THE KAIAMA DECLARATION
by
IJAW YOUTHS OF THE NIGER DELTA
BEING COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE ALL IJAW YOUTHS CONFERENCE
WHICH HELD IN THE TOWN OF KAIAMA THIS 11TH DAY OF DECEMBER 1998.
INTRODUCTION
We, Ijaw youths drawn from over five hundred communities from over 40 clans
that make up the Ijaw nation and representing 25 representative organisations
met, today, in Kaiama to deliberate on the best way to ensure the continuos
survival of the indigenous peoples of the Ijaw ethnic nationality of the Niger
Delta within the Nigerian state.
After exhaustive deliberations, the Conference observed:
a. That it was through British colonisation that the IJAW NATION was
forcibly put under the Nigerian State
b. That but for the economic interests of the imperialists, the Ijaw
ethnic nationality would have evolved as a distinct and separate sovereign
nation, enjoying undiluted political, economic, social, and cultural AUTONOMY.
c. That the division of the Southern Protectorate into East and West
in 1939 by the British marked the beginning of the balkanisation of a hitherto
territorially contiguous and culturally homogeneous Ijaw people into political
and administrative units, much to our disadvantage. This trend is continuing in
the balkanisation of the Ijaws into six states-Ondo, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers
and Akwa Ibom States, mostly as minorities who suffer socio-political, economic,
cultural and psychological deprivations.
d. That the quality of life of Ijaw people is deteriorating as a
result of utter neglect, suppression and marginalisation visited on Ijaws by the
alliance of the Nigerian state and transnational oil companies.
e. That the political crisis in Nigeria is mainly about the struggle
for the control of oil mineral resources which account for over 80% of GDP, 95
%of national budget and 90% of foreign exchange earnings. From which, 65%, 75%
and 70% respectively are derived from within the Ijaw nation. Despite these huge
contributions, our reward from the Nigerian State remains avoidable deaths
resulting from ecological devastation and military repression.
f. That the unabating damage done to our fragile natural environment
and to the health of our people is due in the main to uncontrolled exploration
and exploitation of crude oil and natural gas which has led to numerous oil
spillages, uncontrolled gas flaring, the opening up of our forests to loggers,
indiscriminate canalisation, flooding, land subsidence, coastal erosion, earth
tremors etc. Oil and gas are exhaustible resources and the complete lack of
concern for ecological rehabilitation, in the light of the Oloibiri experience,
is a signal of impending doom for the peoples of Ijawland.
g. That the degradation of the environment of Ijawland by
transnational oil companies and the Nigerian State arise mainly because Ijaw
people have been robbed of their natural rights to ownership and control of
their land and resources through the instrumentality of undemocratic Nigerian
State legislations such as the Land Use Decree of 1978, the Petroleum Decrees of
1969 and 1991, the Lands (Title Vesting etc.) Decree No. 52 of 1993 (Osborne
Land Decree), the National Inland Waterways Authority Decree No. 13 of 1997 etc.
h. That the principle of Derivation in Revenue Allocation has been
consciously and systematically obliterated by successive regimes of the Nigerian
state. We note the drastic reduction of the Derivation Principle from 100%
(1953), 50% (1960), 45% (1970), 20% (1975) 2% (1982), 1.5% (1984) to 3% (1992 to
date), and a rumored 13% in Abacha's 1995 undemocratic and unimplemented
Constitution.
i. That the violence in Ijawland and other parts of the Niger Delta
area, sometimes manifesting in intra and inter ethnic conflicts are sponsored by
the State and transnational oil companies to keep the communities of the Niger
Delta area divided, weak and distracted from the causes of their problems.
j. That the recent revelations of the looting of national treasury by
the Abacha junta is only a reflection of an existing and continuing trend of
stealing by public office holders in the Nigerian state. We remember the over 12
billion dollars Gulf war windfall, which was looted by Babangida and his cohorts
We note that over 70% of the billions of dollars being looted by military rulers
and their civilian collaborators is derived from our ecologically devastated
Ijawland.
Based on the foregoing, we, the youths of Ijawland, hereby make the
following resolutions to be known as the Kaiama Declaration:
1. All land and natural resources (including mineral resources) within
the Ijaw territory belong to Ijaw communities and are the basis of our survival.
2. We cease to recognise all undemocratic decrees that rob our
peoples/communities of the right to ownership and control of our lives and
resources, which were enacted without our participation and consent. These
include the Land Use Decree and The Petroleum Decree etc.
3. We demand the immediate withdrawal from Ijawland of all military
forces of occupation and repression by the Nigerian State. Any oil company that
employs the services of the armed forces of the Nigerian State to
"protect" its operations will be viewed as an enemy of the Ijaw
people. Family members of military personnel stationed in Ijawland should appeal
to their people to leave the Ijaw area alone.
4..Ijaw youths in all the communities in all Ijaw clans in the Niger
Delta will take steps to implement these resolutions beginning from the 30th of
December, 1998, as a step towards reclaiming the control of our lives. We,
therefore, demand that all oil companies stop all exploration and exploitation
activities in the Ijaw area. We are tired of gas flaring; oil spillages,
blowouts and being labelled saboteurs and terrorists. It is a case of preparing
the noose for our hanging. We reject this labelling. Hence, we advice all oil
companies staff and contractors to withdraw from Ijaw territories by the 30th
December, 1998 pending the resolution of the issue of resource ownership and
control in the Ijaw area of the Niger Delta
5.. Ijaw youths and Peoples will promote the principle of peaceful
coexistence between all Ijaw communities and with our immediate neighbours,
despite the provocative and divisive actions of the Nigerian State,
transnational oil companies and their contractors. We offer a hand of friendship
and comradeship to our neighbors: the Itsekiri, Ilaje, Urhobo, Isoko, Edo,
Ibibio, Ogoni, Ekpeye, Ikwerre etc. We affirm our commitment to joint struggle
with the other ethnic nationalities in the Niger delta area for
self-determination.
6. We express our solidarity with all peoples organisations and ethnic
nationalities in Nigeria and elsewhere who are struggling for self-determination
and justice. In particular we note the struggle of the Oodua peoples Congress (OPC),
the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (Mosop), Egi Women's Movement etc.
7. We extend our hand of solidarity to the Nigerian oil workers (NUPENG
and PENGASSAN) and expect that they will see this struggle for freedom as a
struggle for humanity
8. We reject the present transition to civil rule programme of the
Abubakar regime, as it is not preceded by restructuring of the Nigerian
federation. The way forward is a Sovereign National Conference of equally
represented ethnic nationalities to discuss the nature of a democratic
federation of Nigerian ethic nationalities. Conference noted the violence and
killings that characterized the last local government elections in most parts of
the Niger Delta. Conference pointed out that these electoral conflicts are a
manifestation of the undemocratic and unjust nature of the military transition
programme. Conference affirmed therefore, that the military are incapable of
enthroning true democracy in Nigeria.
9 We call on all Ijaws to remain true to their Ijawness and to work
for the total liberation of our people. You have no other true home but that
which is in Ijawland.
10 We agreed to remain within Nigeria but to demand and work for Self
Government and resource control for the Ijaw people. Conference approved that
the best way for Nigeria is a federation of ethnic nationalities. The federation
should be run on the basis equality and social justice.
Finally, Ijaw youths resolve to set up the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) to
coordinate the struggle of Ijaw peoples for self-determination and justice.
Signed for the entire participants by:
Felix Tuodolo
and Ogoriba, Timi Kaiser-Wilhelm.
