The recent explosions outside the governor’s mansion in Warri, Delta State, are a telling sign of the state of dialogue between the military group, Movement for The Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), and the Nigerian government.  The negotiations between both parties have failed to address the roots causes of poverty, and protect against human rights abuses in the Niger Delta region.  Indeed, the Amnesty agreement between MEND and the Nigerian government (issued in June of 2009 by President Umaru Yar’Adua), failed to provide tangible evidence showing a renewed commitment to improving the economic conditions in the region.

Thus, it should not come as a surprise that MEND, an organization with a proven record of violence, would not adhere to an agreement that has produced nothing tangible.  The government has shown no signs of comprehending the problem or having a comprehensive plan for achieving the goal of stability and economic growth in the region. It negotiated amnesty and then sat on its hands. The incapacitation of President Yar’Adua has not helped the matter at all. He is seen by many as the first president to hold genuine considerations for finding peace in the region.

The cessation of violence necessary for dialogue and good planning to occur also needs visible signs of commitment on the part of the Nigerian government to Niger Deltans. The bomb blast in Warri this week at the Post-Amnesty Dialogue, hosted by Vanguard Newspaper, seems to indicate that amnesty has failed. The question now is: to what extent will MEND evoke its talent for destruction to get the government back to the negotiation table? In addition, will the Nigerian government learn from its mistakes and couple amnesty with visible commitments to the people of the Niger Delta? If it is unable to pursue this necessary course of action, amnesty and visible commitment, the cycle of relative periods of peace and return to violence could plague this part of the world as it does the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

By Adienamikiphe Igoni
32 Comments