THE NATION FRIDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2013
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NIGER DELTA REPORT
Niger Delta in the eye o The second edition of Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta (1830-1885), written by the late Prof Kenneth Onwuka Dike and a novel by his son Emeka, The Inverted Pyramid, have been presented in Lagos. JOSEPH JIBUEZE reports
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EFORE the Niger Delta was officially defined, the ‘delta of the Niger River’ was called Oil Rivers because it was a major producer of palm oil. The area, which was the British Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 to 1893, was a centre of competition for domination by European powers. According to the book, Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta 1830-1885: An introduction to the Economic and Political History of Nigeria, the Niger Delta was not only economically attractive because of palm oil, but due to its strategic location. Its navigable waters, the author wrote, became so important in the economic history of modern Nigeria. The 288-page book, written by renowned historian, the late Prof Kenneth Onwuka Dike, discusses European imperialism in the scramble for influence in the Niger Delta. Its 11 titled sections, focus on history of the Niger Delta, slave trade, development of oil trade, treaties and alliance agreements, the Niger Company, the rise of consular power, the slave revolts, ‘the rise of Jaja’, among others. In the forward, historian Gareth Austin wrote that the book broke new ground in focusing on the “era of legitimate commerce”. “In so doing, the book also shifted the spotlight from Whitehall to Bonny, so to speak: from the deliberations of government ministers in Europe to the interaction of African rulers and British consuls in the Delta itself. Thereby, Dike defined issues, and blazed trails, which the subsequent generation of scholarship pursued,” Austin wrote. According to the reviewer, Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) Prof Bola Akinterinwa, Trade and Politics
“is written as a prolegomena to the making of modern Nigeria.” President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Martin Uhomoibhi, while presenting the book in Lagos last week, said the region has always played a crucial role in global trade and commerce. “Our Niger Delta has always been a resource base, providing an easy access to the Gulf of Guinea from the hinterland for the purpose of obtaining and supplying of needed manpower and commodities to support the industrial revolution in Europe. “One can, therefore, understand that this region was very attractive to rival powers in Europe. “The scheming and competition by European powers was made easier by the diverse socio-political entities in the resource-rich Niger Delta, which enabled these foreign powers to play various ethnic groups against one another. “The eventual outcome of the unequal relationship between the European powers and the Niger Delta communities was the infamous event in Berlin, Germany in 1885,” Jonathan said. The Berlin Conference was where the major European powers carved up Africa for colonisation, and Britain was given the area of Nigeria. Jonathan said the late Dike, who became the first Nigerian Principal and then Vice-Chancellor of University of Ibadan, as well as founded the famous ‘Ibadan School of History’ “provided us with the first positive African narrative and affirmation.” He added: “The summary of life and career of Prof Dike shows that he was a great son of Nigeria and Africa. He was a bold and pioneering scholar, cultural nationalist and a far-sighted
•Ambassador Uhomoibhi presenting the books
institution-builder and administrator. “His intellectual choices and especially his determination to break free of the ideological and intellectual stronghold of British colonialist historiography is an object lesson to us today: that in the midst of the challenges of nation-building that can sometimes seem so overwhelming and generate pessimism, the ultimate positive resolution is the choice and assertion of an affirmative national perspective grounded on firm historical knowledge of the signal accomplishments of our forebears and ancient Nigerian civilisations, as well as
the achievements of the contemporary Nigerians. “Nigeria and indeed all nations are inextricably linked in global trade and politics. The awareness should invoke a collective sense of our history, even as we take forward the neverending task of nation-building.” Akinterinwa said while the author explored trade and politics in the Niger Delta from 1830 to 1835 in the book, there was need for further research. “Without iota of doubt, the publication of Trade and Politics in the Niger Delta is a strong foundation for re-
search. It is an eye opener, but what is the situation of politics in the Niger Delta as at today? “The sovereignty that the traditional chiefs had and enjoyed in the period considered by Prof Dike, is it still relevant today? Will there be a role for traditional rulers in Nigeria to as a whole to pay in the near future?” Akinterinwa asked. According to him, the book is not only worth reading, it is a desideratum for further study of trade and politics beyond 1885 in Nigeria, West and Central Africa. The late author son, Emeka, whose
Panic grips Edo community property owners o From Osagie Otabor, Benin
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ROPERTY owners on a disputed land between Iguomon and Ikhuenbo communities in Edo State might lose their properties if Ikhuenbo carried out full implementation of a Supreme Court judgment. The judgment delivered in February 2008 dismissed the appeal filed by Iguomon community against the lower court judgments which ceded the land to Ikhuenbo. A move by Ikhuenbo to take possession of the said land last month after securing a court warrant led to the demolition of over 15 houses. Occupants of the affected buildings were surprised when bulldozers rolled in the community and started the demolition. It was gathered that the land dispute between both communities has spanned over two decades as it was first instituted in 1987. An Edo State High Court gave judgment on the case in October, 1997 and the Court of Appeal in December 2000. A ruling of an Edo State High Court in 2011 found some leaders of Iguomon guilty of contempt charges and sentenced them to two months imprisonment.
•Members of Iguomon community
After the demolition of the 15 houses, residents of Iguomon took to the streets of Benin City to protest the action of Ikhuenbo alleging
that they want to be pushed out of their ancestral land. Some women said they were at home when they heard gunshots
from policemen to scare them away before the demolition began. A leader of the community, Ogbeide Steven said they are own-
ers of the land recognised by the Benin Monarch. He said: "We saw Iguomon came to our community to destroy