The recent ceasefire and declaration of readiness to dialogue with the federal government by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), which has claimed responsibility for the wave of attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta region, appeared to have been received with circumspection by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Unfolding events since the ceasefire announcement indicate that peace might still be elusive to Nigeria’s littoral region.
NDA’s spokesman, Brigadier Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, said in a statement last week that the decision to end hostilities, which is the first since it began violent agitation in February this year, came after a Niger Delta stakeholders’ conference to engage the federal government on issues affecting the region.
Participants after the meeting of the Niger Delta states held in Warri, Delta State penultimate Friday jointly convened by elder statesman, Chief Edwin Clark, and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state issued a communiqué asking the group to stop blowing up oil pipelines.
“We are going to continue the observation of our unannounced cessation of hostilities in the Niger Delta against all interests of the multinational oil corporations, but we will continuously adopt our asymmetric warfare during this period if the Nigerian government and the ruling APC continues to use security agencies/agents, formations and politicians to arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent citizens, suspected NDA members and invade especially Ijaw communities,” the group said in the statement.
“We promise to fight more for the Niger Delta if this opportunity fails,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has advised the federal government to ignore the communiqué which was released at the end of the meeting facilitated by Clark. MEND said it was against the communiqué because it failed to categorically condemn the criminal and treasonable activities of the NDA.
“This was principally because the notable promoter of the meeting, Chief Edwin Clark, was recently named by the Reformed Niger Delta Avengers (RNDA) as a major supporter of the NDA,” it said.
MEND in the statement signed by Jomo Gbomo said none of the persons who attended the meeting had the capacity to persuade the people of the Niger Delta to support the current efforts of the Buhari administration to bring peace and development to the region.
“Consequently, MEND reiterates its full support for the ongoing military presence in the Niger Delta region, even as we prepare to tour the region to drum support for the current administration in an exercise code-named “Operation Moses”.
The rivalry among the militant groups and continuous disruptions of oil exploration may have prompted President Buhari to reiterate his earlier vow that his government will deal with Niger Delta militants like it has done to Boko Haram insurgents, unless they agree to dialogue.
He made the remark at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), in Nairobi, Kenya, at the weekend.
He had previously given the same warning at a meeting with members of the Nigerian community resident in China, during his tour of the country last April. The president assured existing and prospective foreign investors that their investments in Nigeria would be fully secured and protected.
To make good the President’s resolve, the Nigerian Army formally launched a new military exercise in the Niger Delta code named
“Exercise Crocodile Smile” aimed at getting rid of all forms of criminal activities in the Niger Delta region. The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, flagged-off the exercise on Saturday in Sapele, Delta state.
Growing militancy has forced oil firms operating in the region, including Shell and Chevron, to evacuate and shut down oil fields and facilities. Nigeria’s oil production fell to 20-year lows as Africa’s largest economy, while the country lost its place as the continent’s largest oil producer.
Blueprint, therefore, advises the federal government to accept the proposals for negotiation by the NDA, being the leading militant group in the zone, while dealing with the militants within the ambit of the rules of engagement. This is necessary in order to de-escalate conflicts in the Niger Delta.
In the short-term, a ceasefire may see an uptick in Nigeria’s oil output and revenue, which is critical for a dwindling economy. But, long-term, negotiations, which may see the NDA paid off granted amnesty, will reinforce the notion of lucrative militancy while ignoring the root cause of the Niger Delta crisis.
