The declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu leaves much to be desired. Besides the suspension of democratic institutions and the appointment of a military sole administrator being an assault on democracy, the action portends new levels of socio-ecological challenges not only to Rivers State, but to the entire Niger Delta region.
Maintaining that the action also signifies a grave rupturing of democratic principles, rule of law and the expressed will of the people, the Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF) strongly rejects the recent declaration of a state of emergency and subsequent military takeover of democratically elected institutions in Rivers State.
Although the Niger Delta is not a hotbed of insurgency and terrorism, it has been one of the most militarised regions in the country. This militarisation has been entrenched by the need to support oil companies in their colonial extractivist modes with unbridled impunity.
The history of military rule in Nigeria is particularly underscored by bloodletting and environmental genocide that has left indelible scars in the psyche of the people. Plunging any state into military rule with the attendant abridgement of citizens’ rights is deeply objectionable. Military might have been continually used to underscore the regrettable pointers from the government that crude oil is more valuable than environmental and human health.
Executive Director, Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, noted that the president’s statement is disturbing, one-sided and unconvincing, saying: “Although the actions that led to the murky situation in Rivers State have been a national embarrassment, declaring a State of Emergency worsens the scenario.
“A return of military rule in any part of the Niger Delta is an egregious assault on the psyche of traumatised people. Any action that awakes the nightmarish memories of 1990 must be condemned in the strongest terms.
“We will not forget that the region was, and has remained, militarised at the pleasure of multinational oil companies. Communities were leveled and blood flowed across the land and creeks. In recent months, egoistic barriers have been raised to block dialogue and civility, and militarisation is now hoisted as a panacea to the rotten situation.
“Will military rule allow the good people of Rivers State to breathe? Is it a ploy to further militarise the region, deepen impunity, and reopen closed wells for barrels of oil under the protection of barrels of guns? There are many questions to ask and many rivers to cross in Rivers State.”
HOMEF finds very unacceptable the premise that the State of Emergency became necessary because oil pipelines were being threatened. Governors of the states are not the Commander in Chief of the armed forces. Moreover, decrepit oil facilities have been blowing up on their own accord, without third party interferences, suggesting that incidents in the oil fields are acts of sabotage without due investigation is specious.
It objects to any attempts, through means such as militarisation, to expand oil drilling operations in the Niger Delta using military force or cover. Such attempts will be ill-advised considering the ecological harms in the region that have reduced lives to a mere whisper.
“Furthermore, we condemn the secretive divestment processes conducted without transparency or accountability. We deem the government’s silence on these critical matters as cause for serious concern about potential backdoor deals that may compromise the interests and rights of local communities and the nation.
“We call for the immediate restoration of democratic governance in Rivers State and respect for the rule of law and the Constitutional order because there is nowhere in the Nigerian Constitution that gives the President the power to replace democratic institutions with military
rule.
“We demand strict adherence to the rule books regarding any resource extraction or divestment decisions and responsible actions that do not undermine our democratic institutions,” the group stated.
