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By Young Erhiurhoro
It’s no longer breaking news that the entire Niger-Delta region is fully besieged by so-called Northern power, considering the level of attacks, calamities, atrocities, enslavement, inhumane treatment and other terrorist activities meted on the Niger Delta people by the so-called Fulani herdsmen or “Northern bandits”.
As we know, the Niger Delta region encompasses the South South region of Nigeria. It has six states out of the 36 states in the country. They are Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa Ibom. The region from the last census held in the country has over ten million people, excluding those below 18 years old and little children. The above population figure could mainly be those of voting age.
By geographical location, the Niger-Delta region is naturally situated on the low bed of the Niger basin. The river Niger which is the major river in the region runs across the six states with different sources and tributaries. The region is blessed with grasslands and forests. Each of these six states has its share of grasslands and forests. They produce trees for mainly timber, livestock, fish and other forest products. The region also has rivers, rivulets, streams, lakes and fishing ponds. All these are natural habitats for various kinds of fishes across the region.
Topographically, the region is blessed with natural soil for the production of agricultural products like oil palm, cassava, groundnut, rubber, yam, cocoyam, sweet potato, vegetables, okro, tomato, pepper and other agricultural produce. This truly made the region an economic hub of the nation in food production and supply across the country and other countries in West Africa.
For instance, the annual production of garri and groundnuts in Uwheru communities alone accounts for 30 percent of the total annual production of these two agricultural by-products in the country. Again, in the area of fish production, Uwheru communities account for 20 percent of the total production in the country. Outside these major agricultural produce, Uwheru communities are also known for oil palm and pepper production in every farming season.
In fact, farming is the major occupation and means of livelihood of the Niger-Delta people. Before the introduction of the white collar jobs by the British colonizers, over 90 percent of the Niger-Delta people were farmers. Majority of them are into subsistence farming while very few are into commercial farming in the region. Those into the subsistence farming are those in rural areas in the region. Their major target is to engage in farming to feed the family and to make both ends meet in terms of financial obligations. There is virtually no family in the region that is not into farming as a means of livelihood. In most communities in the region, the cutlass and the hoe are two essential agricultural tools usually presented to young boys crossing to adulthood by their parents. Even with the introduction of the white collar jobs, agriculture still remain the major occupation of the Niger-Delta people.
Having done this overview and natural assessment of the Niger-Delta region, let’s now look at the major reason why the region is today besieged by armed bandits and terrorists. The history and identity of the Niger-Delta region changed when in 1956 oil was first discovered by the Shell BP at Oloibiri, a small community in Rivers state. This was the beginning of turn of events in the region. Immediately after this very breakthrough, oil was equally discovered in other communities across the region. The six states making the region are all oil producing states in the country. Today, Nigeria is ranked the highest oil producing country in West Africa.
To add to this breakthrough in the oil production, gas was also discovered in these places few years after the discovering of oil. These two petroleum products are milestone achievements and natural endowment for the Niger-Delta people. Few years after, oil activities started booming across the region. The region now became a focal economic point of every federal government, whether military or civilian. Their major target was now on the oil and gas. Attention started waning and shifting from agriculture that the region was known for to oil and gas.
As soon as the Nigerian government tasted the sweet flavour of the oil and gas in the Niger-Delta region and discovered that, it is sweeter than the proceeds of agriculture, the country now moved from agricultural producing country to oil producing country. This didn’t augur well with the northern leaders of the country. Actually, the northern part of the country were exposed early to commercial agriculture by the British merchants. They were into export of agricultural produce long time ago. Then, the northern part was the focal economic point and economic hub of the country. They were the suppliers of various food items to different parts of the country and other countries across Africa. They wanted to retain that pride and economic power for life.
However, power changed hands with the discovery of this oil and gas in the Niger-Delta region. The oil and gas to the northern hegemony is more profitable than agriculture. The economic benefits and values derived from the oil and gas can’t be compared to those of agriculture. This is where the Nigerian government shifted its attention to the Niger-Delta region. The shifting of its attention to the region is not to protect the oil and gas for the benefits of the people, but to make it their own inheritance. And we know that, the making of the Nigerian government today is majorly by the Hausa-Fulani leaders. By population figures, they are highest in the country.
Therefore, the northern leaders teamed up to grab the oil and gas for themselves and cronies. They strategized and started influencing the Niger-Delta traditional and political leaders with the same benefits of the oil and gas in order to break in easily. The northern leaders used this strategy successfully to lobbied our leaders in the Niger-Delta region by carving shares for them in the oil and gas production. Having succeeded in this area, they were able to grab all the major oil and gas contracts to themselves, making our leaders ordinary onlookers. They sold their own inheritance to foreigners just because of a pot of porridge. This is truly devastating!
Unfortunately, the northern leaders didn’t end the battle by just grabbing the major contracts in the oil and gas production. What they wanted is to take over as the original and true owners of these oil and gas facilities. This is where the rampant terrorist activities by these Fulani herdsmen came into existence across the Niger-Delta region. Though their evil activities are more pronounced in both Delta and Bayelsa states, but their ugly impacts are being felt across the entire region. This made some of our youth especially from the Ijaw ethnic group in Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states to take bold steps of retrieving and retaining the ownership rights of this oil and gas facilities. This led to what is today known as “vandalization of oil and gas facilities”.
To tame this act of vandalism by the same Nigerian government dominated by the northern leaders, they enticed our youth leaders with some big contracts in the oil and gas production. Today, the news of pipeline vandalism is to the barest minimum. Our youth leaders are already colonized and indoctrinated by the same northern leaders to be like dogs licking their own wounds. They have nothing to say over this oil and gas production in the region again. Our traditional rulers in the region are not equally left out of the share of the oil and gas benefits. They are major contractors in the oil and gas sector. Our political leaders too are dinning and wining with these northern leaders to carve out their own share in the oil business. The funniest part of the story is that, all these are done at the expense of the poor and the less privileged in the region. When the poor in the region are getting thinner everyday, our traditional rulers and political leaders are getting fatter. That’s the simple equation of the oil business.
Finally, terrorist activities are now at its fullest in the Niger-Delta region. It’s now well rooted and fully established in the region as a way of life. Everyday, we hear of one terrorist attack or the other, suffered by our people from the hands of these Fulani herdsmen. It’s no longer news that Fulani herdsmen are ransacking Uwheru communities in Delta state. People are being massacred and their farms ravaged by these Fulani herdsmen everyday. They have taken over some of these Uwheru communities. People can no longer go to farm or fishing. They are being starved in their plenty. The story is not different in all parts of the Niger-Delta region.
These Fulani herdsmen have already taken over many communities in the region. They have exterminated many communities, with the few still surviving, living in excruciating pains and fear. No doubt, Niger-Delta region is besieged. Yet, our government and local leadership is happy because the northern leaders granted them just a token and pot of porridge as recipe for allowing them to take over our own inheritance. Today, the Niger-Delta people are slaves and working tools in the hands of the northern leaders. Few years from now, those who will be able to survive this great calamity, would be made to pay head tax to these northern leaders in our own land. If we continue to fold our hands now, Niger-Delta region will soon turn to “Niger-Delta desert”.
Young Erhiurhoro is a reporter and a member of the Urhobo Historical Society.
