SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN THE NIGER DELTA & THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA
December 20, 2024 | News
SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN THE NIGER DELTA & THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA
DISCUSS BY ZIK GBEMRE, COORDINATOR, NIGER DELTA PEACE COALITION (NDPC) ON THE SUBJECT: SUSTAINABLE PEACE IN THE NIGER DELTA & THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA, PRESENTED AT A PROGRAMME OF PRACTICAL NIGERIAN CONTENT (PNC) ON 3RD DECEMBER 2024 YOUTH FORUM ORGANISED BY NIGERIAN CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND MONITORING BOARD (NCDMB) IN YENAGUA, BAYELSA STATE
Let me start by having the Chairman and all participants on this auspicious occasion recognised by way of protocol. I recognise, immensely, organisers of this event, the Content Board as well.
It is an honour, to have the Niger Delta Peace Coalition, with me as Coordinator, address this vibrant audience on such a familiar subject that often provokes mixed emotions among stakeholders.
If the choice of who to deliver this task excellently was based on politics I'm sure the organisers would not have looked our way.
The greater attraction, I believe, was on the body of work the NDPC have done in selfless social justice advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, of trends, government, oil and gas and investment operations, for the common good of the region and beyond.
Given this opportunity, I won't delight in sounding academic and referencing secondary data or adapting analytical postulations already overflogged in the public domain.
The greater concentration will be on sharing NDPC's perspective on the state of peace and development in the region based on our own experiences, citing critical cases we all can relate to as stakeholders in the region and how all of it impacts on the larger Nigerian project.
BUSINESS OF THE DAY
To give context to the key words, we are aware of two variants of the geographical space called NIGER DELTA. Commonly it should be the land and coastal lines accommodating all Southern minorities, better known as the South South. It is hub of oil and gas production in the country. That perhaps is the most distinguishing colour of the region.
But with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), came an expanded space encompassing all of the commission's mandate states. They are nine we are aware.
Whichever mapping suits anyone in this audience doesn't change or swing the complexion of the discuss. The sentiments and issues are same.
Now, for SUSTAINABLE PEACE, we see both key variables jointly as a state of enduring harmonious relations among stakeholders and between man and the environment of the Niger Delta, in the atmosphere of mutual trust among the stakeholders and assured safety of lives and property.
Then we have DEVELOPMENT which, from NDPC's perspective, we see as the deliberate blending or marriage of available human and material resources to nourish steady improvement in the quality of life for the generality of stakeholders in peace.
Relative to the region in question, this state of affairs must bear mutual benefits for all stakeholders, internal (indigenes) or external.
So the first step to this discuss is to interrogate whether the region has genuine peace and development which is commonly known as sustainable development before we will measure how that impacts on Nigeria's development.
The UN General Assembly, 1987, had best pictured
sustainable development as such “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability (opportunities) of future generations to meet their own needs”
Arguably sustainable peace is inseparable from sustainable development. They are proportional in effect. You can't have one without the other. They complement each other.
From the background we have set, Sustainable Peace and Development is a shared responsibility among stakeholders, but the fact remains, that the overriding platform to guarantee it is good governance.
And rather than gloat over conjuring best cited definitions, I like to see good governance as lawyer and former Board Member of the NNPC, Sen Magnus Abe once pictured it in similar gathering, in Rivers state.
The Senator noted that, "Good Governance is better measured by the manifestation of its defining characteristics among a people within a social economic and political space."
DETERMINANTS OF SUSTAINABLE PEACE & DEVELOPMENT
So let's consider a few of these determinants or proofs of such Good Governance that guarantees sustainable peace and development.
¶ Government must be responsive to the needs of the people with obligation to -
√ Guarantee safety of lives and property through law enforcement and the judiciary. That involved safety for investments.
√ Provide basic necessities through delivery of critical infrastructures that avail the populace equal opportunities for growth and self development. Here we may be talking about good transport infrastructures, affordable education, healthcare, food security and more.
√ Guarantee human rights.
√ Be accountable to the people in transparent prudent management of available resources, the commonwealth, to maximise the dividends of good governance to the people.
√ In our clime where we practice democracy, leadership selection must be free, fair and credible, talking about elections, to stimulate trust between the government and the governed.
√ An enabling environment that supports investments and technological advancement to create jobs and improve living standards.
REALITY CHECK
Against these determinants, can we say we have sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta?
For the NDPC, this is just a rhetorical question. Only the pretentious would vote in the affirmative if we are required to respond.
What we have in the region has been pretty much sustained reverse of these determinants, that is a reverse of sustainable peace. The region is faced with -
a. Insecurity. Government's capacity to guarantee safety of lives and property is highly compromised by a number of social or operational dysfunctions.
There is crime and conflicts in the atmosphere of weak security architecture to tackle incidents. Inadequate manpower, poor equipment, underfunding, poor welfare for security personnel and corruption in the security system.
b. Poor, inadequate infrastructures.
c. Environmental degradation.
d. Mass poverty, hunger in absence of sustainable livelihoods for the majority.
e. Lack of opportunities for self development among the populace.
f. Etc.
INTENSIFIERS
What fuels all these socioeconomic dysfunctions in the region.
1. A High Sense of Deprivation & Neglect.
2. Entitlement Mentality
3. Perception of Oil Companies As Alternative Govt.
4. Pervasive Corruption & insincerity in policy formation, implementation.
5. Get reach quick syndrome.
6. Violence As The Language Govt Understands. As a tool of patronage and recognition.
7. Pretentious policy formulation and implementation.
ARRESTED, RETROGRESSIVE DEVELOP
We're either stagnated or taking one step forward and several backward.
IMPACT ON LARGER NIGERIA
¶ Oil theft, attacks on oil assets bloats OPEX, shrinks income meant for meaningful development. Our OPEX the highest in the world.
¶ Paint the nation in bad light.
¶ Exacerbates corruption.
GOING FORWARD
Recommendations
1. Improved governance and transparency.
2. Increased investment in infrastructure and human capital
3. Environmental remediation and sustainable practices.
4. Inclusive and participatory decision-making processes.
5. Addressing historical injustices and grievances.
6. Above all, consequence action against financial misconduct.
Zik Gbemre
December 3,2024
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
Let me start by having the Chairman and all participants on this auspicious occasion recognised by way of protocol. I recognise, immensely, organisers of this event, the Content Board as well.
It is an honour, to have the Niger Delta Peace Coalition, with me as Coordinator, address this vibrant audience on such a familiar subject that often provokes mixed emotions among stakeholders.
If the choice of who to deliver this task excellently was based on politics I'm sure the organisers would not have looked our way.
The greater attraction, I believe, was on the body of work the NDPC have done in selfless social justice advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, of trends, government, oil and gas and investment operations, for the common good of the region and beyond.
Given this opportunity, I won't delight in sounding academic and referencing secondary data or adapting analytical postulations already overflogged in the public domain.
The greater concentration will be on sharing NDPC's perspective on the state of peace and development in the region based on our own experiences, citing critical cases we all can relate to as stakeholders in the region and how all of it impacts on the larger Nigerian project.
BUSINESS OF THE DAY
To give context to the key words, we are aware of two variants of the geographical space called NIGER DELTA. Commonly it should be the land and coastal lines accommodating all Southern minorities, better known as the South South. It is hub of oil and gas production in the country. That perhaps is the most distinguishing colour of the region.
But with the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), came an expanded space encompassing all of the commission's mandate states. They are nine we are aware.
Whichever mapping suits anyone in this audience doesn't change or swing the complexion of the discuss. The sentiments and issues are same.
Now, for SUSTAINABLE PEACE, we see both key variables jointly as a state of enduring harmonious relations among stakeholders and between man and the environment of the Niger Delta, in the atmosphere of mutual trust among the stakeholders and assured safety of lives and property.
Then we have DEVELOPMENT which, from NDPC's perspective, we see as the deliberate blending or marriage of available human and material resources to nourish steady improvement in the quality of life for the generality of stakeholders in peace.
Relative to the region in question, this state of affairs must bear mutual benefits for all stakeholders, internal (indigenes) or external.
So the first step to this discuss is to interrogate whether the region has genuine peace and development which is commonly known as sustainable development before we will measure how that impacts on Nigeria's development.
The UN General Assembly, 1987, had best pictured
sustainable development as such “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability (opportunities) of future generations to meet their own needs”
Arguably sustainable peace is inseparable from sustainable development. They are proportional in effect. You can't have one without the other. They complement each other.
From the background we have set, Sustainable Peace and Development is a shared responsibility among stakeholders, but the fact remains, that the overriding platform to guarantee it is good governance.
And rather than gloat over conjuring best cited definitions, I like to see good governance as lawyer and former Board Member of the NNPC, Sen Magnus Abe once pictured it in similar gathering, in Rivers state.
The Senator noted that, "Good Governance is better measured by the manifestation of its defining characteristics among a people within a social economic and political space."
DETERMINANTS OF SUSTAINABLE PEACE & DEVELOPMENT
So let's consider a few of these determinants or proofs of such Good Governance that guarantees sustainable peace and development.
¶ Government must be responsive to the needs of the people with obligation to -
√ Guarantee safety of lives and property through law enforcement and the judiciary. That involved safety for investments.
√ Provide basic necessities through delivery of critical infrastructures that avail the populace equal opportunities for growth and self development. Here we may be talking about good transport infrastructures, affordable education, healthcare, food security and more.
√ Guarantee human rights.
√ Be accountable to the people in transparent prudent management of available resources, the commonwealth, to maximise the dividends of good governance to the people.
√ In our clime where we practice democracy, leadership selection must be free, fair and credible, talking about elections, to stimulate trust between the government and the governed.
√ An enabling environment that supports investments and technological advancement to create jobs and improve living standards.
REALITY CHECK
Against these determinants, can we say we have sustainable peace and development in the Niger Delta?
For the NDPC, this is just a rhetorical question. Only the pretentious would vote in the affirmative if we are required to respond.
What we have in the region has been pretty much sustained reverse of these determinants, that is a reverse of sustainable peace. The region is faced with -
a. Insecurity. Government's capacity to guarantee safety of lives and property is highly compromised by a number of social or operational dysfunctions.
There is crime and conflicts in the atmosphere of weak security architecture to tackle incidents. Inadequate manpower, poor equipment, underfunding, poor welfare for security personnel and corruption in the security system.
b. Poor, inadequate infrastructures.
c. Environmental degradation.
d. Mass poverty, hunger in absence of sustainable livelihoods for the majority.
e. Lack of opportunities for self development among the populace.
f. Etc.
INTENSIFIERS
What fuels all these socioeconomic dysfunctions in the region.
1. A High Sense of Deprivation & Neglect.
2. Entitlement Mentality
3. Perception of Oil Companies As Alternative Govt.
4. Pervasive Corruption & insincerity in policy formation, implementation.
5. Get reach quick syndrome.
6. Violence As The Language Govt Understands. As a tool of patronage and recognition.
7. Pretentious policy formulation and implementation.
ARRESTED, RETROGRESSIVE DEVELOP
We're either stagnated or taking one step forward and several backward.
IMPACT ON LARGER NIGERIA
¶ Oil theft, attacks on oil assets bloats OPEX, shrinks income meant for meaningful development. Our OPEX the highest in the world.
¶ Paint the nation in bad light.
¶ Exacerbates corruption.
GOING FORWARD
Recommendations
1. Improved governance and transparency.
2. Increased investment in infrastructure and human capital
3. Environmental remediation and sustainable practices.
4. Inclusive and participatory decision-making processes.
5. Addressing historical injustices and grievances.
6. Above all, consequence action against financial misconduct.
Zik Gbemre
December 3,2024
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes