ICC open to litigation on crisis, says judge
From Madu Onuorah, Lemmy Ughegbe, Kelechi Okoronkwo (Abuja), Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt), Niyi Bello and Julius Alabi (Akure)
A FIRM assurance has been given by the Federal Government to the world that Nigeria was not at war in the oil-rich Niger Delta where insurgents are fighting for a measure of local autonomy and greater control of the area's petroleum resources by its people.
The pledge was made at separate occasions by President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and Niger Delta Affairs minister Ufot Ekaette just as the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Emmanuel Imohe, said the issues of development and good governance remain fundamental to the resolution of the crisis in the Niger Delta.
However, as various groups continue to express concern over the on-going military action by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta, which has led to killing of civilians, a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Mrs. Akua Kuenyehia, yesterday said it had jurisdiction to examine the development.
Besides, the Joint Task Force (JTF) yesterday said "allegations" being circulated by the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) in the internet accusing it of extra-judicial killings "are not only embarrassingly false but also another smear campaign" to discredit the military outfit.
On his part, Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Amaechi, has described the gesture by the wanted leader of the Niger Delta Vigilant Movement, Ateke Tom, to embrace the proposed Federal Government amnesty as insincere and diversionary antics of the militia.
And, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Senator Lee Maeba, has implored Niger Delta state governors to come up with a common position on the proposed constitutional amendment and Petroleum Industry Bill in order to reverse injustices inflicted on the region through legislation.
Yar'Adua yesterday said he would personally welcome the first militant leader that would accept his amnesty offer to the fighters in the Niger Delta. He expressed his delight at the news of the acceptance of the amnesty offer by the Rivers State-based militant leader, Ateke Tom, who Amaechi said was insincere.
According to the President, it is in the interest of Nigeria to grant the amnesty, the details of which he said would be made public, "latest, by early next week" so that the militants, Nigerians and the international community would "have confidence that we are sincere in granting this amnesty."
The committee on the Amnesty is expected to finish its work before the end of this week.
Yar'Adua, who spoke at a joint press conference with his visiting Sierra Leone counterpart Ernest Bai Koroma at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that despite the ongoing offensive in the Niger Delta, the nation was not at war.
His words: "We are not fighting. We are all Nigerians. And what we are trying to do is to guarantee peace and security in the Niger Delta, just like in any other part of Nigeria."
Yar'Adua, speaking at the foyer of his office, added: "Let me say that I am expecting in the next few days, certainly in the next few days certainly within this week, for the committee on amnesty to complete all arrangements and make public, (of course I will personally make public) all the conditions, procedures and mechanisms for the amnesty. The amnesty centre that will be established, the procedures for granting the amnesty, documentation, camping, training, rehabilitation, getting jobs, for those who require education, sending them to school. All the terms will be made public.
"I am highly delighted by this news that one of the militant leaders is prepared to accept the grant of amnesty by government. In fact, I would hope that all militant leaders would do the same. We are not fighting. We are all Nigerians. And what we are trying to do is to guarantee peace and security in the Niger Delta, just like in any other part of Nigeria; so that people can live, work, carry on their normal duties without fear, so that the region and the States can realise their great potentials for attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) and boosting economic activities.
"I will welcome any leader. In fact, I make bold to say that it will be a great pleasure for me to personally accept the first militant leader who takes advantage of this amnesty to encourage others to do so, so that they can have confidence that we are sincere, honest in granting of this amnesty.
"We have no other interests than the interests of Nigerians to leave in peace and all those, Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike who live within the Niger Delta states to live in peace and pursue their life activities without fear. So, I welcome any leader and all its members who are ready to accept the granting of amnesty by government and I assure them that within the week, latest early next week, the terms will be made public."
Ekaette has said the recent onslaught on the Niger Delta creeks by the men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) should not be seen as a war on the Niger Delta region rather, he said it was a way of ensuring lasting peace and development in the embattled region.
He said the Federal Government had introduced series of measures to end the crisis in the region including the creation of the Niger Affairs Ministry stressing that the government would not destroy its efforts to rehabilitate the region despite the "provocative actions by criminals posing as Niger Delta crusaders".
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) made the declaration yesterday in Washington, United States at a special session organized by the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on how to resolve the Niger Delta crisis and bring about peace and development in the region.
Meanwhile, the Minister has appealed to the international community to support Nigeria's effort to end the Niger Delta crisis by checking the sale of illegal of arms into the Niger Delta in exchange for Nigeria's stolen crude oil by criminals.
According to a statement by the Minister's Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Sunday Daniel, Ekaette who appeared on the panel with his Foreign Affairs Counterpart, Ojo Maduekwe said that contrary to the propaganda being championed by the masterminds of oil bunkering and arms proliferation in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government was doing its best to checkmate criminal tendencies in the area.
He said the government was at its best so as to pave the way for genuine peace and development in the region.
"It is wrong for the same people who accused the government of not developing the Niger Delta to turn round and drive away development agents, including contractors and foreign oil workers through kidnapping for ransom, killing and destruction of facilities.
"It was in a bid to significantly improve the Niger Delta that the Federal Government created the Ministry of Niger Delta, which has already worked out a concrete development programme for the region", Ekaette said.
Maduekwe, according to the statement, said that the recent crisis in the Niger Delta was triggered by criminals who ambushed and killed Nigerian soldiers on routine duties and said that the soldiers were not out to engage in wanton destruction of lives and property of any community.
Maduekwe also drew the attention of the audience to the fact that as a country that emerged from a very painful civil war, Nigeria would not allow any group or individual to plunge it into avoidable conflict and appealed to the international community to allow Nigeria to take steps to resolve the problems posed by criminals in the Niger Delta.
He said that as a sovereign nation, Nigeria would welcome ideas on how to move forward in the current situation but would not want to be dictated to by foreign interests.
Dr. Stephen Davies of the Coventry Cathedral had suggested that the militants in the Niger Delta would be ready to down their arms if the Nigerian Government accepted its proposal that the Amnesty be implemented by an international body to give credibility to the process.
Davies, who had once mediated in the Niger Delta crisis, said he was in touch with the militants and that they were willing to accept a mediated amnesty.
Also yesterday, the NIA chief said the issues of development and good governance remain fundamental tools for the resolution of the crisis in the Niger Delta.
Ambassador Imohe also said the ongoing offensive against the militants by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has resulted in a substantial reduction in the hostilities of militants, noting that "it has to be done", otherwise the region will never know the necessary peace needed for the resolution of the crisis.
Delivering the pre-graduating lecture titled 'Strategies for Consolidating Democracy and Development in Nigeria' at the Executive Intelligence Management Course of the Institute of Security Studies, Bwari Abuja, Ambassador Imohe also stated that the consolidation of the nation's democracy rests on sustenance of the anti-corruption war, transparency and accountability by all tiers of government.
He also noted that unless poverty is substantially reduced, it would be difficult to enthrone democracy as moneybags would continue to use their money to subvert the democratic process.
Giving kudos to the judiciary for substantially "asserting itself", he also urged the intelligence and security agencies to reposition themselves towards sustenance of democracy through the execution of the security sector reform initiatives.
Imohe told the audience, including the cream of Defence and Intelligence community in Nigeria, that "the Niger Delta crisis which began as a genuine agitation for more government attention has been hijacked by criminally-minded hoodlums to perpetrate acts of kidnapping, rape, murder, and oil bunkering. The resort to criminality by the Niger Delta youths has engendered an atmosphere of high level insecurity as the breakdown of law and order exposes Nigerians and foreigners alike in the region to the risks of kidnapping, hostage taking, rape and armed robbery. Added to these are the disruptions to civil life in the area from sabotage to oil assets, oil theft or bunkering etc all of which pose grave dangers to democracy and development in the country.
"The crisis in the Niger Delta is affecting Nigeria 's daily oil output leading to a substantial decline in government revenue from oil export. Nigeria 's daily oil production, which stood at 3.2 million barrels per day, has been halved as a result of the instability in the Niger Delta. This has serious budgetary constraints for government and its development plans. Among the recent policy initiatives taken to tackle the crisis are the creation of the Ministry of the Niger Delta, talk of offer of amnesty to militants that want to renounce violence, increased consultation and negotiation with stakeholders in the region, implementation of the existing master-plan and enhanced development projects in the region.
"However, the latest round of offensive mounted by the Joint Military Task Force (JTF) has resulted in a substantial reduction in the hostilities of militants and it is hoped that this success will be sustained so that normalcy can eventually return to the area and the nation at large. By and large, the issues of development and good governance, remain fundamental tools for the resolution of the crisis in the Niger Delta. By good governance, we mean the sustenance of efforts at upgrading socio-economic amenities and infrastructure in the area which impact directly on the wellbeing of Niger Deltans."
He regretted that the political elite, on whose shoulders the nation's democracy is anchored is characterised by greed, unbridled arrogance, larger than life image, inability to interpret the true meaning of checks and balances and oversight functions beyond Ghana-Must-Go politics.
He listed the following as the key challenges to the nation's democracy:
