Nigeria Security Update #1 270707

Nigeria Nuclear Safety in Question

The new president of Nigeria is urging the country to embrace nuclear power, although his own nuclear watchdog is struggling to track the radioactive materials already in use here.

"We need to develop the capacity to utilize nuclear power for power generation. Who knows, nuclear power may be the only source of energy in the future, and we must think of the future," President Umaru Yar'Adua said in a speech this week.

Nigeria has frequently said it would like to build a nuclear power plant to address its chronic power shortages, partially caused by poor management and maintenance of its electricity infrastructure. The country is Africa's largest crude producer, but currently imports all its refined oil because its four refineries have been shut down by accidents, broken parts or sabotage.

The petroleum industry is currently the main user of radioactive materials in Nigeria. The materials, used in tools to detect cracks in pipelines or measure exploratory oil wells, have gone missing -- or been stolen -- in the past.

Nigeria also has nuclear materials for research and medical purposes, including in a reactor, that are regularly inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Vienna-based nuclear watchdog for the United Nations. The United States signed an accord with Nigeria's nuclear agency in 2005 agreeing to pay for tighter security at sites where radioactive materials are kept.

William Potter, director of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Monterey, California, said the radioactive materials used in the construction industry would be of interest to terrorists who might want to construct a "dirty bomb" -- which could spread radiation by a conventional explosion. He added that inadequate regulation of radioactive materials is a global problem, but "even more acute in those countries which lack well-developed nuclear regulatory bodies and material control and accounting practices."

Even in the U.S., Potter said, about one radioactive device a day was "orphaned" or lost track of.

Shamsudeen Elegba, director of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, said in a speech last week that despite upgrading controls designed to halt the illicit trafficking of radioactive materials, "we still have some challenges in the safety and security of radioactive sources."

He said that progress had been made but highlighted the lack of dedicated storage facilities and detection capacity at ports of entry, inadequately trained personnel and inadequate tracking of sources as Nigeria's major challenges.

Before the establishment of the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority in 2001, there were no restrictions on the import or export of radioactive materials. The body is still battling to effectively regulate their use and import.

In 2002, two devices used for X-raying oil pipelines for cracks were stolen from the back of a truck in the restive southern Niger Delta, according to news reports at the time.

The devices, which contained radioactive americium-beryllium, were lost in December. But the government did not issue a public warning until two months later, when a delegation from the IAEA arrived to help investigate their disappearance.

The devices were eventually found in a European scrap yard, said an oil worker who was familiar with the investigation. He thought the thieves may have stolen them to sell as scrap.

An IAEA official confirmed the oil worker's account, but agency officials authorized to speak to the media were not immediately available for comment.

The Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority refused to answer questions about individual breaches of security.

The oil worker, who asked not to be named due to company restrictions on speaking to the press, said he was aware of at least one other occasion when radioactive materials went missing but declined to give details due to the sensitive nature of the incident. He did say that to the best of his knowledge, the materials stolen in the second instance had not been recovered.

A private security contractor who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media said that in 2004, radioactive materials had been abandoned on rigs that had come under attack by gunmen. Attacks on the Nigerian oil industry occur several times a week. Over 250 foreigners have been kidnapped in the last two years and a quarter of the country's oil production is currently shut in following a series of bombings by militant groups demanding greater political rights for their impoverished region.

Earlier this year, the government also publicly chastised four oil and oil service companies for moving around radioactive materials without the proper permits. It did not specify what the materials were but americium and cesium are two of the most commonly used by the industry, although usually in relatively small amounts.

The oil worker said that in Nigeria, it was impossible to say which companies used radioactive oil well mapping devices or how many they owned.

The methods for tracking such materials seemed to differ company to company, he said, and if they're lost, nobody cares.



Solving Lagos' Security Problems (This Day)

The concern of an average Lagosian is the insecurity of lives and property in the metropolis, especially with the incessant cases of armed robbery even in broad daylight. One could recall vividly the robbery incidents within the last one month in areas like Maryland, Ikorodu road, Oregun, Ogba, Lagos Island, Iyana Ipaja, Apapa and Surulere during which people were deprived of their belongings including cars, jewelleries, mobile telephone handsets, huge sums of money and other personal effects by the hoodlums.

Rising up to the Herculean task of policing the state, the state police command engaged the men of the underworld in fierce battles during which casualties were recorded and some of the hoodlums apprehended and paraded before newsmen by the Police.

However, the efforts of the police appear not to be good enough even as the Lagos State Government has expressed concern over the rising wave of crime in the metropolis. Governor Babatunde Fashola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), while taking oath of office on May 29, vowed to fight crime headlong.

Less than two weeks of assuming office, Fashola, on June 11, inaugurated a 33-man security committee headed by a former Inspector General of Police; Alhaji Musiliu Smith. Other members of the committee included heads of military formations namely the Army, Navy and the Air Force in Lagos State, State Police Commissioner, state director of security, Comptroller of Immigration, Comptroller of Customs, Commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator; Kick Against Indiscipline[KAI] Marshal-General, Community Development Committee Chairman and representative of the state ministry of justice.

The committee which had a three- week period to submit its report, also had its terms of reference to include determining the causes and effects of small arms proliferation in Lagos state proffering solutions to the spate of violent armed robbery attacks on innocent citizens and institutions such as banks, hotels, eradicating the menace of area boy/street urchins in Lagos generally and in particular the Central Business Districts of Lagos and adjoining Ikoyi and Victoria Island; providing cogent solutions to transport insecurity as in the recklessness of motorbike transporters popularly called Okada riders; and such other ancilliary issues as may be necessary to guarantee overall security of lives and property in the state towards increasing the confidence of the entire citizenry of the state The committee which at its inaugural meeting realised the need to co-opt eleven more people who are experienced in safety and security matters as members received total of 30 memoranda that were analysed and considered during the committees six plenary sessions.

At those sessions the committee discussed and harmonised the different opinions and suggestions by members and made recommendations accordingly. Submitting its report to Fashola on July 11, exactly one month after its inauguration, the committee chairman, Smith said his committee carefully considered all aspects of security which he said were quite complex and challenging and that all the terms of reference were thoroughly debated with a view to proffering workable and practical solutions.

The major findings of the committee which were contained in three binded volumes of the report submitted to Fashola, according to Smith, include that the effect of increased criminal and violent activities due to small arms proliferation are many and they impact negatively on every sector of the states socio-economic strata.

The committee also identified proliferation of small arms and other offensive weapons as a major cause of armed robbery and other violent crimes in the metropolis, adding that area boys and street urchins who hang around motor parks, highways, bus stops and other public places purposely to engage in various anti-social or criminal activities including extortion and harassment of the people.

While urging the state government to speedily implement the committees recommendations so as to ensure standard security situation in the state, Smith declared that there are additional issues ancilliary to the general and specific purposes of achieving overall security of lives and property in the state which the committee identified and considered and are contained in the committees report. The report is in three parts namely the main report, the executive summary and memoranda.

In receiving the report, the governor expressed appreciation to the members for a job well done and assured that government would consider the recommendations and take necessary steps towards adequate security of lives and property in the metropolis.

Ironically, weeks after government received the committee’s report, the menace of crime continued unabated in the metropolis. One only hopes that the Fashola-led administration in the state would before long come up with the white paper on the committees report so that the issue of crime would be given a comprehensive and wholesome approach.



Two Arrested for Kidnap Plots (Vanguard)

Two persons including a Police Constable have been arrested by police detectives attached to the Enugu State Police Command for attempting to kidnap foreign nationals in Enugu.

The State Police Commissioner, Mr. Bashiru Azeez, who disclosed this while briefing reporters on the achievements of his command in Enugu yesterday, said that even though his men succeeded in foiling the attempt to kidnap some foreign nationals, they were able to apprehend the suspects who have made confessional statements on their evil mission to Enugu.

According to him, the suspected kidnappers, a middle-aged man and a police constable identified as Francis Ekwenyi, came to Enugu from Port Harcourt with the aim of kidnapping some white men in a bid to make money.

"On information I dispatched my detectives to monitor and intercept them before the execution of their intention. On their way to Enugu they were intercepted by a team of Anti-Crime Patrol, on searching their vehicle, four AK 47 Riffles were recovered from them," the CP said, adding that the case was still being investigated.

Azeez, who expressed the determination of his command to reduce crime wave in the state, said that necessary security measures that would help reduce crime in the state had been put in place, saying with the decision of the State Government to increase the fleet of police patrol vehicles, criminals would be battled to a standstill.

Governor Sullivan Chime had shortly on assumption of office approved the purchase of 47 patrol vans for the police in demonstration of his government's readiness to combat crime in the state. The vehicles, which have already been procured, would be officially presented to the police command on Monday.

The new Commissioner of Police said that shortly after assumption, he initiated some programmes, which, he said, had made it possible for his men to apprehend some miscreants in parts of the state.

Shell Discovers New Oil (Nigerian Tribune)

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) announced on Thursday a material oil discovery onshore in its Eastern operations.

SPDC said in a statement issued that "An exploration well in Aghata-1X in OML-17 was drilled to a total depth of 4,679 metres. The well encountered some 245 metres of hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs, and production testing at two reservoir levels has been completed. The well has tested up to 5000 barrels of oil per day'.

It said the well had now been completed and hooked up to the nearby Agbada flowstation for further production testing. The company said "Initial production is expected to commence later this year after the completion of the production test, and studies are ongoing for appraisal and full field life-cycle development.

The Managing Director of SPDC and Country Chair Shell Nigeria, Mr. Basil Omiyi, said: "Aghata-1 well is a material exploration success for SPDC and Shell.

It has the potential to immediately increase oil production in the area, and also enable us to find other potential exploration opportunities in similar geological settings. We continue to be proud of the contribution that SPDC is making to the development of oil and gas potential in the Niger Delta, and the contribution this offers to the Federal Government's energy aspirations and the future benefit of the Nigerian people."

Nigeria Security Update #2 240707

Guns, Gangs & Drugs Fuel Delta Violence (IRIN)

Youths armed with pistols and Kalashnikovs barricaded all approaches to Victoria Street in Port Harcourt, the main city in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, when a funeral took place there recently. With bandanas tied across their foreheads they searched people for weapons before letting them through. The funeral passed off without incident.

“Their action was meant to deter possible attacks by rival gangs,” said Benibo Alabo-Jack, a resident of adjoining Aggrey Road, who watched the scene warily from his balcony.

Traditionally funerals have been big social events in Port Harcourt and surrounding districts, providing the opportunity for the wealthy to show off by sponsoring feasting, and singing and dancing sometimes lasting several days.

More recently, funerals have provided a platform for the manifestation of an emerging gun culture that has gripped Port Harcourt and much of the 70,000sqkm delta region where nearly all of Nigeria's oil is produced, said Alabo-Jack.

“Most of those carrying weapons are youths aged 16-25,” he said.

A study in 2004 commissioned by Royal Dutch Shell, the biggest oil multinational in Nigeria, estimated 1,000 people, mostly youths, were dying every year in violence between rival militia groups in the Niger Delta.

More up-to-date figures are not available but violence in the region has worsened: It is dominated by hostage-taking targeting foreign oil workers who are usually released in exchange for a ransom, but has also sparked turf wars between rival gangs.

Worst violence since 2004

At least 20 people were shot dead on 1 July as rival gunmen went on the rampage in different parts of the city’s Diobu District. Many of the victims were innocent bystanders and included a 10-year-old girl who was helping her mother roast corn by a street corner, a pregnant woman hit by a stray bullet inside a church and three men shot dead while drinking at an open air bar.

This year has also seen the worst violence in the city since the first upsurge of militia violence in 2004, including two audacious attacks on police stations in which more than a dozen people were killed, including 10 policemen. In one of the attacks on the city's police headquarters, assailants freed Soboma George, head of a notorious militia known as the Outlaws, (who had been detained by the police following a traffic offence) and 124 other prisoners.

Politicians armed gangs?

The year 2004 had provided the tipping point for worsening violence in the region. In June that year a funeral procession led by the delta's best known militia leader, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, for the burial of his father, was attacked by a rival gang. While Dokubo-Asari escaped unhurt, more than a dozen people were killed. Scores were killed in subsequent gang violence in the city later that year.

The violence had stemmed from the 2003 general elections during which politicians were alleged to have armed gangs of youths to help them into power. Two prominent gang leaders acknowledged they had received funding and support from Rivers State governor Peter Odili.

With the election over, many armed groups in the region turned to the illegal trade in crude oil and refined petroleum siphoned from pipelines criss-crossing the delta, taken onto barges and sold locally or to foreign ships waiting offshore. The lucrative trade provided funds for the purchase of weapons that made the various groups even more lethal.

Drugs to the fore

While Dokubo-Asari turned political, and campaigned for more local control of Nigeria's oil wealth by the impoverished inhabitants of the delta, other gangs became more deeply involved in criminal rackets.

Gunrunning, kidnapping and extortion of ransom from oil companies remain a staple of most criminal rings in the region.

However, local and foreign security sources say drugs are increasingly playing a role in the escalation of violence and widespread availability of weapons in the Niger Delta.

“We are getting information that a lot of the violence between rival gangs is over who controls the drugs that are now coming into the delta in growing quantities,” said an oil industry security expert who spoke on condition of anonymity.

West Africa's stretch of the Gulf of Guinea has in recent years become a major transit zone for cocaine from South American drug cartels seeking narcotics routes into Europe and North America. Large drug hauls have been landed in remote air strips in places like Guinea Bissau, where they are broken up into smaller packets and taken to mules located in other places in West Africa.

An increasingly lawless Niger Delta has become an attractive route and many of the region's criminal gangs are cashing in, said security sources.

“Some of the ransom payments have definitely gone towards satisfying some drug cravings and that's why we're worried the kidnappings will get worse,” said a senior Nigerian police official who did not wish to be named.

Social crisis

As foreign oil workers become ever more scarce on the streets of Port Harcourt and other Niger Delta towns and cities, kidnappers are now picking Nigerian targets. At least four toddlers, including a three-year-old British girl, have been kidnapped in the past month by gunmen demanding ransoms. Several Nigerian oil workers have also been taken hostage in recent weeks.

“What we are witnessing are some of the worst manifestations of a social crisis that has been festering in the delta and the country as a whole in the past three decades,” said Pius Waritimi, a sculptor and art teacher who runs a government-backed skills training scheme for youths in Port Harcourt.

With most families in the grip of abject poverty, and deep-rooted corruption and mismanagement in government frustrating social development, most youths without education and skills have become cheap recruitment targets for the militias and gangs, said Waritimi.

“What is even more worrying is that for many of these youths the drug of choice in no longer marijuana but crack cocaine,” he added.


Gunmen Kill Two at Politician's Party (AFP)

An armed gang stormed a party hosted by politician in southern Nigeria's oil city of Port Harcourt and shot dead two guests, police said Tuesday.

Rivers state police spokesperson Ireju Barasua told AFP the incident occurred on Monday at a hotel in the city.

"The party was organised by the new Rivers Commissioner for Energy and Natural Resources, Mr Dilly Elbraid to celebrate his appointment," she said.

Local papers said the gunmen arrived at the venue on a motorcycle, where they opened fire indiscriminately on guests, killing two instantly.

They said one of the victims was the look-alike younger brother of the commissioner.


Youth Key to Peace & Prosperity in Bayelsa State (Daily Champion)

The creation of Bayelsa State 'the glory of all lands' on October 1 1996 by the military junta of the dreaded dark goggled General Sani Abacha was received with great joy across all the Ijaw people of Ondo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Edo states where they persistently played the second fiddle. The event was seen in several quarters as an epic and historic event in the annals of Nigeria. This was partly because despite the fact that the founders of modern Rivers State, King Alfred Diete - Spiff and Chief Melford Okilo, all hail from the present-day Bayelsa, there was nothing significant to show for that great feat as the area making the present-day Bayelsa was a typical rural setting. Rather, the developmental strides that were recorded by these men of history in the old Rivers State were all centred in Port Harcourt, the state capital. Another historic element to the state creation, pundits say, was its near monolithic status as a unique conglomeration of Ijaw ethnic group, in one enclave. To crown it all, the strategic importance of the state in the federation is overwhelming as it accounts for about 40 per cent of all oil and gas produced in the Nigerian federation.

The endless potentials of Bayelsa state cannot be overemphasised as is apparent in the numerous opportunities that abound in the young state. These include tourism and agricultural potentials, large deposit of solid minerals and oil and gas. For instance, I was excited when I first sighted the breathtaking Okpoma and Akassa Beaches all in Brass local government as they provide a rare opportunity to relish the Atlantic Ocean's syrupy and its charming view from an extraordinary perspective. The Port City of Twon Brass, also in Brass local government where large proportion of the oil export cargo and crude tonnage are being shipped daily with corresponding discoveries in other local government areas are good examples of the rich endowments of this state that has lately become a mix bag of paradox.

Recently the discovery of over 400 million barrels of oil and an estimated half a trillion cubic feet of gas by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Gbarain in Yenagoa local government has been described as the one of the greatest of all findings by the multinational oil giant in recent times.

Agricultural potentials of the state are largely untapped as all efforts have been centred on oil exploration. For example the vast palm plantation in Elebele in Ogbia local government and the huge rice plantation in Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw local government have the capacity to mop up thousands of unemployed and restive youth from the creeks and streets if properly harnessed.

However, despite all these great wealth-creating opportunities, the state has been mired in an acme of unmitigated and traumatic crises of absurd proportion. These ugly scenarios gave birth to hostage taking, pipeline vandalisation, closure of flow stations and a general sense of insecurity in the state and other parts of the oil rich region with the snowballing consequences of enormous revenue loss, human and economic sacrifices. Bayelsa today is agonizingly a story of a rich but poor state. What an irony! There is no doubt that all these have become a boil on the state scrotum as well as other Niger Delta states.

But there is something to cheer about from Bayelsa which this piece seeks to advocate for other troubled spots in the region - the creation of Ministry of Youth, Conflict Resolution and Employment Generation.

The tripod ministry has a clear cut mandate of addressing youth matters, conflict management/resolution and employment generation with matching directorates to be guided by seasoned professionals; Nengi J. James (youth development) Richard Ogugu (employment generation) and Philips O. Okolo (Conflict Resolution). Being the first of its kind in the region, the import of the ministry must be seen from its proper perspective as the most important bureau in the state that must be supported by well-meaning Nigerians especially the oil companies. It also goes a long way to say the government of Bayelsa State has been in touch with media commentaries and newspaper editorials about the region, contrary to critics' conjectures. Despite the fact that cynics have received the move as one of those usual government platitudes, the idea behind the ministry if properly harnessed by all stakeholders in the state, will go a long way in addressing the combined problems of youth restiveness/conflict and unemployment and other sundry crimes which have bedevilled the state in recent times.

The underpinnings of the three-in-one-ministry if carefully nurtured will give room for a coherent and penetrative cure-all to the problems of negative youth activities in the state considering the personality appointed to head the ministry. It is time we promoted the central dogma of politics in our clime. It is said that politics is valuable only when it is geared towards guaranteeing social felicity to the citizenry.

The Bayelsa example is worthy of note because it refines the whole concept of modern youth activism, as youth with ethical deficits may not be given a chance in governance. Integrity here seems a compulsory qualification, perhaps that was the reason behind the appointment of an esteemed youth leader, Mr. Maxwell Oko, as the pioneer head of the ministry. For those who know the youthful 32-year-old commissioner, his name is synonymous with Ijaw Youth Council (IYC). As the central zone Chairman and Vice President to Alhaji Mujaheed Dokubo-Asari, Mr. Oko, among other leaders like the pioneer President of the youth pressure group Felix Tuodolor, had a genuine dream.

They inspired their fellow youths with the legitimacy of their vision, they were purpose-driven chaps; they were never an amorphous gang of hostage takers. The common good of the Ijaw nation inspired their greatest vision and drove their untainted resolve. They were true patriots. The present leadership of IYC can learn a lot from their successes and challenges as they managed the struggle as an entity without splinter groups. Mr. Oko led his group in a more organised struggle that was devoid of factions and bickering as represented in today's agitation. They asked à la Kennedy, what they could do for Ijawland, not what the oil rich region can do for them or how much they can extract from expatriate oil workers via hostage taking. The emphasis then was on what they can contribute; they knew then that when their troubled land was good, everybody including an Igalaman in Kogi State will benefit. And when it implodes into brazen criminality as the case today, the negative tendencies will configure itself into social dissonance that will culminate into economic loss to the nation and the local communities.

Having worked in the oil and gas sector as pioneer Special Adviser to the immediate past Minister of Energy, Dr Edmund Daukoru, the onus now is on Mr. Oko to bring his experience to bear especially as regards the challenges facing hundreds of qualified Bayelsans that have been 'denied' access to professional jobs in the oil and gas sector. Also the oil companies should tell the ministry the total number of Bayelsans under their pay roll. Having worked as an erudite consultant on youth development/employment generation to many companies and development agencies in the region, the honourable commissioner must jettison the glamour and allure of office and work tirelessly as he did during his tenure as Central Zone Chairman of IYC for the emancipation of the state that has continuously become popular albeit negatively.

While the oil companies seek meaningful partnership with genuine government policies and agencies aimed at addressing the lingering problems of the region for proper business environment, the Bayelsa model should be explored as various militant groups have publicly pledged to support one of their own in finding a lasting solution to the problems of the beleaguered region. The Yenagoa example has several lessons for other youth in the creeks to learn from - that beyond the veneer of activism lies great benefit for unadulterated and educated youth leaders. This can earn the Niger Delta youth an enviable place in the society, what with the appointment of another young and dynamic IYC stalwart and former National President of the National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS), Mr Samuel Ogbuku as the Chief of Staff (COS) Government House Yenagoa.

In summary, the government of Bayelsa State has understood the prevailing circumstances of the region and made youths empowerment a cardinal state policy. This tendency carries enormous weight as global attention has been on the state as a hub of boisterous youths' activities. Happy youth, happy Bayelsa, happy Niger Delta and prosperous Nigeria!

Nigeria Security Update #1 200707

Armed Men Kill Expatriate in Port Harcourt (Reuters)

Suspected armed robbers shot dead a Lebanese businessman in the southern Nigerian city of Port Harcourt in the Niger Delta, the local police commissioner said on Friday.

Felix Ogbaudu said the robbers locked the apartment block's security guard inside his post and entered the Lebanese man's house, took some of his belongings and shot him dead. He said it happened at about 3 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Friday.

Ogbaudu said armed robberies were commonplace in that part of the city but it was unclear why the attackers had shot the man, who had a private furniture-making business. No one else was harmed.

Kidnappings of foreigners are frequent in the oil-producing delta and many abductions have taken place in Port Harcourt, but it is unusual for expatriates to get killed.

Port Harcourt is the main city in the delta. It has become increasingly dangerous since early 2006, when militants demanding control over oil revenues stepped up a campaign of attacks on the oil industry.

The militants have attacked oil facilities and kidnapped oil workers, cutting Nigeria's exports by about a fifth and prompting thousands of expatriate workers and their relatives to leave the region.

But numerous criminal gangs have used the unrest as a cover to abduct foreigners for ransom or carry out armed robberies. The delta, including Port Harcourt, is also plagued by violent youth gangs called "cults" who frequently clash for reasons that usually remain obscure.

HIV & The Niger Delta (This Day)

When the news of the discovery of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and the resultant Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) broke out in the mid 1980s, most Nigerians never gave it a second thought. Even when the disease was found to have led to the death of several East and Southern Africans, many still claimed that HIV and AIDS were a mere whiteman's coinage and disease.

But today, some two decades after, the killer disease has taken an awesome toll on Nigerians, and even killed neighbours next door, and rendered many, especially children, orphans. That infection, which was a whiteman's disease in 1986-87, has now become a vanquished misery to many families in Nigeria, particularly amongst people of Niger Delta, where its prevalence rate has been high. The states of the South-south are already hitting epidemic proportion in the spread of the virus as a result of favourable socio-economic conditions in the region. Now, the people are at crossroads and a workable solution has to be found to immediately curb the whirlwind and save our beloved brothers and sisters from the pandemic. The figures are indeed, alarming, and concerns are rising. In the South-south zone, Akwa Ibom has the highest prevalence rate of 8.0 per cent, with Cross River following closely with 6.1 per cent (showing a drastic reduction in the last five years from 8.2 per cent), while Rivers ranks third with 5.4 per cent. In the same vein, Edo is rated fourth with 4.6 per cent, Bayelsa ranks fifth at 3.8 per cent while Delta comes last with 3.7 per cent.

A deeper x-ray of the statistics sadly reveal that rural communities in the zone are effectively competing with urban centres in the spread of HIV and the concentration of AIDS cases. In Akwa Ibom, for instance, HIV prevalence rate in rural areas has overtaken the number in urban centres with a 9.3 to 7.3 ratio, just as rural communities in Bayelsa State have toppled the towns with a 4-point lead to 3.7 for urban centres.

The case of Rivers is not an exception either, as the rural mass already has a 5 per cent prevalence rate, just a little below the 5.5 per cent rate for urban centres. Cross River State also has a 5 per cent rural spread of the virus against the cities's 6.7 per cent, Edo maintains 3 per cent rural prevalence rate compared to urban centres' 5.3 per cent while in Delta, 2 per cent of the rural poor are already infected against the present 4.5 per cent rate for the cities.

A careful analysis of the distribution pattern in the zone shows an unequal network of centres when compared to the prevalence rate in each state of the South-south. For instance, both Edo and Cross River states have three ART centres each while Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta states have one site each.

This situation becomes more disturbing when it is realized that there are now 210 ART centres across the country (using current NACA figures). With all the centres in the cities, it becomes crystal clear that the rural dwellers have immense problem of access to the available centres for the direly needed treatment, care and support services. This has made it expedient for government and other concerned agencies to put strategies in motion to establish ART centres in the rural communities to check the spread of the pandemic. And these centres are needed mostly in the rural communities in the South-south, albeit, the Niger Delta, where the spread of HIV/AIDS has been rising systematically.

The strategic foundations forged gave impetus to the formation of the National Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (NACA), now National Agency for Control of HIV & AIDS, and the setting up of the various state implementing bodies -SACA as well as those of the local government areas, LACA. As coordinating and implementing platforms for HIV & AIDS policies and programmes in Nigeria, these bodies have battled with donor and partner organisations including some corporate bodies to redress the menace. But given the number of HIV/AIDS victims, the number of ART sites and the dearth of professionals in the sector, it is clear that the burden on government is overwhelming.

It is against this background that other players in the Nigerian economy have intervened in one way or the other to reduce the impact of the spectre on the national psyche. One such example, is the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), which has bought-in on all national policy frameworks for tackling the HIV & AIDS pandemic in Nigeria , particularly in the Niger Delta region.

One of the ways through which the company has contributed, as a responsible corporate citizen of Nigeria, and indeed, the Niger Delta, is the adoption of an organisational workplace policy on HIV/AIDS for staff in line with government's strategy. This is in addition to active participation of the company in the annual World AIDS Day celebrations, the sponsorship of media-based campaigns on HIV & AIDS, organised sessions for 10,000 students and 250 teachers, drama and distributed notebooks branded with HIV/AIDS prevention messages, organized seminars/workshops and sensitization fora on the scourge for staff, health workers, faith-based and civic society groups, host communities, among others. Besides, SPDC has also sponsored Shell AIDS School .

But beyond all these, SPDC has taken a quantum leap in its intervention strategy by investing in initiatives to complement government's efforts to scale up access to ART through the upgrading and equipping of five of the 27 health facilities to provide HIV and AIDS care, treatment and support services to PLWHAs in the Niger Delta. Conceived under the Niger Delta AIDS Response (NiDAR) project, the initiative targets Otuasegha Cottage Hospital in Bayelsa, Erhoike Cottage Hospital in Delta, Oben Cottage Hospital in Edo , Owaza Cottage Hospital in Abia and Edagberi Cottage Hospital in Rivers. The project will also strengthen Okolobiri General Hospital as well as Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, all in Bayelsa, to deliver HIV comprehensive care services to victims.

The goals of SPDC, Dr. Babatunde Fakunle, corporate community health manager, SPDC, said are to strengthen the human resource and capacity of the affected health facilities to provide high quality and comprehensive HIV and AIDS care services as well as establish strong linkages of the various components of HIV and AIDS care services within the facilities and other available HIV & AIDS programmes in the states.

Dr Fakunle said at the maiden NiDAR Project Stakeholders Roundtable in Port Harcourt, last month that the deliverable benefits of the new intervention strategy, include the provision of access to HIV/AIDS services to over 50,000 people in the first year alone while serving as a catalyst for the development of HIV/AIDS strategic response framework for the Niger Delta. He also listed other benefits to include increased access to HIV/AIDS -related information and prevention activities, reduced HIV/AIDS transmission, improved healthcare delivery and overall quality of life for host communities as well as PLWHA, and to further boost relations between SPDC and communities in the region.

The community-level response strategy is seen as the first of its kind in the country's effort to sustain integrated care, treatment and support services for HIV/AIDS victims. The NiDAR Project, Fakunle noted, is part of SPDC's bold step to "support FHI and the various state action committees on AIDS" and other specialized NGOs to improve "access of the communities to comprehensive and quality assured HIV/AIDS care and treatment services". He said this will increase the number of ART centres as well as check the prevalence rate in the rural communities in the Niger Delta. This, again, shows SPDC's leadership in responding to the needs of the people of Niger Delta.

In his presentation at the roundtable, the corporate community health manager highlighted three key objectives and deliverables of the forum, which include to adequately inform key stakeholders in the fight against HIV/AIDS on the scope and operations of the NiDAR project; to garner the support of key players at community, state and national levels for effective implementation of the project; and to agree on workable/practicable modalities for achieving qualitative results as set out by the project.

One exciting aspect of the NiDAR project is the commitment of SPDC to provide funding for all activities as listed in the proposal document; provision of logistical support for the project management team; renovation and appropriate re-allocation of space in the five cottage hospitals; infrastructural and laboratory upgrading and provision of equipment for the facilities; provision of logistic support for manpower training as well as plans to boost on-going support for procurement of essential drugs, reagents and consumables. These are not all that the SPDC's NiDAR Project promises the people.

Dr Akin Fajola, public health adviser,SPDC, catalogued other special initiatives in the project, among which are the funding of the Bayelsa State Strategic Framework on HIV/AIDS with technical assistance from FHI, plans to set up voluntary counseling centres in five of six SPDC-supported health facilities, provision of HIV/AIDS care services in three facilities, and on-going arrangements to set up groups to support PLWHA. Further steps, he said, are on to conduct HIV/AIDS prevention programmes in target communities, conduct orientation workshops for healthcare providers on social mobilization and community participation in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and design, produce and distribute Information Education and Communication materials.

Another milestone of the roundtable was the formation of a central hospitals advisory committee drawn from each of the participating states and facilities, and SPDC. With these achievements, the concerns of stakeholders on the rising spate of HIV/AIDS in the region's rural areas are half addressed. But more could be done, if other corporate organizations think along that line. This is the best approach!

Police Commissioner is not Throwing a Tea Party for Criminals (The Sun)

The new Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has warned criminals that he is not in the state for a tea party.Addressing officers and men in the command, he said there was no hiding place for criminals.

He said that policemen would be rewarded to encourage them to do their best. Indeed, as a starter, 15 policemen were given letters of commendation and cash reward for their act of gallantry in combating robbers.

According to him, his action was also in line with the first item on the nine-way test resolution of the acting Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, to operate a transparent and accountable administration. He said: "I want the good people of Lagos State to know of our further determination to protect them. Henceforth, policemen who excel in the performance of their duties will be openly commended as a motivational tonic to ginger them for higher performances."

The CP added that any policeman who does not excel would not get any commendation. He seized the opportunity to reveal that more than 47 suspected robbers were held in six days of his assumption of office. He said 25 assorted arms and 102 ammunition and various magazines of AK47 rifle, two barreta pistols, five pump action guns, one revolver pistol, one max pistol model 1950 and 17 locally made single and double barreta guns were recovered from them.

The bandits were held by the 15 brave policemen from different divisions. Among those arrested was a four-man gang who usually snatched flashy cars from victims in traffic snarl in the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos. One barretta pistol and three locally made pistols were recovered from them.

While revealing that he would, from time to time, pay unscheduled visits to police commands to make sure that policemen were on their toes, Abubakar further said: "The inspector general of police has directed and empowered police officers to arrest and prosecute bullion van drivers, unauthorized individuals and companies that use siren to intimidate other road users. Henceforth, violators of this directive will be sanctioned in Lagos State."

According to him, the hide-outs of suspected criminals were raided during the week and 640 suspects held. He said after investigations, 101 were charged to court, insisting that the exercise was a continuous process of cleansing the state of criminals.

Abubakar disclosed that additional 312 street urchins were held within the period under review.

"The command is in a serious discussion with the state government on modalities of rehabilitating majority of the social miscreants."

The new CP also has good news for those whose cars may have been snatched or stolen.

"Recently, 36 stolen vehicles were recovered in different parts of the state. Owners of these recovered vehicles were advised to check newspapers for their locations for collection or crosscheck from the office of the police public relations officer."

The CP said accurate and reliable information on criminals was required for a proactive policing as well as detection of crime. He promised to treat such information with utmost confidentiality.

He added: "My administration will operate an open-door policy where all and sundry will have unhindered access to me on all important issues that will make the command sustain its war on criminals."

He wants people to call these numbers 01-7745705, 01-7745706, 08034420406, 08023335749 and 08060357795 if they have information for the police.

Nigeria Security Update #2 190707

Youths Threaten to Blow Up Shell Facility (Vanguard)

Youths of Obe community in Orhionmwon Local Government Council of Edo State have threatened to blow up the Shell flow station this weekend, should the state government fail to re-constitute the membership of the newly constituted Oil and Gas Producing Communities Commission and appoint some body from the area as the chairman.

The angry youths had last Tuesday shut down the flow station protesting the composition of the committee but with the intervention of the over one thousand mobile policemen deployed to the area by the state Police Commissioner, Mr Bala Hassan, the flow station was brought back to life against the wish of the youths.

The crisis in the area erupted after Governor Oserhiemen Osunbor sent a list of seven members and three ex-official members of the committee to the state House of Assembly for approval.
The youths insisted that as the highest oil producing community in the three oil producing Local Government Councils in the state, the area should produce the chairman of the committee.

The youths led by Prince West Ogienwonyi asserted to Vanguard in Benin, yesterday, that “because they are controlling the police and the soldiers they went and opened the flow station. But we want to say that our resolve on the issue has not changed. If by weekend and that committee is not re-constituted as we demanded, we are going to blow up the entire flow station.

“Is it because we have been keeping quiet and they think that we are fools. If one visits our community you will not know that you visited an oil producing community. They have marginalised us in infrastructural development and that is why we said we want our person to be made chairman of the commission because he knows our problems better than some body who hails from where they produce little or no oil” he argued.


New Militant Group Holds Expatriate Hostages

There is apprehension over the failing health of two expatriates currently being held hostage by a militant group at Alabeni, Ekeremor Council in Bayelsa State.

The hostages, a Bulgarian and a Scot, working for Peak Petroleum, a contracting firm to Chevron/Texaco, were abducted last Monday by some militants aboard a marine vessel, "Monipo", which was reportedly hired by the firm.

The hostages’ poor health may not be unconnected with the absence of medical facilities in the area.

Reports said the vessel was halted by armed youths who invaded the area with four speed boats. They fired several shots into the air before kidnapping the foreigners.

Already, a group, Authentic Emancipation of the Movement for Peace and Development in the Niger Delta (EMOPEND), has claimed responsibility for the abduction.

The group threatened not to release the foreigners until its demands are met.



U.S. Ambassador Pledges Support (This Day)

The United States (US) has said it would continue to stand beside Nigeria in its journey towards sustainable development and democratic governance.

US High Commissioner in Nigeria, Sir John Campbell yesterday restated his country's commitment to Nigeria Project at a briefing in Abuja, adding that the US would strengthen trade relations with Nigeria, especially in oil and gas among other common areas of interest to both countries.

Campbell seized the briefing to comment on the US visa process, stating that "our visa service have been improved by opening of our consular section in Abuja. We strive to provide the best consular service we can to all Nigerians whether dual citizens or those seeking to visit their families."

When asked to mention some areas of US-Nigerian relations, the out-going ambassador said the relationship between Nigeria and the US "is multifaceted," noting that his country "relates well with Nigeria in oil and gas."

According to him, with respect to stable economic growth and development, I would like to see our trading relationship become stronger, and more foreign investment by American companies in Nigeria.

He called on the governments to improve its infrastructure, educational system, power and communication sectors, remove trade barriers and other tarrifs in order to make Nigeria more competitive for direct foreign investments (FDIs).

He said: "Nigeria must continue to work for peace, stability and economic progress because democracy building is a never-ending process. "The United States will continue to stand beside Nigeria on its pilgrimage toward democracy. Through the US Agency for International Development, we provided fifteen million dollars for technical and other assistance with 2007 elections, and we will continue supporting both Federal Government of Nigeria and Nigerian Civil Society in strengthening electoral law, the tribunal system and the independent courts and assemblies. This is vital to build a strong nation.

"The notable economic and political reforms achieved over the past few years can be broadedened and translated into an improvement of the living standard of all Nigerians," Campbell stated.While commenting on the monumental growth experienced by Nigeria since its transition to democratic regime, Campbell assured that the US would hesitate to assist Nigeria-both in kind and cash-in such areas as education, health and investment among others.

"I have been glad to experience a growth in ties between America and Nigeria's Muslim community during my time in Nigeria. Our example is Arewa House's project to catalogue, preserve and make bettwer known Nigeria's wonderful collection of Islamic manuscripts, supported by Northwestern University, the Library of Congress and this Embassy.

"America has a significant Muslim community, and we welccome students and visitors, especially from Nigeria, and value their contribution to our culture, society and educational system," he stated.

Drwaing inference from a native America proverb common in the Sioux tribe which says with all things, in all things, we are relatives, Campbell said "this saying is apt because of the strong partnership that America has with Nigeria. Our ties are cultural, political, educational, economic financial and familial among others.

Campbell said millions of Nigerians had dual Nigerian-American citizenship, adding "millions more have their family members living in the United States."

Niger Delta in Turmoil - An Analysis (This Day)

Against a background of incessant hostage taking and communal strife borne out of poverty, concerned citizens seek elusive peace for the troubled oil-rich Niger Delta region. Abimbola Akosile reviews inputs made by various stakeholders at home and abroad on a vital process

Toddler Dimension

In the past few months, some desperate inhabitants in the Niger Delta region have resorted to kidnapping innocent citizens and returning them for ransom. Scores of expatriates from different nations of the world have suffered this fate, and some only secured their release after money exchanged hands.

However a more frightening dimension to the kidnap saga is the taking of little kids for money. Three of them who were kidnapped in recent times include 3-year old Michael Somiari-Stewart, son of a Rivers State law-maker; 2 year-old Samuel Amadi, son of Eze Francis Amadi; and 3 year-old Margaret Hill, daughter of a British father and Nigerian mother.

Although the three kids have since been released, a frightening precedent has been set, and only quick intervention can save the region from further toddler kidnapping and anarchy.

Turning Spears into Plows

In the restive Niger Delta region, aggrieved youths have been accused of hostage-taking, bank robberies and other crimes. A recent attempt to convince said youths to down their weapons in exchange for implements of peace was boosted at a reformatory home in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

A notable attempt to find a lasting solution to the continual violence and restiveness in the Niger Delta took place in Aluu, Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State; at a skills acquisition center, where youths, some aged 14, and numbering well over a hundred, gathered and camped for weeks.

Above scheme, mid-wifed by a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) named Academic Associates Peaceworks (AAP) led by Dr. Judith Asuni, was in conjunction with various leaders of the cult groups who have resigned and are pursuing a reversal of roles they had played so that up coming youths would not fall into the vicious circle of violence.

Another aspect of the programme was to ensure that there would be elections in the Niger Delta region, to ensure emergence of credible and true leadership that would lift the region out if its current economic and infrastructural doldrums.

Above programme, an eye-opener, is a welcome development in the restive Niger Delta region. Such youth programmes, when combined effectively with government peace and developmental efforts in the region, would go a long way to clean up a previously un-conducive atmosphere; and in turn usher in an era of peaceful co-existence and rapid growth. Kudos to AAP and other concerned stakeholders.

Executive Neglect

According to Professor Julius Ihonvbere, Special Adviser on Project Monitoring and Evaluation to ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, leadership has failed in the Niger Delta region of the country.

The activist-technocrat, while presenting a book titled "Towards an Integrated Development of the Niger Delta", which was compiled by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in Abuja, chided the Niger Delta governors (especially the out-gone executives) for not managing the resources that accrued to them for the overall benefit of the people of their states.

He said these States received over N600 billion since 1999, which they failed to channel into developmental projects. According to him, if the governors had spent at least N30 billion effectively, problems associated with the people of the Niger Delta would have been adequately solved.

Ihonvbere called on the government to put in structures at the local government levels, to help take governance closer to the people, tackle militancy in the region and resolve abject poverty.

The detailed book was compiled through research by the trio of former Executive Director of CDD, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Miss Stella Amadi, Regional Coordinator of CDD and Ololade Bamidele. The book has six chapters and 270 pages.

To underline the vital importance of the issue of the Niger Delta, among the personalities who attended the book presentation were Dr. Tajudeen Abdulraheem, Chairman of CDD Governing Council; Dr. Kole Shettima, Africa Country Director of MacArthur Foundation; Professor Omafume Onoge; Honourables Dino Melaye and Femi Kehinde of the House of Representatives.

Others included Dr. Jibrin Ibrahim, current Director of CDD; Mr. Turhan Saleh, UNDP Representative in Nigeria; Odia Ofeimun of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), who reviewed the book; Mr. Waziri Adio of Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI); Barrister Femi Falana, President of West African Bar Association (WABA); Miss Nyree Triptree of United States Embassy; and the chairperson Ms Nkoyo Toyo of Gender and Development Action (GADA).

Toward a Lasting Solution

According to Dr. Chukwuma Nwaonicha, a Nigerian living abroad, the solution to the Niger Delta crisis requires honest dialogue backed with infrastructural or public utilities developmental efforts from the stakeholders.

These include the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), State and Local governments, the international and local organisations and other agencies operating in the Niger Delta region.

He claimed hostage taking and killings are wrong, and the use of force to settle the problem of the Niger Delta, a wrong agenda. "The criminal activities, including bunkering, killings, and hostage taking in the Niger Delta had become an obstacle to the development of the region. Hostage taking is no fun. It is a serious criminal act. What the militants are demanding is unrealistic goal".

He believed that if it takes over forty-six years to 'destroy or neglect' the region, it may equally take more than forty-six years to develop it. "Development does not occur overnight, and development cannot occur along side violence. Development is a gradual and continuous process", he said.

To Nwaonicha, the key factors in developing the Niger Delta region and promoting peace are good governance, enforcement of the rule of law, public trust, fairness, peace, safety and security among others.

"We strongly encourage the stakeholders; the Federal, State and Local governments to be committed in spending the resources meant for developing the region in the region. This region cannot be developed if funds budgeted for the region are not honestly used or embezzled. You can't eat your cake and have it".

He also recommended that the various governments should set-up necessary developmental goals for the region. These include short-term goal of community policing, peace initiative and conflict resolution committees, various types of job training (1 year); mid-term goals of infrastructural development (low capital intensive projects) thereby creating jobs (five years) and long-term goal of high capital intensive infrastructural development projects there by creating jobs (more than five years).

To him, the Federal, State and Local governments need to do better for the Niger Delta region and the other states in the nation; and the difference between development and destruction is awareness.

Implementing an Action Agenda

Timely adoption and implementation of a seven-point development agenda recommended in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2006 Niger Delta Report would ensure desired progress in the restive region.

Agenda 1: Peace-Building

Peace in the Niger Delta has been adversely affected by militarisation of the region, lack of effective dialogue, lack of negotiation of conflict between interests, lack of access to economic benefits and opportunities, and inability to protect human lives and enforce human rights. Past efforts at addressing genuine grievances have been ad hoc and flowing top-down rather than from the communities themselves.

Recommendations

- Set up credible institutions whose membership will include interest groups and people acceptable to aggrieved communities and other stakeholders; address the issue of resource control to ensure community ownership and use of natural resources for development and environmental protection. True fiscal federalism should be practiced. In the interim, the percentage of derivation should be increased to 50 percent;

Agenda 2: Local Governance

Democratic local governance is crucial to solving the crises in the Niger Delta. The prevailing reality is that there is no participatory local governance. Both the Federal and particularly the State Governments have hampered autonomy of the local governments. Local government autonomy is therefore a key goal in the attempt at resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta. There is need to devolve power and create mechanisms to assure that local governance is transparent and accountable to the people.

Recommendations

- Provide a legal framework to ensure constitutional autonomy of LGAs as opposed to the present practice of making them just administrative third tier of government; promulgate laws to recognise and regulate Community Development Associations (CDAs) as an integral component of local governance;

Agenda 3: Economic Diversification

There is high dependence on oil and gas resources, which provide over 90 percent of the foreign exchange earnings of the country, thereby making it a monolithic economy. The oil sector has limited capacity for employment and spread of industrial development. Agriculture has been relegated to the background and food security is threatened.

Recommendations

- Encourage oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta to establish ancillary industries to add value and boost employment opportunities for the people of the region. Recommended areas include electricity generation, refineries, petrochemicals and others which could produce the much needed oil and gas sector-based goods and services that are still imported.

- Provide easy access to micro-credit and extension services for farmers and those engaged in agro-allied industries; create awareness and sensitise the people on the opportunities available in the agricultural and solid minerals sectors.

Agenda 4: Social Inclusion

Sustainable development in the Niger Delta has been considerably hampered by the limited involvement of women, youths, children, physically and mentally challenged and disadvantaged groups in the conception, planning and implementation development programmes.

Recommendations

- Build capacity of community institutions for participatory development with greater involvement of disadvantaged groups; provide increased access to quality education, including building structures, massive supply of science equipment and recruitment of science teachers, especially in rural/riverine communities; provide infrastructures for skill acquisition relevant to the Niger Delta, and greater access to credit facilities by disadvantaged groups;

Agenda 5: Environ-mental Sustainability

The continued degradation of the Niger Delta environment makes the path of sustainable development challenging and difficult, if not impossible to attain. Traditionally, the deltans were farmers and fishermen, hence the loss of their environment is a major threat to their traditional occupation. This has therefore denied host communities the needed sustainable livelihood opportunities and human development.

Recommendations

- Undertake a comprehensive assessment of the physical environment of the Niger Delta taking into consideration impact of oil spillage and exploration; and democratise access to environmental information; build affirmative actions for host community participation in the oil activities; enforce environmental laws and compensation regimes for the oil gas activities; and empower communities to participate in community budgeting and environmental protection measures and processes.

Agenda 6: Integrated Approach to HIV & AIDS

There is increased prevalence of HIV&AIDS in the Niger Delta attributable to poverty, limited education/ awareness, frequent job mobility, presence of oil and gas workers, military and para-military personnel and harmful traditional practices, with the most vulnerable groups being women, youths and children. It was also observed that malaria, tuberculosis and cholera are serious health issues afflicting the people.

Recommendations

- Promote behavioral change, through social mobilisation and access to information; ensure empowerment of state and local action committee on AIDS (SACA and LACA) for them to be more result-oriented in their primary mandates; increase access to comprehensive gender-sensitive preservation, care, treatment and support services for the general population, including free ant-retro-viral drugs for the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWA), Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) and mitigate HIV/AIDS impact on the people and economy;

Agenda 7: Building Partnership for Sustainable Devt

There is absence of partnership coordination in the region. In addition to the fact that oil companies' community development activities are not integrated into the mainstream development planning, international development partners also operate in the region in an uncoordinated manner. In fact, most Niger Delta states do not have database of development partners' activities in their domain. Capacity building is desirable for partnership.

Recommendations

- Establish, immediately, a unit that will coordinate partnerships in the region. Also establish project monitoring units (PMUs) in all the states of the Niger Delta region to monitor various development activities. Unlike what happens in the past, there should be a steering committee comprising of representatives of CDAs, NGOs, private sectors, religious bodies and government officials. The PMUs are to undertake the Monitoring & Evaluation of development programmes and projects based on established indicators.

Unveiling a Crisis Report

A detailed report by the International Crisis Group (ICG) claimed root causes of the Delta insurgency are well known. Violence, under-development, environmental damage and failure to establish credible state and local government institutions have contributed to mounting public frustration at a slow pace of change under the country's democracy, dogged by endemic corruption.

Nigeria had estimated oil export revenues of $45 billion in 2005 but the slow pace of systemic reforms and the lack of jobs, electricity, water, schools and clinics in large parts of the Delta have boosted support to insurgents such as MEND.

Observers warn that a worst-case scenario could lead to a one to two-year shutdown of the oil industry in the Delta, where most of Nigeria's 2.3 million daily barrels of crude oil originate, the report said.

Illegal oil 'bunkering' has accelerated the conflict and provided militant and criminal groups with funds to purchase arms. Another factor is the scale of poverty.

Community groups frequently charge that projects are derailed by bad management, compounded by corruption at local, contractor and company levels. These accusations are often difficult to judge, although several oil company officials have privately acknowledged that internal corruption is a serious problem they are trying to address. Broken promises and charges of favouritism have further soured relations between oil companies and communities.

Resolution Steps

Governments and corporations must change direction if they are to lessen the likelihood of violent meltdown in the Niger Delta. Attempts to secure energy production have too often been heavy handed, alienating large segments of the population and boosting support for militants, the report stated. While laudable attempts have been made to initiate development, many have been poorly executed or hijacked by outsiders and local elites.

Although Delta militants are responsible for their own share of the brutality, it is a symptom of a wider problem that has created a reservoir of anger against the government. Care should be taken not to reward violence or encourage copycat attacks, by merely co-opting individual militant leaders into the Nigerian elite.

The militants' demands for devolved resource control is legitimate, however, and steps should be taken to bring this about transparently, increasing oversight of elections and elected officials and allowing broad-based community structures to play a leading role in their own development.

Defusing the militant time bomb requires a commitment to negotiate with residents that goes beyond the commissions and committees of the past. There has never been a better opportunity to increase state and local resource control, according to the report.

Urgent measures are needed to promote transparency and stiffen penalties for corruption. While the Yar'Adua Government does a better job than its predecessors at opening its financial activities to scrutiny, it is not enough to reveal financial allocations to the states and localities. How that money is used is key to resolving the conflict in the embattled oil-rich region.