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Warri, violence and development By
It has become a regular pastime for Warri to be ignited in flames. If not from the oil-related explosions, such flames have come from the embers of ethnic hatred. The latter have been more rampant and concomittantly more devastating. If it is not the Ijaw vs. the Itsekiri, then it is the Urhobo vs. the Itsekiri etc.
Indeed, oil explosions and the related environmental hazards have wreaked havoc in Warri and other parts of Delta State in death toll and human suffering but ethnic conflagration in the form of one group chasing the other or two fighting groups chasing the rest of us have caused more deaths (over 10,000 in the past ten years), destroyed more houses through arson (over 3000 houses and property burnt down in the past ten years and still counting), maimed more lives and caused permanent life-threatening disabilities (over 50,000 people may have suffered one form of injury from Warri conflicts in the past ten years) and, perhaps more worrisome, Warri conflicts have ruined many businesses and cost thousands of Nigerians their means of livelihood.
Once thriving small businesses in the form of retailers, hotels, restaurants, night clubs, hospitals, local contractors, motor mechanics, furniture makers, transporters, have all been rendered comatose. Indeed, more families have been forced into destitution and total economic ruin. The net result is a loss of public moral and descent into societal decadence. It is no news, for instance, that the greater number of young girls going into prostitution in Nigeria and those exported overseas for the same ignoble profession are from the Edo/Delta axis.
The young men after winning several feathers in numerous communal clashes move on in their race for self-destruction and perdition to armed robbery and other anti-social vices. Now with politics around, Delta State will lead the rest of the country in thug-related political violence and mayhem. What a shame!
Indeed, more businesses have closed down in Warri in the past ten years than statistics can keep up pace with. From the oil companies and their related service firms that have been forced to relocate their entire operations elsewhere, to those that have only managed to keep field operation activities, with no other physical presence in Warri, thousands of jobs have been lost and entire real estate industry in that part of Delta State wiped out.
Oil companies like Chevron, Shell, Mobil, Agip that have been repeatedly criticised for not building their corporate headquarters in Warri or other towns in Delta State where they have their oil fields and extensive exploration activities going on are now justified. No rational decision-maker will undertake such multi-million naira project that will go up in smoke, not from some natural disaster but the wilful acts of some irate mob and criminals hiding under the labels of either Urhobo, Itsekiri or Ijaw youths. Indeed, there are no such thing as Urhobo, Itsekiri or Ijaw youths or warlords that automatically gives one a licence to kill, maim and burn down houses and other people’s property.
And this is a failure of the government and indeed an indictment on successive administrations in the state. Rascally young men cannot be allowed to hold an entire people hostage, crippling economic activities and rendering a state of the federation ungovernable, triggering much needed capital flight and foisting on the rest of us Deltans (the majority) a negative image profile and notoriety for violence and lawlessness. Warri as a very important city and major economic and cultural centre in Delta State has been raped and rendered naked, stripped of all its honour by some obnoxious vermin and worms masquerading as tribal gladiators.
They have no respect for even the instruments of state, as several law enforcement officers from the three armed services of the police, navy and the army have met very painful and humiliating deaths for nothing but the singular factor that they have been sent to perform their constitutional duty of protecting lives and property. Some have been cut down in their prime and the painful reality is that the perpetrators of these heinous crime have not been brought to justice. They have been left to roam the streets only to reappear time after time to inflict more harm on the rest of society.
The families of these unsung but heroic officers would forever bear the pains of losing their loved ones and bread winners from the callous acts of these irresponsible tribal warlords. They must hold the rest of us to account to ensure that justice be done and those responsible made to face the due process of law. That is the only way to put an end to this ugly orgy of unmindful violence and send a strong message to other aspirants to a career in tribal/ethnic warlordism that there is a prize to be paid. Indeed, the blind eye given to this problem by both the government and civil society have emboldened these criminals and increased their clan across Delta State, to the extent that violence is fast becoming a way of life. From Ughelli, Oleh, Bomadi, Kwale to Agbor, citizens and communities have found it more fashionable to settle normal human disagreements, not through dialogue but war and violence.
The result is a real descent to the abyss, long held respected institutions are defiled and our leaders not only treated to verbal abuse but also physical hurt and damage. As lamented recently by respected columnist and social commentator, Professor G.G.Darah, in his piece: "Urhobo, Ibori and the burden of history," it is only in Delta State that the estate of such notable leader as Chief Benjamin Okumagba could just be burnt down by so called youths. I will add to this by observing also that it is only in Delta that the person and office of the Olu of Warri will daily be denigrated by an irate youth. Again, it is only in Warri that such a great son as Chief E.K.Clark could be forced into exile from a city that perhaps he has contributed more than any Deltan alive to develop.
And this trend of total disregard for institutions and leadership is where the problem lies. Youthful activism has been taken too far, here is no place, no people without leaders. When a people, either by omission, thrust their fate in the hands of a generation of irresponsible youths who have nothing to lose, that society is ruined. A generation which only aspires to leadership and societal acclaim through violence is indeed lost.
In a very competitive federation such as Nigeria, such society and people will always be left behind because they lack the necessary tools and skills for public discourse and debate necessary to winning concessions to their points of view in a democracy. And we have seen this unfortunate scenario being played out in the uncordinated campaigns for Resource Control and the controversial onshore/offshore dichotomy debate.
It took only the intervention of tested leaders like Chief E.K. Clark, Senator Dafinone etc in 1999 before a political agenda could be set that led to the creation of NDDC. I am proud to identify myself with the South -South Peoples Conference’s unique convention in Port Harcourt that year that aggregated the sometimes rowdy and uncoordinated voices of Deltans in their legitimate demands for greater access in the Nigerian polity.
That is why all must rise up and confront this ugly trend of unmindful violence in Delta State. Peace is the only way to go, if not we will continue to kill ourselves while the rest of Nigeria continues to appropriate our resources for the development of the more politically organised areas. Our only city, Warri, which is supposed to be the pride of all Deltans, will remain an urban slum and the quality of life of our people low.
The rest of Nigeria will never take us seriously as all that is good and worthy of honour will take flight from amongst us, to other areas more prepared and conducive for such things to thrive. At the end of the day the abundant oil resources in the bellies of our land will have no meaning and the good life continues to elude our people. We have seen the degradation of a once proud and talented people. From music, sports, industry and commerce, Deltans once unbeatable have taken a back seat.
The most shameful is a dearth in conscientious thinkers and moral icons in our firmament. Visionaries and capable leaders have taken a flight from our shores and what we have left are brutes and street urchins that have raped our women, made our children orphans and rendered our towns and cities desolate. Please let someone put an send to the violence in Delta State.
Nov 2003 |