Nigeria: Unspoken Peace Deal That Works in Delta
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Vanguard (Lagos)
11 October 2008
Posted to the web 11 October 2008
Emma Amaize
WHEN Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Uduaghan became the Governor of Delta State, last year, he was accepted with a "let's us watch and see attitude" by some Ijaw militants, who thought that an Itsekiri man would continue to oppress and not accommodate them in the politics of the state.
But 16 months or more into his administration, many would say that perhaps, he has tried tremendously in managing militants and grievances in the state, and paving the way for security and peace, which is one of the three-point agenda of his government.
Investigations by Saturday Vanguard showed that the governor who is also from a riverine community understood the problems of the people and before he assumed office, met with leading activists from the state in groups and individually to forge a common front.
The bottom-line is that they are crying of underdevelopment and he, himself, is saying the same thing too, and the only way development can come is for peace to reign.
"Without peace, the government cannot do anything", he told them and "they have to lay down their arms for the government, investors and people of the state to move freely in the waterways of the state", he added.
He told them it was not enough for them to assure him that they would drop their arms; they have to assist his government in maintaining peace also in the waterways and also assist the Joint Task Force (JTF) on the Niger-Delta and other security agents in their duties. The JTF has seen the alliance produce results but it does not want to publicly admit that militants, working at the behest of the state government were facilitating their operations.
A top operative of the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND) in the state told Saturday Vanguard, last week, that "We were fascinated with the sincere and frank approach of Governor Uduaghan. It is what I will call a fruitful bargaining approach to the agitation.
"The truth is that he reached out to the stakeholders that are involved in the agitation in the state and it is giving him results. It is working very fine against the situation in Rivers State, where the governor feels he, alone owns the state and the others are not stakeholders. He cannot achieve result that way. There will continue to be crisis there until he mends his ways", he stated.
His words, "In Rivers state, we see the state government as a factor in the crisis because of Governor Amaechi's way of doing things. The governor himself is a participant in the crisis and so, it will be difficult for him to get the militants there to agree to give peace a chance the way Uduaghan has done in Delta", he said.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that one thing that has worked very well for Uduaghan also in his security and peace agenda was how he managed the delicate power play between the Ijaws and Itsekiris in the chairmanship of the three Warri local government areas, which is Warri South-West, Warri South and Warri North local government areas.
"I call it political balancing", an Ijaw leader asserted, adding, "It was not the usual handpicking of candidates that cannot deliver. The governor took time and the candidates that emerged were professionals that have the credential to bring development and peace to the areas and you can see that for the first time in the history of the state, the chairmen of the three Warri local governments are ahead in development."
Strategically, an Ijaw man that has tentacles with the activists was endorsed for the chairmanship of Warri South-West with headquarters at Ogbe-Ijoh. This used to be the most troublesome local government in the state before he assumed office and indeed, its major kingdom, Gbaramatu can fittingly be said to be the headquarters of the Niger-Delta struggle.
The accepted generalissimo of the N-Delta struggle and convener of the Ijaw Youths Leadership Forum (IYLF), Chief Government Ekpemupolo hails from Gbaramatu and has facilitated the peace process in the state since Uduaghan took charge.
At the national level, he is the accepted leader of the Niger-Delta agitation and that is why the leader of the Niger-Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and other leaders of the struggle had to assemble in his enclave in Delta state when the Vice President came calling, last year, to ask the Niger-Delta activists to join hands with the Federal Government in its process.
Former Governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Diepreye Alamiyeseigha who knew the role he played in the events that led to his negotiated release visited him after his release to thank him for his support. When the JTF accused some politicians, including governors of fraternizing and supporting militants in the Niger-Delta, he is the person the task force had in mind.
How Uduaghan achieved peace
Relevant Links
The first structure Uduaghan put on ground to actualize his security and peace agenda is the Delta Waterways and Security Committee (DWSC), headed by a Niger-Delta activist, Mr. George Timinimi, who is also the Commissioner for Water Resources in the state. His appointment was tactical and his choice to man the ministry was also deliberate. He is an Ijaw man from Gbaramatu kingdom and if anybody is harassing government for its water projects in the creek, he has to go and sort the matter out.
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I am surprised to hear that Gbanran people are in Delta State. When I was a Kid, my father took me around almost all Ijaw areas with his engine boat and told me that they (the Gbanrans)were my people. I am from Akassa at the tip Of Bayelsa State. What I am asking is, why are the Gbanrans in some state called Delta State? One more thing, why do some ishekiris and Urhobos answer Ijaw names if they are not our Children?