A coalition of civil society organizations, under the aegis of the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately rise to the historic duty of ending the marginalization of the Itsekiri people in the country’s oil and gas industry.
NHRC, a coalition of 130 civil society and community-based groups in Nigeria, made the call in its preliminary report, signed by its officials, Taiwo Adeleye and Dr. Akande Abiola, after concluding a week-long environmental tour of the Niger Delta. The report stated that NHRC had the responsibility to alert President Tinubu to the brewing discontent, especially among the Itsekiri people, who have faced marginalization and repression by successive governments.
The coalition also noted with sadness that despite the Itsekiri producing the largest volume of oil by any ethnic group in Africa, they remain the most repressed and under-represented in the country’s oil and gas industry.
In the statement, a copy of which was made available to newsmen, the coalition lamented that the marginalization of the Itsekiri continues and is worsening. They recalled that the Itsekiri overwhelmingly supported the Tinubu government, believing that the president would address their concerns based on his past history and contributions to liberty and democracy in Nigeria.
The coalition described the situation as a national security threat that must be addressed to avoid a major crisis in the region. It also lamented that the issue has been exacerbated by the annexation of Itsekiri territories and the award of oil pipeline protection contracts in their ancestral land to groups that had previously fought the Itsekiri people using sophisticated weapons.
“The marginalization of the Itsekiri has continued, and it is taking an even worse dimension. This development is a heartless and dangerous provocation,” the coalition declared.
NHRC, while emphasizing the unalloyed loyalty the Itsekiri have shown to the current government led by President Tinubu, expressed concern about the continued deplorable situation faced by the Itsekiri. The 1.5 million Itsekiri people, spread across Delta and Edo States, are increasingly feeling like outcasts in the management and distribution of political and economic power in Nigeria.
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According to NHRC, the exploitation of oil-producing communities, particularly the exclusion and marginalization of Itsekiri workers in oil companies like the Nigerian National Petroleum Development Company (NNPC), has contributed to the instability in oil production in the country. The coalition warned that there will be no peace unless justice is served.
“Throughout our visits to the Niger Delta, one thing is clear: The Itsekiri are unhappy with the Nigerian state. They are a non-violent ethnic group that is increasingly being pushed to the extreme. This development is a time bomb that should not be allowed to explode,” the coalition stated.
“There is no ethnic group in Nigeria that can accept what is happening in Itsekiri land. It is the worst form of exploitation and oppression. The Itsekiri are an ethnic minority, yet they produce the largest amount of oil in Nigeria, yet they are the most deprived.”
“The oil companies working in the Niger Delta have failed to meet the expectations of the Itsekiri people, while the NNPC continues to sideline Itsekiri individuals from key positions,” NHRC added. “There is a limit to how long this injustice can be tolerated. A flashpoint of crisis is brewing, much like what happened in Ogoni land in 1992. History may repeat itself unless the federal government addresses the problem swiftly and decisively. Since 1960, no Itsekiri person has been appointed Minister of Petroleum. This is a clear example of a deliberate pattern of marginalization against the Itsekiri people within the oil and gas sector.”
“While the Itsekiri were among the first to receive Western education in the Niger Delta, dating back to the 16th century, and have a long tradition of producing highly educated people in various fields, they continue to be excluded from strategic positions in the oil and gas industry,” NHRC stated.
“Itsekiri, led by the late Pa Alfred Rewane, played a key role in the campaign against military rule, which led to the democracy Nigerians enjoy today.”
“The Itsekiri territories remain polluted due to years of exploitation without compensation. The Itsekiri deserve no less than $50 billion in compensation, having contributed the largest share of oil and gas to the Nigerian economy. There is also an urgent need for greater inclusion of the Itsekiri people in the top echelons of the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”
The Itsekiri assert that greater representation of their people in high-ranking positions within NNPC would better reflect the community’s contributions and significance in the industry, the coalition concluded.
