency but have now grown to be aged 18 to 23. The limited educational and employment opportunities in the Niger Delta may make such youth unable to be unwilling to participate in any war against the Nigerian state and oil corporations. Recall that Tompolo’s Camp reportedly employed over 3,000 people at the height of the last insurgency. My research in Gbaramatu Kingdom indicated that he had tremendous support. Tompolo and others have ebulliently reaped from state failure and spectacular economic mismanagement.

I believe that another round of violence can be prevented through transparently strategic ways. Ann-Kio Briggs and other leaders of the “Lower Niger Congress” should be called to a meeting by the president-elect as soon as practicable. Such a meeting should be transmitted live to the Nigerian public. They should be asked to present a list of core demands. Cooptation will not work this time around. The new government must make projects such as the East-West road a priority. There are other priority areas that Niger Delta people have been articulating for several years. These include resource control, environmental pollution and sustainability issues, employment, etc. The conversation must proceed in a respectful and dignified tone. Concise physical and social infrastructure must swiftly follow.

Some may wonder why little was done to address Niger Delta issues during the Jonathan presidency and people’s assessment. Asari Dokubo raised this issue during my interview with him in 2010. I asked him at the end of the interview what he would have asked me if he were the one conducting the interview. He said he would have asked about the implications of the Jonathan presidency for the Delta movement. I requested that he respond to his question. He said there was a constitution that encumbered whomever was president and that the struggle transcended the Jonathan presidency. To be clear, Jonathan and his presidency stand excused by many in the Niger Delta. Many are convinced that some elements in Nigeria actively worked to make the country ungovernable for him and have him fail. Boko Haram is believed to be one of such impediments. Perception is reality in the world of humans.

My research on the Niger Delta is now in its seventh year. The current tremors sound eerily familiar. We must prevent another round of violence in the Niger Delta by engaging in meaningful dialogue.

http://ynaija.com/opinion-now-niger-delta-want-secede-nigeria/

In the voice of my Igbo brothers "this zoo must fall "!

Na only them Waka come?

In the absence of true federalism and resource control they leave us no alternatives.

Divisive Presidiot Buhari is the best thing to happen to Nigerian disintegration since 1914, God sent if you ask me.

The Otapiapia people won't be happy that the ND people have finally joined the IPOB train leaving Nigeria.

nrexzy:
Na only them Waka come?

na only who waka come? When the North had their groundnut pyramids and the West their cocoa, didn't they control their resources? Wasn't there resource control? Why should our case be any different?

TippyTop:
In the absence of true federalism and resource control they leave us no alternatives.

Divisive Presidiot Buhari is the best thing to happen to Nigerian disintegration since 1914, God sent if you ask me.

abi o. I'm sick and tired of the North and their Yoruba counterparts in this country. How can a company be operating in South South and the regional office and head office will be in Lagos and Abuja thereby denying the people the corporate taxes that should have been paid to them?

EasternLeopard:
The Otapiapia people won't be happy that the ND people have finally joined the IPOB train leaving Nigeria.

they can go and die for all we care.

Truth the told Niger Delta is Nigeria. Nigeria will be a failed state of Niger Delta secede from her.

Niger Delta with efficient and well structured government can be the Dubai of Africa

Just wanted to pin my support for a ND/South South Republic or whatever we decide to call ourselves...
Nigeria has thrived for more than 50yearson the injustice done to our people...Some of our brothers may not agrees with me and call me a radical, I respect their opinion and will fight for their right to express it...
I believe we have exhausted every other sensible route. We will only be free to champion our destiny if we fight. And fight for this together, I don't believe any region can match us if we decide to stand and fight together.
No matter what I will stand by my people!!!
Who will you stand with? The same people that has raped us for 50 plus years or on the side of liberty....
We truly can do this, we have all the bargaining chips...

osabuohein:
abi o. I'm sick and tired of the North and their Yoruba counterparts in this country. How can a company be operating in South South and the regional office and head office will be in Lagos and Abuja thereby denying the people the corporate taxes that should have been paid to them?

Na wa o, yet some Yorubas become miffed that we the SS no longer follow them like cows.
Bros are you from Esanland?

Resource control

buhari is too rigid to involve in strategic diplomacy. The Shiite template is what my fellow zombies are advising him with.

TippyTop:



Na wa o, yet some Yorubas becomes miffed that we the SS no longer follow them like cows.
Bros are you from Esanland?

you dey mind them. No bros. I'm a Bini boy. Are you an Esan boy?

osabuohein:
you dey mind them. No bros. I'm a Bini boy. Are you an Esan boy?

Yes am Esan, I guess it would be osabuohen if you were Esan.



Bros you don barber ya hair? Oba gha tor kpere

SleekAboki:
buhari is too rigid to involve in strategic diplomacy. The Shiite template is what my fellow zombies are advising him with.

Buhari will finally fulfill the dream Dan Fodio and a late Sultan had about the death of the Fulani Caliphate.

His decisions in the following weeks will either save or destroy Nigeria.

My research on the Niger Delta is now in its seventh year. The current tremors sound eerily familiar. We must prevent another round of violence in the Niger Delta by engaging in meaningful dialogue.

War monger Buhari won't hear the above.

EasternLeopard:


Buhari will finally fulfill the dream Dan Fodio and a late Sultan had about the death of the Fulani Caliphate.

His decisions in the following weeks will either save or destroy Nigeria.

His decision is one way traffic. Drop barrel bombs and carpet the Niger Delta.

TippyTop:


Yes am Esan, I guess it would be osabuohen if you were Esan.



Bros you don barber ya hair? Oba gha tor kpere

Bros I no barb o. I dey uptown but I go barb am today. Seriously yorubas and hausas dey choke us for this country.

osabuohein:
Bros I no barb o. I dey uptown but I go barb am today. Seriously yorubas and hausas dey choke us for this country.

Its always wrong to support injustice anywhere, when same injustice visit you there would be no one left to fight the injustice. Some people refuse to learn from history?

lalasticlala kasala wan blow

Nevertheless, rank and file participants in the last insurgency constitute another category with capacity for another round of war. They have sedimented knowledge — geographic, operational and mechanical — from the last exercise. These are battle-hardened individuals. They include over 20,000 individuals who accepted the government’s amnesty deal initiated in 2009. This category also includes those who never accepted amnesty. We do not have exact numbers for these individuals. What is clear is that the government will ignore them at its own risk. The fact that these individuals are still largely unintegrated to the society means they may be willing to participate in another war.

TippyTop:


Its always wrong to support injustice anywhere, when same injustice visit you there would be no one left to fight the injustice. Some people refuse to learn from history?

Yes o. They'll never learn.

This opinion piece ....... I do not know what to say about it.
First of all, the idea that militancy is in anyway related to any struggle is nothing but a joke.
Aniko Briggs - the mother of Niger delta struggle?
Anniko briggs is an activist in the same way odumakin is an activist.
A jobless hack and opportunist.
She obviously forgot about activism when she was residing within Aso Rock. She definitely is not a Democrat.
With that said, let me put certain facts out.

1 first of all, the Ijaw are responsible for only a fraction portion of oil production.

2 Grievances cut all across the Niger - Delta and Nigeria as a whole. Nigeria is being forced together by her greedy elites.

3 Every year, billion of dollars is invested in the oil industry in the region ( which the youths in the region always frustrate by demanding a cut before allowing investments).

4 the oil industry is not labour intensive and can only employ a few.shell who were at one point making profits of almost $40 billion( more than the Nigerian budget) employ less the 6000 people.

5 The oil does not benefit my region, neither does it benefit my people as a whole. Apart from 1 , all the magnates that I know have their oil blocks located within the territorial waters of Yorubaland( a concept these clowns will soon learn about in case of the eventuality.
I will happily take an autonomous western region government with full sovereign control over security, foreign policy, economy, resources and borders or an independent yoruba country.
6Main thing

The damage and the destruction which the whole oil thing has done and is still doing to the society( I do not care about others but I know it is causing damage everywhere.
It has resulted in a lack of initiative, creativity, mass poverty, a sense of entitlement, a useless and unpatriotic set of elites, materialistic country, a disdain for acquired ( not bought) knowledge, resistant to change, mediocrity, lack of civic consciousness.

Buhari has to choose whether to continue driving the battered car as it, or say oil be damned.The supremacy of the state is paramount.
The crude oil which is supposed to be the icing on the cake is actually poisoning the country and mortgaging the future of generations.
Tourism in Creeks would have actually benefitted the country more than this crude business.
Oil has run everyone mad

Someone should tell the "die -die" , "e be won " writer that this kind of country, a failed state, is not one I want to will to my children.
Let just keep the oil flowing.
Flowing to whom?

BUHARI should work hard to make sure Oka is released from the SA prison; he alone can take care of alot of issues in the SS right now as regards creek struggle.
MEND can be made to be more pro-gov't so as to balance things up and stem the 'tides' of the faceless avengers.
God bless Nigeria!

Caseless:
BUHARI should work hard to make sure Oka is released from the SA prison; he alone can take care of alot of issues in the SS right now as regards creek struggle.
MEND can be made to be more pro-gov't so as to balance things up and stem the 'tides' of the faceless avengers.
God bless Nigeria!

Bros. It's either Niger Delta Republic or implementation of the 2014 confab.

TPAND:
Truth the told Niger Delta is Nigeria. Nigeria will be a failed state of Niger Delta secede from her.

Niger Delta with efficient and well structured government can be the Dubai of Africa

wetin concern me if nija fail, wetin concern buhari cowa with family planing

doublewisdom:
In the voice of my Igbo brothers "this zoo must fall "!

maybe, you'd fall before the zoo.

osabuohein:
Bros. It's either Niger Delta Republic or implementation of the 2014 confab.

suggest something else.

SleekAboki:

His decision is one way traffic. Drop barrel bombs and carpet the Niger Delta.

yes o the g.o.c commanding 2nd mechanized techno phone division of thw online army nairaland has spoken

Caseless:
BUHARI should work hard to make sure Oka is released from the SA prison; he alone can take care of alot of issues in the SS right now as regards creek struggle.
MEND can be made to be more pro-gov't so as to balance things up and stem the 'tides' of the faceless avengers.
God bless Nigeria!

mr your analysis no go work, go and farm yoyr cocoa or better still apply for a job in cms bus stop as a loader haba! must you die becos of another mans property? igbos wan go yoruba tyey shake, niger delta wan Go yoruba dy piss for body, so much for the sophistication.

osabuohein:
na only who waka come? When the North had their groundnut pyramids and the West their cocoa, didn't they control their resources? Wasn't there resource control? Why should our case be any different?

we be mumu now







long live

ahaz:
mr your analysis no go work, go and farm yoyr cocoa or better still apply for a job in cms bus stop as a loader haba! must you die becos of another mans property? igbos wan go yoruba tyey shake, niger delta wan Go yoruba dy piss for body, so much for the sophistication.

seriously bros I'm tired of yorubas and hausas in this country. Those duo are the reason we are where we are today.