Journal of Law and Conflict Resolution Vol. 4(6), pp. 94-102, December, 2012 Available online at http://www.academicjournals.org/JLCR DOI:10.5897/JLCR-11-055 ISSN 2006-9804 ©2012 Academic Journals Review Peace and development in Nigeria: The amnesty experience in the Niger Delta of Nigeria Ambily Etekpe Department of Political Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. E-mail: [email protected]. Accepted 13 June, 2012 Resulting from the harsh federal government policies since the discovery of crude oil in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in 1956, about 20 separate militant groups emerged to disrupt oil pipelines and kidnapped the oil workers. It peaked in 2008 and literally “forced” the government to reverse its policy of counter-insurgence to that of amnesty on 4 October, 2009 for the Niger Delta militants. The amnesty programme has been described by scholars as one of the most pragmatic strategies and procedures for conflict resolution, peace-building and sustainable development in the region. The programme entails granting of official pardon to the militants and training them to adjust to normal civil life. The training commenced on 5 July, 2010 and to lasted for 13 months, after which, the final phased of re- integration commenced. The programme has been criticized for being too slow and expensive, but has achieved relative peace for government to launch a road map for massive infrastructural and human capital development. Applying Jean-Francois Bayart theory on legitimacy “that the utility of violence has its limitations and diminishes with time when prolonged”, the paper analyzed the impact of the programme on sustainable peace and development in the region. It adopts the secondary method of data collection and complements it with personal interview; and finds that the amnesty programme has been beneficial to the two principal stakeholders – government, and oil companies, but not the host communities and the repentant militants. It concludes with a suggestion for Nigerians to support it, and draws four important lessons for the future, especially that of developing political will to address the „12 evils‟ confronting Nigeria. Key words: Amnesty, peace-building, safety, sustainable development. INTRODUCTION The federal government‟s amnesty programme in The only genuine, long-range solution for what has October, 2009 was borne out of the “doctrine of happened lies in an attack – mounted at every level – necessity” resulting from the militants‟ disruption of crude upon the conditions that breed despair and violence. All oil and gas installations, and kidnapping of foreign oil of us know what those conditions are: ignorance, company workers. The militants prosecuted the war discrimination, slums, poverty, disease, not enough jobs. within the plains, forests and creeks in the region. Their We should (as a matter of urgency) attack these activities crippled the daily output of crude oil production conditions – not because we are frightened by conflict, from 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2004 to about but because we are fired by conscience. We should 0.80 million bpd in the first quarter of 2009. This attack them because there is simply no other way to adversely affected revenue for the oil-dependent country. achieve a decent and orderly society in America. Kerner (1969) recaptured a similar scenario in the United States (US) during Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th He then suggested pro-active programmes and projects President of the US (1963 to 1969) Administration and to address the problem. For President Shehu Musa how the social conflict received renewed emphasis in his Yar‟Adua of Nigeria, the programme was amnesty. The Address to the Nation on 27 July, 1967. He said: amnesty programme has four major phases, beginning Etekpe 95 with pardoning the militants for them to voluntarily Assemblies or school system in the country. This implies renounce violence, followed by disarmament, rehabilita- that these institutions and structures would not function tion, and re-integration (DRR). The phases are designed properly without peace. Thus, for the Niger Delta and to change the mind-set of the militants and facilitate their Nigeria to develop, there has to be enduring peace, and adjustment to normal civil life. Thus, they were trained in the concept is popular amongst politicians and social different areas of skills and entrepreneurship in the activists (Maoz, 1982). Orientation and Rehabilitation Camp in Obubra in Cross The philosophers define peace as a state of perfection River state, Nigeria in batches. The training started on 1 and earthly expression of God‟s kingdom that is not June, 2010 and lasted for 13 months (George, 2006). corrupt. Adherents to this interpretation argue that this The programme has brought about relative peace in was the original aim of God in creating human beings, the region and President Goodluck Jonathan (successor that is, to live in perfect peace with one another, including of Yar‟Adua) has utilized the opportunity of the prevailing nature. St. Augustine (in Sabine and Thorson, 1973) took peace to pronounce some key sustainable development the argument further by distinguishing two Kingdoms that programmes and projects in the region (Weber, 1918). is, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of man (earth). This paper assesses the implications of the amnesty In the Kingdom of God, there is liberty and perfection, programme on peace and development in the region and absence of violent conflicts and wars. The Kingdom of the country, as well as make suggestions on how to man, on the other hand, refers to where there is strengthen it to serve as a model in other developing exploitation, neglect, backwardness, and perennial countries. conflicts as is the case of the Niger Delta. Thomas The paper is divided into five parts, beginning with this Hobbes describes this kingdom as the „State of Nature‟ introduction. This is followed by clarification of relevant characterized by „perennial conflicts and wars‟ where the concepts applied in the paper, especially that of peace, strong takes advantage of the weak. In an effort to bring security, and development, and discussed the events that about peace, men and women, boys and girls resolved to led to the declaration of amnesty on 4 October, 2009. create a social contract in which each person gives up The paper went on to assess the impacts of the some of his or her rights to form and defend a leviathan programme on peace and development and concludes that is, powerful federal government to, which all are with the suggestion that Nigerians should massively subjected. The philosophical concept is popular amongst support the programme to succeed. the churches and mosques that continue to persuade their adherents to pursue the Kingdom of God (heaven), instead of the kingdom of man (conflict). CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL ISSUES The sociologists interpret peace as a condition of social harmony where the 250 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, Although the concept of peace seems clear to the along with about 3,000 oil producing/bearing communities generality of people, it requires clarification. Ibeanu (in in the Niger Delta would peacefully co-exist amongst Best, 2006), for example, defines “peace as the absence themselves and MNOCs. The peaceful co-existence is of war” and by logical extension, war is the absence of expected to take place when and where the needs peace. He went further to state that whereas this (wants) of individuals and groups, in the Niger Delta are simplistic understanding of peace is attractive, it is still adequately met. “This would happen”, Karl Marx puts it inadequate for appreciating the true meaning and nature “when there is an efficient and effective system of of peace, thereby necessitating the need to explore other production and distribution of private and public goods interpretations, especially those of instrumentalists, and services” in the state (Nigeria). The sociologists‟ functionalists, sociologists and philosophers. concept dovetailed to that of the political scientists, who The instrumentalists define peace as the means to an see peace as political conditions that makes justice end. This concept is popular amongst the federal govern- possible. This means‟ “peace gives political structures ment and multinational oil companies (MNOCs) and is values and stability” (Miller, 2003). Adherents of this often applied in dealing with over 3,000 crude oil and gas perspective argue that the federal government should producing/bearing communities in the region. To use military and security personnel to handle civil effectively pursue this concept, the federal government conflicts only in extreme cases. It should, instead, introduced the “military option” in 2005 and formed a emphasize „constructive dialogue‟ promoted by people special military unit, known as, Joint Military Task Force like Harold Dappa-Biriye, Yakubu Gowon, Aminu Kano, (JTF) to crush any agitation that was perceived to etc, over the years. interrupt steady flow of oil and gas in the region (Burgess, The concept of security is basically about the condition 1985). The functionalists, on the other hand, see peace of feeling safe from harm or danger; the defense, as playing crucial social functions that serves the orderly protection, and preservation of core-values of the people. operations of social institutions in the country, like For the Niger Delta people, security goes beyond these political parties, Independent National Electoral to that of survival and the conditions of their existence Commission (INEC), court system, State and National (Blakeley, 1995). It has three dimensions, namely: 96 J. Law Conflict. Resolut. traditional, military, and non-military (Williams, 2006). For Due to poor leadership, Nigeria has over the past 50 a brief overview, the traditional security focuses on threat years been battling with political, economic, social, and and the use of regular police force; military security on institutional crises. And as such, issues of peace and the other hand is on protection of the country‟s territorial development have not received the desired attention.