On Wednesday, the 20th anniversary of the execution of environmental activist and Niger-Delta advocate, Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists was observed, with articles and events around the world.
It was quite a befitting commemoration of the ‘judicial murder’ of Saro-Wiwa who had devoted his life to non-violent agitation for rights of his Ogoni people as the leader of the Movement for the Sovereignty of the Ogoni Peoples (MOSOP).
Two decades after the much-condemned kangaroo trial of the Ogoni 9, as they are popularly known, the issues for which they fought for and paid the ultimate sacrifice still persists, and even worse:
The Niger-Delta is still wracked by environmental degradation caused by oil mining, which has not only robbed the people of their livelihoods by destroying farmland and fisheries, but has also contributed to the poor quality of life there. The region is still mired in poverty and hardly represents an area from which the resource on which Nigeria survives.
Interestingly, the international human rights’ organization, Amnesty International released a report on the cleanup of pollution sites in Saro-Wiwa’s Ogoniland which was damning as it revealed that Shell, the major oil company in the area has not properly cleaned up the sites and that government agencies that are meant to certify a proper clean-up have been negligent in their duties.
It is very likely that if the Nigerian government had listened to the non-violent protest of Saro-Wiwa and his comrades and attempted to right the wrongs in the Niger-Delta, we would not have had militancy in the region on our hands ten years later.
It took almost five years of constant battles between militants and government forces, the crippling of the economy as they made our oil production to plunge and an amnesty program before relative calm was restored to the region.
This has gone on to prove two things: the Nigerian state is inept at nipping crisis situations in the bud, acting only when it has become a full-blown crisis, and that the Nigerian state only responds to its citizens when the citizens use violence. None of these should be so.
However, the amnesty program, which is expected to end this year, has so far been only a Band-Aid solution to a deep problem. We can only pay off the militants for so long. It is crucial that governments at all levels put the issues in the region top on their priority lists lest we return to those dark days of militancy and restiveness.
The Federal Government needs to ensure it delivers critical infrastructure to the region commensurate with the needs of the people – projects such as the East-West Road and the Second Niger Bridge need to be completed quickly.
There also needs to be expedited action on the cleanup of not just Ogoniland, but the entire region and to also strengthen government agencies such as National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) to perform their duties of ensuring that oil spills are not only well-prevented but also that oil spills are properly cleaned up.
State and local governments in the region will also have to stop passing the buck on their responsibilities to the Federal Government and justify the monetary allocations they receive monthly. Not doing so defeats the purpose of their creation – which is to bring governance closer to the grassroots.
They need to invest in infrastructure, education and job creation schemes in order to create wealth for the area and also be able to collaborate with the Federal Government on issues and problems that are beyond them alone.
Perhaps the biggest question with regards to the Niger-Delta struggle is the issue of devolution of powers and more resource control. This is a conversation that is very important and needs to be had, not just because it concerns the Niger-Delta but rather the whole country and the growth and survival of Nigeria may not be hinged on it.
It is imperative that the Federal Government grants component units of the country more power over revenues generated in their areas, and this goes beyond just oil – mining royalties, value-added and company income taxes as well. Doing so will unlock wealth creation in these areas as the needed incentive has been given.
As we celebrate the sacrifice the memories of Saro-Wiwa and countless other people who gave up their lives fighting for better conditions of living in the Niger Delta, we should remember that the best appreciation we can give them is to make their dreams come true.
