Nigeria: Rebels Spoil For Fresh Oil War

WITH the paralysing effect of the two weeks of cult war in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, yet to clear, the Niger Delta, Nigeria's oil and gas basin, will soon cycle back into a new wave of insurgency. Some of the aggrieved rebel groups are spoiling for war against ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco, American oil giants operating in the region.

They are claiming that the United States (US) transnational oil corporations have refused to pay adequate compensations for some local communities their extractive operations impacted ''very negatively''. According to them, their planned renewed uprising is not targeted at President Umar Yar'Adua's administration who they said is trying to be a bit responsive to their demands.

Besides the widely alleged criminal motive by the Rivers State Government, the cult war that rocked Port Harcourt for weeks, also had a political undertone.

The rampaging armed youths were said to be pressing for their unpaid bills for alleged political operations they undertook for the Peter Odili administration during the largely controversial April polls.

The Joint Revolutionary Council (JRC), an umbrella organisation of some of the dreaded rebel groups that are agitating for socio-economic and environmental justice in the Niger Delta, is claiming that the Rivers Governor, Celestine Omehia, benefited from the services of the political army that was promoted by the Odili administration. ''Omehia cannot in all honesty claim to be ignorant of the existent of killer squads funded by Odili, his former boss'', the group said.

Spokesperson for the JRC, Cynthia Whyte, in a detailed wire statement to this reporter on Tuesday, said, ''the issue in Rivers State right now is principally one between the Rivers State Government and unpaid workers who are demanding for their remuneration. Like we have often times said, let the politicians handle their shame. The cultists and hoodlums whose services they employed during the April elections are requesting to be paid monies owed them''.

At a public forum in Port Harcourt last week, Omehia admitted that the armed groups that unleashed terror on the state capital wrote to him demanding to be paid some undisclosed fees. A well-place insider at the Government House, Port Harcourt, said the fees which was to be paid monthly ran into multi-millions of naira.

On the eve of Omehia's take-over on May 28, the then out-going governor, Odili, allegedly approved some N400million for some cult groups for a covert operation to ensure that the Omehia swearing-in ceremony was not aborted. Some armed groups from the Tombia axis were alleged to be spoiling for war on the swearing-in day.

In the mean time, the obviously angry JRC says it is despicable to tie their name with the current circumstances in Rivers.

''It is dishonourable to tamper banditry and hooliganism with the true agitation and quest by Ijaw and Niger Delta people to demand and fight for a better quality of life given the fact that their resources presently guarantee the survival of the Nigerian state.

Umar Yar'Adua has been responsive to the key issues that we have been agitating for and we are watching closely at the emerging and evolving process.

However, the boys are being too bored for a long time and they are getting restive having been on leave for a pretty long time. We are considering a temporary cancelation in our declaration of truce so that we can deal with some unruly companies who think that they can undermine certain communities, damage their environment and yet refuse to pay the meagre compensation demanded for by the affected communities.

ExxonMobil and ChevronTexaco may be the reason for a temporal cancelation of the truce we declared some months back. Besides, it will go a long way to show that our ability to 'gbeke' is very much intact. We are on top of issues at the moment. Our fluidity and ability to think strategy and ahead of the enemy are key virtues. We don't play with these'', they said.

Question: Does it not affect the quality and content of the Ijaw struggle? I mean with the offensive position that the government is currently taking?

Answer: When bandits are attacked by soldiers, you will know. When bandits and criminals are involved in a process, you will know. When the true combatants of the Ijaw and Niger Delta struggle go to war, you will also know. Then, the armed forces of the Nigerian state will not be ashamed to count their loses.

Military might and the ability to take down the enemy is not the preserve of the armed forces alone. The Joint Revolutionary Council does not enlist the help of street gangs and cult groups in its campaigns. Ours is a white revolution, a campaign to overcome evil with good. We will continue to do good to our people. That explains the tremendous support that we enjoy.

Well, let us not be too quick to run to conclusions about the current issues in Rivers state. Let us all watch, wait and see. It is too early to come to a conclusion. Very old women do not chew gum.

Q: Recently Ijaw elders led by Chief Edwin Clark called for declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers state and their calls were condemned by representatives of the Governor led by Information Commissioner, Emma Okah. What is the position of your group on this development?

A: Stupidity is a curse. Ignorance and lack of respect for elders is even far much worse. You see, the good thing with mathematics is that while a particular mathematical problem may look very tasking and difficult, the question itself gives you a picture of what the answer should look like. That explains why even a stupid child will not say that one plus one is equal to seven million.

Where were Omehia and his boy, Emma Okah when Chief Clark was Federal Minister of the Nigerian state? Where were they? It would have been much more understanding if Emma Okah was blessed with as much smart talking skills as the ill famed Femi Fani-Kayode who maligned everybody who dared to speak against Obasanjo only to apologise when called before the House of Assembly for ministerial screening. Well, the day of reckoning will come.

When we questioned the 'appointment' of Celestine Omehia as PDP flagbearer and eventual governor of the Bantustan of Rivers state, people thought we were being parochial minded. Now they know better. Omehia's incompetency now speaks for itself. You do not therefore need to know that those who will man the corridors of power for the next four years will have the same measure of human content (cerebrally speaking) as their boss in terms of intelligence, resilience, ability to make decisions on time and on demand, quick thinking etc. Rivers people will have to begin to learn how to bear this burden.

In as much as we do not believe that the current curfew and pseudo state of emergency will not solve the problem, there are far honourable ways for a government to respond to calls such as that made by Chief Clark and his team rather than get some opportunists in government to malign them.

Q: Recently, a group of elders of Kalabari stock led by one Chief Sara-Igbe condemned the call for a state of emergency by the Clark led group. What is your position on these pronouncements and counter pronouncements? Does this represent the divisions in the Ijaw nation? How do these divisions affect your struggle?

A: Which Kalabari Council of Elders? Who has recognised any of them as elders in Kalabari land? Besides, how many others names were mentioned with Sara-Igbe? Has any human being of Kalabari stock told you that Sara-Igbe has the mandate to speak for them? Did he tell you that he can even speak for himself?

Well you people need to understand that there is poverty in the land and this same poverty that drives Sara-Igbe to such ignominy is the same kind that drives our young men to indulge in such demented and callous way of life. So in a way, Sara-Igbe and the young gun totters in Rivers State, suffer from the same ailment. Times are tough my brother and people have to sustain their families even if it means saying anything to gain some measure of favour from those who control the distribution of the bread. I believe that Sara-Igbe does not really mean whatever he had said. He is just trying to do the best he can to achieve some measure of resource control at least, just enough to take care of his family for some few weeks. Even then, he is a disgrace to the larger Ijaw interest and aspirations.

Come to think of it. Do not forget that this same Sara-Igbe was a special assistant to Peter Odili until he was booted out. When Odili was gunning for Presidency at the expense of the vast but 'curfewed' resources of Rivers people, Sara-Igbe desperately sought to be included in the largesse that was being distributed. He tried so hard. He may have gained some good wad. This man represents the people we choose to tag 'pay as you go Ijaw elders'. He has very little 'elder' value in the comity of elders.

Q: Are you in support of a state of emergency in Rivers State?

A: The city of Port Harcourt is already in some pseudo state of emergency with the armed personnel of the Nigerian state taking positions across the city especially around Government House. Women and children are being the brunt of the failure of government to truly protect them. Young girls are being raped on a daily basis by armed-to-the-teeth security men who have utilised the prevailing circumstances for their own satanic and perverted benefits. Judgment will soon be dispensed on them. Make no mistake.

Omehia and his goons know that a state of emergency may deny them the extreme privilege that they now enjoy. A state of emergency will or may definitely limit access to the abundant resources of Rivers State that they now enjoy. Therefore, it is very clear that Omehia is a very selfish person, putting himself before the state.

Illegality and abnormality cannot and should not condemn illegality. You are all press men. You can have access to Omehia and his talkers. Maybe you should go and ask Omehia the following questions. At what point did he buy the PDP form? Was he among the initial set of PDP contenders? Was he with them when his corrupt co-hort Amaechi's hand was lifted up by their godfather Peter Odili even though Amaechi's endorsement was a deceitful one and like all things born in deceit, do not last or stand the test of time.

For how long will we be subject to the whims and caprices of an opportunist bunch who believe that they can trade the destiny of our people and undermine the integrity of our fathers?

Is Omehia too dumb to follow the foot-steps of Umar Yar'Adua? Yar'Adua has been one step ahead of all his detractors since he came into power. Yar'Adua has avoided making confrontational statements since he came into office, always ensuring that he does the right thing even before anyone gets the chance to talk about it. Yar'Adua understood and accepted that the circumstances and processes that resulted in his emergence as President of the Nigerian state were not exactly fair. He immediately declared himself as a servant leader and then started a process for an inclusive government. A man's actions and his demeanour in certain circumstances defines his ability to create solutions.

What we see in Rivers State today is the picture of a failure of government, governance and the governed.

Q: What is your view on the future of Rivers State with respect to the return of peace, unity and stability?

A: Omehia is the first begotten son of a corrupt and deceptive hegemony (created by Peter Odili) that has demonised satanised and abused rivers state and her people for eight solid years and still want to hold up captive. You can see that the same enemies of the people are still lurking around the corridors of Rivers people. Now you cannot run an exorcism on these kinds of folks overnight. You need strong and tested spiritualists in order to get it right.

How can you describe a situation where two close aids of a governor, from the same tribe and village could not be settled and reconciled by the boss who they both worked for and reported to? Rotimi Amaechi and Celestine Omehia were two very close aides to Peter Odili even though Amaechi was speaker of the Rivers State house of assembly and Omehia was a special assistant to the governor. This simple scenario describes the nature of Peter Odili, a divider. What we see in Rivers State today is a reality demonstration of 'Sins of the fathers', being visited on the son. Odili's sins blended with Omehia's naivety and incompetence may destroy Rivers State, but the God Lord will fight for us through us.

Q: Does your group accept Omehia as governor of Rivers state?

A: We know that the assemblage called PDP, provided after a series of turn of cunning events; an individual called Celestine Omehia and eventually rigged him into power with the efforts of renegades who now give them sleepless nights and who they now seek to annihilate for fear of exposure.

If Omehia will confess his sins (as a product of an illegitimate, corrupt and failed system) and seek forgiveness, we will faithfully and justly forgive him, for we recognise that all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God.

Frankly though, I am of the belief that Omehia should go. The man lacks what it takes to move Rivers state to the next level.

Take the case of Yar'adua.

But most importantly, the people of Rivers State are in dire need to best-in-class leadership especially after the wasteful yester-years. Tens of billions of resources meant for the development of Rivers State have been wasted on vanity, wickedness and insanity. We have air ambulances that nobody needs. How can a governor buy air ambulances for a state where rural communities do not have health centers or air strips? How many landing centers or air strips exist in Rivers State? Where were people like Chief Sara-Igbe when such misdeeds were being committed against our people? Only for him to wake up today and cast aspersions on the integrity of Ijaw elders whose pedigree he can never match!

Omehia should be very careful. If he is not, he will soon find himself engulfed by a critical mass of CEOs (Coalition of Enemies of Omehia) who will do everything possible to make the governance of Rivers state a painful sojourn.

Q: What in your view is the way forward?

A: The only way forward right now is to go backward, correct the wrongs of the past and then keep coming upwards. The way forward is for everyone to look forward and imagine the abundant possibilities and opportunities that exist for all our people and then carefully work in alignment with the realities of the achievement of expected goals. This is not a mandate for government alone. Human capacity building must be driven up in good measure. Our people must be trained and equipped with the skills they require to live meaningful lives. The presence of the highly active oil and gas industry in our communities and region should be exploited by government but this cannot be possible if the government is not a thinking one. All they know how to do is share money.

To be able to separate the hoodlums and bandits from the others, then government and the private sector should create opportunities that hard working youths can exploit.

You have to understand that the inability of government to listen to the needs of the people of Rivers state is the root cause of the current unrest in Port Harcourt. This unrest will continue until government wakes up.

Try to find out how many jobs were created in the past eight years of Peter Odili excluding jobs and appointments such as special assistants and commissioners.

ENDS

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