Wednesday 24 June 2015

Calabar waterway bombing: Buhari stirring up hornet’s nest

Calabar waterway bombing: Buhari stirring up  hornet’s nest
The world was roused from sleep to hear the thundering noise of dangerously powerful explosives as large volleys issued from fighter jets hovered overhead. Before one could say, Jack Robinson the message was read to everyone that war has been declared on the inhabitants of the Niger Delta who have been clamouring for adequate compensation for the environmental damage caused by oil exploration activities in the region. The lives of the inhabitants in these creek villages were put in jeopardy. None other than Buhari could have ordered the bombings on these quiet and peaceful communities in Cross Rivers State.


Reports say that it was a pre-emptive strike against suspected Niger Delta militants in the creeks. This, however, could be likened to the unwarranted ‘race war’ declared by the Charleston gunman whose shots felled nine worshippers in a certain House Of God in the US state of South Carolina.

This brings to mind the extra-judicial murder of Ken Saro-Wiwa of Ogoni extraction, an Environmentalist and Poet who led a similar struggle until he was killed about 25 years ago on November 11, 1995, to be precise. General Sani Abacha ordered the execution of the above-named after a ”kangaroo” court trial that sparked off global outrage against Nigeria. In consequence of this Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth Of Nations.

We are all aware of the dangers posed by pollution and its resultant ecological disasters which the inhabitants of the region have been suffering from through the ages. There have been complaints upon complaints against their survival and environmental rights that were not heeded. To be more forceful, the ”Angry Young Men” had no option but to metamorphose into a platoon of soldiers via militancy to press home their demands. Buhari’s predecessors obviously in sympathy with their cause extended the Olive branch and this was well applauded by everyone as the ticket to or road map for peace in the region.

Great minds, they often say, are no nuisance. This was on the heels of the militant’s disposition against the Federal Government and the international pressures on Nigeria also played a major role in forcing the government to agree on an amnesty deal. This has been applied and followed to the last letter by his predecessors. However, rumours are on the grapevine that President Buhari instead of sustaining and strengthening the amnesty programme intends to scrap it by December. If this is anything to go by I wonder the rationale behind such decision. These are a people and a nation whose homeland are being destroyed daily by pollution and oil spillage. Reports have it that they have sent an SOS to Buhari to reconsider and rescind his decision. They doubtless reasoned that allowing him to scrap the programme would amount to courting dearth and death.

They have not erred after all. Common sense demands that they complain against the destruction of the ecosystem from which they derive subsistence and sustenance and were aptly granted listening ears by his predecessors. Thursday’s aerial bombardment by the Nigerian Airforce of some creek villages in Calabar, Cross Rivers State preludes nothing but an all-out attack on the region occupied by ethnic militia when the programme is finally scrapped in December and this portends grave danger to the region and Nigeria.

In contrast, Boko Haram is an armed terrorist gang whose dastardly acts has changed Nigeria’s demography because no fewer than 15,000 Nigerians have been bombed to death since their reign of terror began. Boko Haram, reports say, in alliance with other terrorist organisations, is fighting to actualize a sovereign Islamic State in Nigeria. The Niger Delta militants are only protesting against the injustice by the destruction of the ecosystem and aptly demanding adequate compensation. They are fighting for their own right to life. Does the present administration find fault with this? Why do they want to scrap the amnesty programme without palliative measures on the ground if one may ask? Why are they placing the Islamist terrorists on a par with the Niger Delta militants who are only asking for their right to life by ill-advisedly extending bombing campaign to Nigeria’s undisputed energy epicentre?

Is it to hushed them into silence? We hope this is not a government that is bereft of ideas. The local community concerns must be taken into consideration.Given their exposure to extractive industry projects it behoves the APC-led Federal Government under President Buhari to address the concerns of local communities. This involves designing appropriate mechanisms for the sharing of revenues, undertaking needs assessments, offering adequate compensation and by ensuring communities have a say in decisions relating to extraction activities. The involvement of Trans National Corporations in extractive industries has sometimes resulted in human right violations in host countries. It is the responsibility of the state to protect human rights; this includes preventing corporations from breaching rights and if they do so by any act of omission or commission as we see in the Niger Delta urgent steps must be taken to hold them to account and provide reparations to the victims.

Resorting to bombing the region under the guise of crushing suspected militants in the creek communities is ill-advised under the existing circumstances. I repeat yet again common sense demands that the survival of the inhabitants must be taken into active consideration seeing that host countries have a duty to protect the inhabitants of those areas against human right abuses.

Photo: Scene of aerial bombardment Thursday last week in Cross Rivers creek communities

Iyoha John Darlington, aka Lington Donovan, a social activist, public commentator on national and global issues writes from Turin, Italy.

Email: jamestmichael2003@yahoo.com

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