BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE

THOSE criticising the Federal Government for spending huge sums of money on training and rehabilitating about 30,000 Niger -Delta ex-militants, have been urged to have a re-think because there is nothing like costly peace. According to Barr Allen Onyema, co-ordinator of the presidential amnesty transformation programme and chairman of the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), what the country is currently spending on the programme, an equivalent of the proceeds of two days oil production is insignificant compared to what the nation reaps from the oil-bearing Niger Delta.

Currently, Nigeria produces 2.6 million barrels per day. At $97 per barrel, two days’ production proceed is $504.4 million or N79.7 billion. In an interview with Vanguard, Onyema said without massive investment in infrastructure, amnesty would not solve Niger Delta problems and berated those saying that the Boko Haram menace is similar to the Niger Delta militancy. He also criticized northern leaders and elites for the rising wave of poverty in the North. Excerpts:

On complaints by some Niger Delta youths of being left out of the amnesty programme
Initially, the Federal Government recorded 20,119 ex-militants and granted them amnesty. Those were the people we attended at the Obubra, Cross River State, camp. I don’t know those who were left out. Were they part of the 20,119? Did they get to Obubra? Were they registered and mobilized? If you are not part of the first batch, there was a second batch of 6158 approved by President Goodluck Jonathan after several agitations.

So, those who are saying they were left out, do they belong to any of these batches? If they did not show up during the first and second batches, I am aware that a further 3000 has been approved. If they don’t fall into any of these groups, then there is problem somewhere. They neglected to show up.

On the cost of training and rehabilitating 30,000 ex-militants
I can’t tell the exact amount. There is nothing like costly peace, every hand must be on deck to achieve peace at all times.

Genuine agitations
Looking at where the Niger Delta people are coming from, what is spent on ex-militants is nothing compared to what the Niger Delta is giving Nigeria. I am not from the Niger Delta but they have suffered over time.

They have genuine agitations that needed to be addressed by Nigeria and the international community. They protested and were not getting result and some of the youths took up arms, which I do not subscribe to, I am for nonviolence. The Niger Delta had and still has right to those agitations, which were genuine.

*Onyema: Amnesty has paid off

When we talk about the cost, we must also look at what the cost would have been if there was no amnesty. In 2006, at the height of militancy, when people like me went into the trenches for nonviolence, to convince them that there is another method, oil production was less than 600,000 barrels per day.

Oil companies were shutting productions daily; businesses in Niger Delta took a flight. A lot of social malaise came with it. Crime reigned supreme. The boys at a time were ready to export the violence to other parts of the country. And they were gaining the upper hand. The military could not contain them because of the Niger Delta terrain. Again, there was question of the image the violence was creating abroad. Nigeria was perceived as war-torn.

Today, we are producing close to three million barrels of crude oil per day; the economy has grown and is rated as one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and the world. If late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan did not stem the tide of violence with amnesty, Nigeria, today may be producing zero barrel of crude oil and become one of the poorest countries of the world.

What amnesty is costing this country is about two days’ oil production. If the country can sacrifice proceeds of two days oil production to rehabilitate the ex-militants, so be it. There is nothing like costly peace.

On comments that the Boko Haram insurgency is similar to Niger Delta militancy
There is no similarity at all. The Niger Delta militancy started as a result of years of marginalization. Every one knows about the Niger Delta situation, which has not been addressed till date. Amnesty is not the solution to their complaint.

They need massive investments in infrastructure and amenities. For Boko Haram, what is their grouse? Niger Delta militants said, ‘we need resource control, you take our oil and develop cities like Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu, etc and in our place where the oil is produced, there is nothing.’

On the side of Boko Haram, they started with being against western education and then went into bombing of churches, markets, etc. Amnesty does not operate in a vacuum. Before you grant amnesty there are factors that must be identified.

Who are you giving amnesty? They must be recognizable people. You must meet some of their demands for them to drop their arms and embrace nonviolence.

In Niger Delta, we knew Tompolo, Asari-Dokubo, Boyloaf, Ateke Tom, Soboma George, Egberi Papa, Pastor Reuben, Shoot-at-Sight, etc. It was easy for the Federal Government to deal with the various camps.

In the case of Boko Haram, who is Boko Haram?
The government says they should come for dialogue and amnesty but they have not come up. I support amnesty for Boko Haram but it must exist in relation to something, not in a vacuum. They need to come out. It is not a question of rehabilitating some youths without jobs and those who are bombing will continue with their bombing.

The presidential committee going from village to village to compile list of the jobless is not the issue. The majority of people throwing the bombs are foreigners. A lot of people think Boko Haram is only against the South. They are also killing thousands of northerners.

Niger Delta militants came out, renounced violence and surrendered their arms to the Federal Government. I want Boko Haram to do like that and the Federal Government should grant them full amnesty.

If the amnesty committee brings jobless youths who are not involved in Boko Haram and the government grants them amnesty, and the bombing continues, then MASSOB will renounce nonviolence; OPC will do the same. The OPC can shut down this country by shutting down Lagos and the South-West. So we must be careful.

There is no comparison between Boko Haram and the Niger Delta situation. A situation where politicians are shamelessly comparing Boko Haram and Niger Delta militancy is sad.

Solution to Boko Haram insurgency
The president has shown a lot of maturity. Nigeria is a multi-ethnic country; you have to be sensitive to perceptions. President Jonathan has shown he is sensitive to ethnic perception. He has shown restraint and calling for dialogue and a lot of people saw it as weakness until Boko Haram also started killing military men and security agents and raising flags. So the president had no option than to declare a state of emergency.

This is right and should not be politicized. While President Jonathan inaugurated a presidential committee to work out amnesty, violence was escalating. During the 9/11 in the United States, the whole America rose and condemned it. Boko Haram has taken almost the same number of lives as 9/11 yet some parties are criticizing the president for a taking a bold step that is restoring peace to the North.

With the emergency, things have improved. Today, IRS Airline has resumed flight to Maiduguri and yet some people are still criticizing a step that should have been taken before now.

Majority of Nigerians support the state of emergency except a tiny and vocal minority, which is against it. Northern people are peaceful and want peace but unfortunately, religion and lack of education have taken root in the North.

All hands must be on deck to address the problem. The Federal Government should use the carrot and stick; those, who are ready for amnesty; forgive and rehabilitate them.

Also victims of the crises whether through military or Boko Haram incursion, should be taken care of. The Federal Government should restore the economy of the North. If the economy of the North, East, South-West or Niger Delta is buoyant, Nigeria will be buoyant. If we neglect any region, we will be in trouble.

The Federal Government should be proactive and put structures to prevent people from going into violent crime. The North is still lagging behind the South in education. The North is highly impoverished and something must be done. If there is drought, let the government invest in massive irrigation to return the people to agriculture.

We have to engender programmes to disabuse people’s mind of accepting violence as a tool. Nonviolence programmes should be taken to schools, markets, streets and communities.

The North should do something for itself. Most northern leaders and elite are not helpful. They should encourage an average northern child to be like their own children. If they do that the North will be a better place to be in.

Apprenticeship exists in the East. An Igbo businessman with two million naira would in 10 years have trained and empowered 30 persons but most northerners sitting on millions cannot boast of such. I want the North to take the issue of education seriously. I don’t believe the North should get the president before it can be right.