NIGER DELTA PRESCRIPTIONS BY COMMUNITY LEADERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000594 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/W, INR/AA, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/PII, DS/DSS/OSAC WARSAW FOR LISA PIASCIK CIUDAD JUAREZ FOR DONNA BLAIR ISTANBUL FOR TASHAWNA SMITH SAO PAULO FOR ANDREW WITHERSPOON OSLO FOR HELENA SCHRADER DOE FOR GPERSON, CAROLYN GAY TREASURY FOR ASEVERENS, SRENENDER, DFIELDS COMMERCE FOR KBURRESS STATE PASS USTR FOR ASST USTR FLISER STATE PASS TRANSPORTATION FOR MARAD STATE PASS OPIC FOR ZHAN AND MSTUCKART STATE PASS TDA FOR NCABOT STATE PASS EXIM FOR JRICHTER STATE PASS USAID FOR GWEYNAND AND SLAWAETZ 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. -------------- Militants & Criminals -------------- ¶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. -------------- -------------- 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. -------------- Non Violence Training; Engaging Communities -------------- ¶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. -------------- -------------- 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. -------------- Comment -------------- 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