NIGER DELTA PRESCRIPTIONS BY COMMUNITY LEADERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000594

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SIPDIS

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL ASEC NI
SUBJECT: NIGER DELTA PRESCRIPTIONS BY COMMUNITY LEADERS

REF: LAGOS 578

Classified By: Acting Consul General Donald McConnell for reasons 1.4 (
B) and (D)


1. (SBU) Summary: On August 20, Niger Delta community
leaders told the Acting Consul General cultist groups were
responsible for recent violence in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State and said these groups hijacked the Niger Delta
struggle. These leaders each offered different prescriptions
for improving the region; recommendations ranged from
democratic local governments, responsible governance with
community participation, and nonviolence training. While
there was a lot of energy and enthusiasm as each individual
discussed his ideas, there was little sense that a
comprehensive coordinated strategy had emerged. End Summary.


2. (SBU) On August 20, the Acting Consul General met five
Niger Delta community leaders. The eldest, Chief Imo Joe
Otite, an Itsekiri from Delta State, was Chairman of the
Conflict Mitigation and Management Regional Council. Also
from Delta State was Allen Onyeama, National Chairman of the
Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN),an NGO
teaching the non-violence principles of Martin Luther King,
Jr. Oronto Douglas, a well-respected human rights and
environmental lawyer with ties to the Vice Presidency, and
Elizabeth Preye Joseph, Director of Peace and Development in
Africa, work in Bayelsa State. The fifth guest was Peter
Esele, President of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior
Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). Esele hails from
Benin City, Edo State and PENGASSAN's members all work in the
volatile Niger Delta region.

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Militants & Criminals
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3. (C) Our interlocutors agreed that the recent violence in
Port Harcourt, Rivers State (Reftel) was due to cult groups,
nothing more than criminal gangs detracting from movements to
empower and develop the Niger Delta. Allen Onyeama said
these cults were armed by former Rivers State Governor Peter
Odili for political gain, our interlocutors were incensed
that the cults try to use Niger Delta grievances as an excuse
for their illegal behavior, including kidnapping children for
ransom, robberies, and violence. Chief Otite recommended
government recognize illegal activity in the region for what
it is, saying "robberies are robberies, kidnapping is
kidnapping," and punish the perpetrators according to the
law. He suggested a government round up of the cultists. As
for the militants, he said they need to learn "restraint" and
respect for their elders as first steps toward laying down
arms. Chief Otite accused the Delta State government of
forcing youths to take up arms. (Note: Youths is used
loosely to describe individuals up to their mid-thirties. End
Note.) He said the money the government gave to paramount
rulers was not being shared with the community. As a result,
youths must arm themselves to take what they believe they
deserve, he said.

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Democratically-Governed Communities & Grass Roots Solutions
-------------- --------------


4. (C) To improve development, equitable resource control,
and stability in the Niger Delta, PENGASSAN President Peter
Esele advocated a shift away from traditional elder

LAGOS 00000594 002 OF 003


leadership which does not "permit dissonance" or allow youths
to voice their concerns and interests, and toward stronger,
democratically controlled communities. One way this can be
achieved is for international oil companies (IOCs) to stop
giving community funds to monarchs and community rulers;
these funds, Esele said, are often not shared with the
community. Esele recommended strengthening community
accountability and democracy so that all voices could be
represented.


5. (C) Elizabeth Preye Joseph, Director of Peace and
Development in Africa, favored working at the grass roots
level to motivate Niger Deltans to seek their own solutions
for the region. She saw a need for solution-oriented
discussions involving the community in developing concrete
ways forward.

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Non Violence Training; Engaging Communities
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6. (C) FEHN Chairman Allen Onyeama blamed much of the unrest
in the Niger Delta on the government. He said former
Governor Odili was responsible for arming the cults in Port
Harcourt, and believed the State Security Service (SSS) had a
hand in arms availability throughout the Delta. He finds
support for this theory in that many youths he works with
have personal contacts with high-ranking government and SSS
officials. Based on his experience, he advocates
non-violence training programs to change the mindset of
militants and teach them how (and why) to survive without
arms and violence.

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Responsible Governance & Community-Driven Development
-------------- --------------


7. (C) Lawyer and activist Oronto Douglas thought IOCs had
no place in development, either through memoranda of
understanding (MOUs) or other development agreements. The
IOCs should exploit oil and gas reserves responsibly while
communities should use oil revenues to create trust funds to
direct development in ways they see fi, he averred. Douglas
envisioned communities holding shares in the IOCs operating
in their neighborhoods; this would both empower them and make
them interested in assuring continued production. A change
in government leadership is also needed, he said, so that
committed individuals are willing to address resource-control
issues. Douglas said the Niger Delta needs to be strong and
stable in order to stabilize Nigeria, the major regional
power in West Africa.


8. (C) Chief Otite agreed with Douglas as to the need to
stabilize communities. However, he believes implementing
programs of conflict management within communities is needed
to stabilize the region and attract development. As Chairman
of the Conflict Mitigation and Management Regional Council
(CMMRC) in Delta State, Otite said he works with youths and
community elders to identify flash points before violence
erupts and to reduce conflict. Greater understanding and
respect within communities would allow Niger Deltans to more
successfully pursue development, he commented.

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Comment
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LAGOS 00000594 003 OF 003



9. (C) Our interlocutors agree that problems with militants
stem from how the current governance structure divides up oil
revenues. And while participants agreed generally on the
need for democratic local governments, community
participation, and alternatives to violence, it is not at all
clear that they understand how to put these abstract concepts
into practice to address the revenue allocation and
expenditure issue. Given the magnitude of the Niger Delta
problem, the efforts of these individuals and groups are
unlikely to resolve the problem unless they are linked by an
overarching strategy backed by Federal Government funds and
the political will of the ruling party. End Comment.
MCCONNELL