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Warri: Give Peace a Chance -- Senator Manager

Vanguard (Lagos)
INTERVIEW
May 21, 2004
Posted to the web May 21, 2004

By Emmanuel Aziken
Abuja
Senator James Manager (PDP, Delta South) represents a zone that despite being
the country"s highest producer of crude oil, has become one of the most
volatile regions in the federation. Pirates, illegal oil bunkerers drawn by the
passage of liquid gold across the region have infiltrated the area, giving a
region noted for its unity in diversity the epitome of youth restiveness. In
this interview with Vanguard"s Emmanuel Aziken, Senator Manager expounds on the
effect of the latest killings on business in the region and on the actions of
government to stemming the tide of violence in the area.
How will you respond to the killing of oil and naval personnel in the Benin
River in your constituency?
From the report that I have received from my Delta South Senatorial District,
the oil rich zone which I represent here, I am very worried about the
development in that part of my senatorial district. I understand the incident
took place somewhere along the Benin-River which is part of my senatorial
district. I want to condemn it. It is a condemnable act. It is something I want
to consider to be an abomination because it never happened before. In spite of
our agitation for better developmental project in that area we have never
resorted to killing expatriates, we have not even resorted to killing oil
workers, wherever they come from, whether in Nigeria or outside the country.
This is one act that must be condemned by everybody and as the Senator
representing the area, I feel very bad and very worried.
What do you think is the cause of this upsurge?
You see these are security matters and details are not out yet. I am sure the
governor of the state is doing a good job to unearth the details about what
really transpired. I wouldn't know what really happened because in spite of the
disagreement among the ethnic groups that make up the senatorial district
there, we have not targeted any oil worker, so this one, the way it happened is
a very dastard act and I wouldn't know the details until the security reports
are out. So it will be premature at this level for one to say that it is
connected to ethnic violence that is going on over there. Certainly it cannot
be for economic reasons. So it must be a set of malicious, mysterious group of
people that must have carried it out. Certainly nobody is doing this on behalf
of the people. I want to say categorically that criminals are at work in
environment and must be brought to book.
Sir, do you not fear that this incident could lead to a flight of investment
from your constituency?
Well it is unfortunate, it is one constituency that is supposed to attract the
best of investments because of the fact that it is an oil rich environment but
with this ethnic violence, ethnic agitations, this one group rising against
another, the proliferation of arms and ammunition in the environment, a
reasonable investor to my mind, will want to look at the place as a last resort
because in spite of the gains that are there life and property must first be
considered.So, there is no wonder therefore, that so many of these companies
run away from Warri to Port-Harcourt.
It is a very unfortunate development and so people are worried, the government
and people of Delta state are worried. I as the representative, I am worried
and all other members of the national assembly from that area are equally
worried. So all hands must be on deck to be able to ensure that some of these
things that are happening in that place must be checked, and a stop must be put
to it.
Can you give a word of assurance to the international community and another one
to your own constituents.
I don't want to be seen as speaking on behalf of the governor and I also don't
want to be seen as speaking on behalf of the President of the Federal Republic
of Nigeria, but as a representative of the people, I want to feel that the
security agencies are at work, and I want to assure all and sundry that a
future occurrence will definitely be checked, no doubt about that and people
should go about their normal business because I know the governor is very
worried about what is happening there. He is doing everything humanly possible
to ensure that there is no re-occurrence of incidents like this and I am sure
the President and entire people of Nigeria are doing quite a lot to ensure that
what happened few days ago will never repeat itself.
And for the people of that environment in my senatorial district, I have always
said that in an atmosphere of war, crisis, no meaningful development can come
to the people. Therefore if there is any problem, major wars in this world have
been fought but peaceful resolution of issues have never been done in the
battlefield, people must come together have a conference table, you can
disagree and agree in a more matured and intelligent manner. At the end of the
day what is important is for the people to agree that I was wrong, I am sorry
and the other person will say okay I have forgiven you, so that we can together
move our society forward. With all that is happening in that place no
meaningful development can take place. If the reason for the agitation is
because we have not gotten fair share of what is supposed to come to us, it is
not by killing ourselves, it is not by killing others that will solve the
problem. I hope the devil is not using ourselves against ourselves.
What is important is for us to commit everything that is happening there to
prayer and I believe with God everything is possible. But we must do something
to want to assist God to do what we have being looking forward to. So I want to
say enough of all these killings, enough of all these destructions.
Please, please my people of Delta South Senatorial District, united we stand,
divided we fall, but there is no meaningful developmental work that can be done
right now under this dangerous atmosphere we are living. Give peace a chance,
whatever we are looking for, will come our way. Right now we have
representatives at different levels quite unlike what used to happen before, we
need to ask for more. You see quite a lot of things are happening right now and
the government of Delta state is doing quite a lot and I know the federal
government will follow suite very soon because when we start killing ourselves
everyday even the local contractors will not want to go to an environment where
his workers will be killed where his own life will be in danger, all the
equipment at the site will be in danger. So give peace a chance there is
nothing that is as good as peace, when there is crisis like the type happening
Warri is just a shadow of itself, we just have to do quite a lot to develop
that environment and in doing so, peace is very necessary.

   

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