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BNW: Biafra Nigera World American Blood is on your hands: Bush tells Yoruba Warlord Obasanjo
American Blood on your hands...� Bush tells
OBJ
The Sun: By Sam Omatseye, US and
Henry Chukwurah, Port Harcourt, Sunday, October 10, 2004
The decision of Yoruba warlord President Olusegun Obasanjo to cut a �peace deal� with Ijaw militia groups last
week followed pressure from United States, it has emerged.
In a move that surprised observers, President Obasanjo had hosted Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, the leader of the
Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), and his arch rival, Mr. Ateke Tom, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante
(NDV) in Aso Rock, Abuja, in a peace meeting.
Until the invitation from Obasanjo, NDPVF, which prides itself as champion of Ijaw right to self-determination,
had reportedly issued October 1 ultimatum to oil companies in Niger Delta to evacuate the zone or face the consequences.
Besides, NDPVF had also threatened to blow up oil pipelines in the region.
Responding to questions from Sunday Sun during the week, Mr. Kurtis Cooper, U.S States Department spokesman said
the Bush administration "stressed to the Nigerian government that it is responsible for the safety of American
citizens."
The October 1
ultimatum ricocheted around the world, including Wall Street in the U.S. with fuel prices topping $50 per barrel.
Dokubo-Asari�s threat also refocused attention on the plight of the poor in the region.
"We note that despite receiving more government revenue than other parts of Nigeria," stated Cooper,
"the states of the Niger Delta are among the poorest in the country." Thousands of Americans work in
the oil industry in Nigeria where American-owned Chevron is one of the top players.
Some U.S. citizens had been kidnapped, threatened and assaulted in the past by a variety of militia groups over
the disparity of lifestyles between the oil staff and the indigenes.
In April, seven expatriate oil workers were kidnapped and murdered in Olero, Delta State by sea pirates. Cooper
added: "We are working closely with American companies, Nigerian authorities and legitimate non-governmental
organizations in the Niger Delta to address the situation and the underlying problems of extreme poverty and poor
governance."
But despite the seeming reconciliation of Dokubo-Asari and Ateke, oil price continued its surge last week, peaking
at $53 per barrel at the weekend. Meanwhile, Dokubo-Asari has said that any attempt to assassinate him would only
worsen the problem in Niger Delta.
In a radio programme monitored in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on �Rhythm FM� at the weekend, the NDPVF leader said
�If Asari is arrested or killed, fine. My family will cry, my children will become fatherless, my wives will become
widows. But there will be a stronger leader that General Olusegun Obasanjo does not know, that they don�t have
his phone number.
�I was in the public sphere. I was the president (of Ijaw Youth Council). Some people know my phone number. But
the next guy that will take over from me, nobody knows and he will be unreachable.� To sustain the �new peace deal�,
the NDPVF leader urged the Federal Government to create the constitutional platform that would legitimize the rights
of the people of the region to determine their destinies.
Meanwhile, in a move aimed at bolstering the peace efforts among warring militia groups in the Niger Delta, the
Federal Government has enlarged the committee saddled with the responsibility of restoring peace to the troubled
region.
A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media Matters, Mrs. Oluremi Oyo stated that
among those drafted into the committee headed by the President�s Chief of Staff, Gen. Aliyu Mohammed, include the
governors of Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta states.
While noting that the committee could be further enlarged should the need arise, Oyo disclosed that the decision
to enlarge the committee was taken at the 2nd session of the meeting with leaders of the militia groups in the
region in Abuja, Friday.
She said the committee was mandated to among other things, disarm � militia groups under the supervision of the
committee or any sub-committee that may be set up by the main committee.� It was also charged with the responsibility
of reconciling � all militia groups that have taken arms against themselves; registration of youths in the Niger
Delta requiring jobs within each community and programme of employment generation through the community committees.�
Oyo explained that the presidency decided to intervene in the matter when � it was horrifyingly revealed that there
at least 16 militia groups, all armed with various arms and ammunition.
�While this is not limited to Rivers State alone, most, if not all groups, have their political backers from within
and outside their respective states. Consequently, it was necessary to comprehensively address the problem by the
President through his direct intervention.�
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