How The Niger Deltans Can Get Their Freedom: The Action Plan! (Part 5)

The first major player in the complicated oil game, undoubtedly is the Federal Republic of Northern Nigeria. The corrupt, incompetent, visionless and morally bankrupt northern led Nigerian government is mainly responsible for the crises, and the impoverishment in the Niger delta. The descendants of Usman Dan Fodio signed oil exploration agreements, which are obviously lopsided, with multinational oil companies. According to data from different reliable sources, multinational oil companies pay Nigeria about 5% for the privilege to drill its oil. Secondly, the Niger deltans were not allowed to make any inputs in the negotiation process. Their economic, political and other vital interests were completely ignored by the Nigerian government and the oil companies. Third, the northern led federal government has always turned a blind eye at the unprecedented scale of pollution in the region. By so doing, the north has not only proved that it is an ingrate, but equally does not care about the welfare of these people that lay most of the golden eggs that feed the whole of Nigeria. Fourth, the north has abandoned these people that give Nigeria more than 85% of its foreign earnings completely to their fate. A substantial amount of the Niger delta oil revenues have been stolen mainly by retired northern criminal officers.

2. Multinational oil companies.

The second major player in the Niger delta crises are the multinational oil companies. These companies are the richest, largest and most profitable companies in the world by assets, market capitalization and turn-over. The turn-over of each of them dwarf the GDP and budget of practically all African countries combined. They are like empires within empires. Although, quiet a number of them are public companies; some after privatization, nevertheless, their influence, resources and reach surpass almost all African and developing countries put together. Their main interests in countries where they operate, especially developing countries, is to exploit the resources of the host countries to the maximum, and leave the latter with very little or even practically nothing to show for their natural resources. Although, one of the most popular and standard agreements used in oil exploration is Per Share Agreement (PSA) which ensures that risks and returns are evenly distributed between multinational oil companies and oil rich countries, however, in most cases, they take to different illicit, illegal and criminal tactics including bribery, outright threats, blackmails, manipulations, assassinations, etc, to coerce oil rich developing countries into entering deals that fall far short of meeting their interests. In addition, different sophisticated tax schemes including OFFSHORE TAXATION have been perfected by the multinational oil companies to deprive Nigeria of tax revenues running into billions of dollars of every year. The high level of corruption in Nigeria, coupled with the incompetence or lack of adequate knowledge – legal, technical, technological, financial, environmental, economic, political, etc, in negotiating oil exploration contracts by the Hausas and Fulanis, have equally contributed immensely to the lopsided oil deals between Nigeria and the multinational oil companies. Judging by the terms of the oil contracts, it will be no exaggeration to assert that the oil companies are exploring Nigeria‘s oil practically for free. Thirdly, the unprecedented pollution of the Niger delta has turned the region into an ‘ecological disaster’ area. The northern led government has never taken up this very serious issue with the multinationals. It has always stood aloof, and turned a blind eye to their plights.

3. Major importers of Niger delta oil: The United States and other western countries.

A substantial proportion of the Niger delta’s oil is consumed by the United States and a couple of western countries. The US alone, accounts for about 12.5% of the total Nigeria‘s export. With the war in the gulf not likely to end soon, the US is even more dependent on the Niger delta’s oil. The interests of these importers are in buying the oil of developing countries, including that of the Niger delta for the lowest price possible, and ensuring that oil exploration contracts are awarded to their respective national companies. In order to achieve these 2 objectives, the United States in particular, has not left any stone unturned. Energy is so vital to the United State’s economy to any length to protect its energy security including lobbying, threats, blackmails, assassination and overthrowing of uncooperating head of states or presidents, intervention or influencing national political through secret financing, consulting of opposition parties and/or candidates that have sworn allegiance to them on how to manipulate and rig elections, etc.

In his two shockingly revealing books: “Confessions of an economic hit man” and “The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World,” John Perkins, an American himself, laid bear the heinous crimes that the United States and multinational oil companies commit in developing countries in order to defend their economic interests . The United States through its intelligence body, the CIA, operates a sophisticated spying network in all countries that are members of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, (OPEC) the voluntary international club of oil producing countries set up to regulate oil production or output among its members in order not to flood the market with excess oil which may lead to plummeting of oil prices in the global oil market. The CIA, with the full backing of the US government, operates a secret budget, which according to different publications from reliable sources, run into a trillion dollars! Part of this money is used to bribe key decision makers in OPEC countries, run its sophisticated spying networks all over the world including in European countries, lobbying, destabilising many developing countries, funding of opposition parties which have given assurance to toe the line of the US government on getting to power, planning and implementing coup detats, assassination of presidents that are not cooperating, etc.

4. The Niger deltans.

The fourth player in the Niger delta crises are the Niger deltans. But, stating that the Niger deltans are one of the major players is in actual fact an over statement or misnomer because they are more of victims or ponds in the hands of the 3 major players earlier described above.

The Minor players. Apart from these 3 major players described above, there are new and minor players like the retired northern criminal officers who were dashed oil wells for their disservice to Nigeria and Nigerians. Others include multinational banks, insurance companies, Indian, Chinese and Russian companies jostling for a place or a good share in the N.D. loot.

DAVID VERSUS GOLIATH.

As we can observe, the N.D. and its militants have formidable opponents to overcome in order to achieve their objective. However, this does in no way mean that they can not be defeated.

The battle between the N.D. militants and these 3 formidable opponents reminds one of the biblical battle between David and Goliath. In that biblical story, Goliath, because of his enormous size and strength, was expected to emerge winner. David had no chance whatsoever. But David, miraculously, emerged the winner, against all odds! The task ahead of the N.D. militants today is even much tougher than that of David in the bible because David went into a duel with only one Goliath, but the N.D. militants are battling 3 GOLIATHS! And these are not 3 ordinary Goliaths, but 3 HORRIBLE AND HEARTLESS GOLIATHS that control and consume more than at least half of the world energy, and are ready to go to any length in order to defend their selfish economic interests even if it means wiping out completely a whole country, race or continent. As far as they are concerned, it’s the end that justifies the means. They are guided by the principle “WE LIVE AND YOU ALL DIE. Despite their strength, resources and influence, nevertheless, I am convinced beyond any reasonable doubts that with the appropriate tactics, strategy, discipline, perseverance and determination, the N.D. militants will overcome these 3 monsters standing in their way. One of the main purposes of this article is to expose their weak points, and prove that indeed they are not only very vulnerable, but could be handed defeat, with the right tactics and strategy.

GET YOUR STRATEGY AND TACTICS RIGHT.

In this article, we will be talking a lot about strategy and tactics. It’s so important in our discussion that we need to explain the difference between the two from the onset. A strategy is like a plan of action. Tactics are the instruments or methods that you use in realising your strategy or plan. Tactics and strategy are inseperatable – they are like a coin with 2 sides. One is not complete without the other. They both complement each other. The more risky a task, the more careful you should be in choosing your strategy and tactics. The more important a task, the more refined your strategy and tactics should be. If you get your strategy wrong, your tactics will not be effective. Likewise, bad tactics can not save a good strategy from failure. You will just be expending your limited resources in pursuit of a wrong course. And sooner or later, you are bound to fail. Good tactics allow you to achieve your strategy with minimal resources – all things being equal.

IF YOU DON’T HAVE A LEVERAGE, GET ONE IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU HAVE ONE, STRENGHTEN IT.

As has already been mentioned earlier, the N.D. militants have recorded a remarkable victory by forcing the evil Nigerian government to call for a summit. Although, it’s obvious that the so called Niger delta summit is another trick or plot that the descendants of usman dan fodio has devised to buy time in order to carry out its hidden agenda. The task before them now is to increase their leverage before and during the summit and/or negotiations. The word leverage has its roots from the word ‘lever.’ As we learnt in our physics class, with the help of a lever, heavy loads can be lifted with very little force. Without a lever, this would have been much difficult or practically impossible. Similarly, in negotiations or conflicts, a lever helps us to neutralise or counter whatever advantage a strong or powerful opponent may have over you. A leverage helps a side, which may look weaker, to strengthen its position and consequently defeat or get a better deal from a very strong opponent that may appear invincible. In negotiations and conflictology, a leverage helps you to strengthen your position before your opponent. Leverage, at least, helps you to level the field when competing with a formidable opponent.

Leverage comes in different forms. It could be a piece of information that you have about your opponent, which he is unaware of, and you can use it in negotiations to get a concession from a very powerful opponent. Leverage could even be a piece of information that is publicly available, but be psychological in nature. For example, by openly or secretly revealing to your opponent that in actual fact, he is very vulnerable and not as strong or invincible as he believes, or wants you to believe. If you don’t have a leverage that you can use to counter a much stronger opponent in a negotiation or conflictology, your opponent, believing in his invincibility, will always take advantage of you and dictate to you his terms.

The strategy of the militants should revolve around not only putting pressure on these 3 monsters to want to negotiate and reach agreements with them (militants) as quickly as possible, but negotiate with them as equals during the summit. In fact, the militants need to adopt a strategy that will make these 3 monsters ‘beg’ them, and not dictate to them before and during negotiations.

In order to achieve this, the militants need to strengthen their leverage to the maximum. Thus, the strategy the N.D. need to adopt in order to strengthen their leverage is to prove and demonstrate to these 3 monsters that they are indeed very vulnerable and not invincible as they might have thought. But it takes an analytic mind to figure out these vulnerabilities.