Military Attacks P/Harcourt Militants' Base
Gov explains why Niger-Delta remains restive
From Donald Andor in Port Harcourt and Chuks Okocha in Abuja
The Joint Military Task Force put in place by the Defence Headquarters to combat the activities of cultists and local militia yesterday attacked the operational base of the leader of the Niger Delta Voluteer Force (NDVF), Alhaji Asari Dokubo.
THISDAY gathered that the attack on Dokubo's base at Ngotokukiri, a creek hideout near Harry's town in Degema local government where the rebel leader has been co-ordinating terrorist activities, was launched by the airforce with holicopters, the Army by land and Naval personnel with flying boats.
Information pieced together in the area indicated that Dokubo narrowly escaped with some of his aides although another source claimed he was wounded during the operation. It was not clear if some of his supporters were arrested during the operation.
Military sources, however said, a large cache of arms with dynamites and some personal effects left behind by Dokubo, former leader of the Ijaw Youth Congress (IYC), were recovered from the operational base.
Spokesman of both the 2nd Amphibious Brigade and the Joint Task Force, Capt. Onyeama Kalu, feigned ignorance of the operations when contacted on telephone. He told THISDAY that he was out of Port Harcourt and was yet to be briefed of the development.
Dokubo and his group had in the past one month launched series of attacks in Port Harcourt water fronts killing several people. Their recent on-slaught included those launched at the Njamanze water front where about five persons were killed and another at Marine Base and Warri street where about 15 and 18 persons were killed respectively.
These attacks prompted the setting up of the Joint Military Task Force comprising the army, airforce and naval personnel by the Defence Headquarters to check the rising wave of bloody attacks on innocent civilians.
Meanwhile Governor D.S.P Alamieyeseigha of Bayelsa State said unless the Federal Government develops the necessary political will to deal with the pervasive underdevelopment in the Nigeri-Delta region, cases of youth restiveness will persist.
Alamieyeseigha in a paper entitled "Niger Delta and Youth Restiveness: The Way Forward" which he presented at the Special Forum of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Abuja Chapter said the Federal Government should take decisive steps to stop the oil companies from sponsoring crisis in the region, and ensure respect for the peoples human right.
The governor chided the Federal Government for its double standards and lack of political will. "In theory, Nigeria subscribes to the principles of these conventions (Rio Summit in Brazil and Earth Summit in South Africa), but in practice the country does the opposite," he said.
He added that for the people of the Niger Delta, the idea of sustainable development meant more than an environmental slogan. "It is a sacred covenant for safeguarding the treasures and civilizations that the region hosts," he explained.
According to the Governor, "Government should initiate the political will to engage the stakeholders for peace and security in the Niger Delta area, especially the youths, with frank discussion on the way forward. Programmes and policies need to be initiated to address the rising tide of youth unrest in this beleaguered region."
"I dare say that the Niger Delta has experienced the worst human rights violation in Nigeria. To protect the people of the region from further hardship, there must be effective implementation of all environmental protection laws. The people must be involved in the decision-making process to widen their choices, and increase their chances of influencing the socio-economic and political agenda of the Niger Delta region," Alamieyeseigha said.
The Governor who quoted a British Petroleum Survey in 2001 said the crude oil in Nigeria put at 22 billion barrels will be exhausted in 29 years time.
"The situation in Oloibiri is an example of how the people of the Niger Delta will be abandoned when oil, which is a wasting asset, is no more. The youths are therefore of the opinion that money derived from the areas should be used to develop it now that oil is still with us.
"After 44 years as an independent nation, the central government in Nigeria seems not to have fully understood the implications of being unjust to any part of the country, especially by depriving the citizenry of their God-given wealth. This injustice has given birth to countless problems, among them a parlous economy and recurrent political instability.
"Despite series of panels and recommendations for environmental justice and equity in the allocation of resources, it is evident that the Nigerian central government lacks the political will to implement these recommendations," he said.
For instance, he added that "a case in point is the Warri crisis which resulted in huge loss of lives and property of the inhabitants.
"It would be recalled in March 1997 a local government council area was created in Warri metropolis and the headquarters was shifted to another area. This resulted in the ethnic conflicts between the Itsekiris and the Ijaws or the one hand, and the Itsekiris and Urhobos on the other."
"Only recently, the Ogomudia (Chief of Defence Staff) report on the security situation in the Niger Delta was submitted to the President. That report, among other things, recommended 50 percent derivation for the oil producing states. As we speak, the Federal Government is yet to summon the will to implement this report, which includes strategic initiatives for youth empowerment and security check in the Niger Delta area," the governor said.
Alameyeisgha did not spare the oil companies operating in the region as he said, "These oil and gas multinational corporations encourage militias, sponsor communal crises, breed sectional interests and conflicts in their host communities, and are believed to purchase firearms and ammunitions for the youths. A typical example is the rise of Isena Asawo and Isongufuro factions in Nembe where sectional interests and conflicts are promoted."
"Instead of joining government to find lasting solutions to youth unemployment, the oil companies resort to an uncanny method of employing some youths who are known to be problematic and strong on what is popularly known as "standby labour." This category of workers are not permanent staff of the companies and have no jobs to do, yet some of them are paid between N20,000 (twenty thousand Naira) and N50,000 (fifty thousand Naira) monthly. This has very serious social problems for the youths concerned as they are pushed to a point of being unemployable because of the distorted remunerations they enjoy," he added.
The Bayelsa State Governor also accused the oil companies of operating an apartheid system of government in the Niger Delta Region.
"In the flow stations and platforms of oil companies, all the trappings of civilization e.g. electricity, portable water, telephones, decent housing, and recreational facilities abound. In direct contrast, however, the oil bearing communities sometimes barely 300 metres away, lie prostrate in darkness with people drinking polluted water and residing in ramshackle homes.
"Youth restiveness is not limited to the Niger Delta alone. It has become a national malaise. I submit that only a full recognition and acceptance of the potentials of our teeming and resourceful youths can foster an atmosphere of peace and development in the country," he explained.
The governor further noted, "It behoves the Federal Government to re-examine its youth policy for the nation and implement it to affect all parts of the country positively. I believe that in the face of such a welcome eventuality in a nation where justice and equity reign supreme, the people of the region will feel a greater sense of belonging."
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