Nigeria: Update to NGA33069.E on response of government authorities to the protests and demands of ethnic minorities in the Niger Delta region (October 1999 - May 2000)

A government bill proposing the creation of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has been both supported and criticized (Post Express 22 Oct. 1999; ibid. 14 Dec. 1999; ibid. 21 Jan. 2000). One major issue concerns which states should be included in the provisions of the NDDC (ibid. 22 Oct. 1999; ibid. 14 Dec. 1999; ibid. 21 Jan. 2000).

A 7 February 2000 IRIN report provides some background:

In an attempt to assuage discontent over living conditions in the Niger Delta, President Olusegun Obasanjo proposed a bill to facilitate development of the area with federal government assistance.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) bill proposes a development plan to be funded with 0.5 percent of oil companies' exploration and production budgets and half of the 13 percent of oil revenue which, according to the constitution, should go to each oil-producing region.

However, approval for the bill in the national assembly has been delayed, particularly over the definition of which states make up the Niger Delta. In recognition of this the federal government approved in November 1999 at least US $50 million in projects in the Delta. These include building roads and improving electricity in Bayelsa state and establishing a technical training school for youth in the town of Bonny, Rivers State.

"The establishment of this technical college is primarily to engage the youths in profitable ventures and divert their attention from violence," Information Minister Dapo Sarumi told reporters in December.

Many in the Niger Delta are sceptical about the bill. "This is an irrelevant piece of legislation," Nimi Walson-Jack, director of the Centre for Responsive Politics in Port Harcourt, told IRIN. Akobo commented: "We had similar bills for the development of the Niger Delta in 1961 and 1976 and we don't really see what is new. It is not a bill from the people of the Niger Delta. It is a bill from Mr. President."

Analysts point out that the NDDC's precursor, the Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), which operated under former military regimes, failed because it was politicised and severely underfunded.

"We are not going to solve purely community, regional and state problems through the creation of a federal bureaucracy," Ozo-Eson told IRIN. "We need to organise the fiscal aspect of our federation in such a way that the states and communities of the Niger Delta will be able to develop."

Human rights and pro-democracy groups believe that violence in the Niger Delta will not cease until wider issues of governance and constitutional reforms are addressed. In a 10 December statement, the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) said the ethnic clashes "reflect the need for constitutional reforms to live in a truly federal republic, with more powers to the component units or what many have called a restructuring of the federation". …

Obasanjo has set up a Constitution Review Committee, made up of nominees from the three main political parties, to examine the existing constitution and propose amendments for consideration by the national assembly and the state legislatures. But many in the human rights community argue that what is needed is a forum for all groups and ethnic minorities to air their views and to achieve constitutional reform.

"The government has not addressed the issue of self-determination. We need a sovereign national conference where all the ethnic groups in the country can come together to dialogue," Oliver Onwubunta, information officer for the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Port Harcourt, told IRIN.

There have also been criticisms by various groups of proposals for distributing what has been referred to as the "derivation fund" (Post Express 20 Dec. 1999; ibid. 24 Mar. 2000). According to The Economist:

A clause in the new constitution offers a guarantee that at least 13% of federal oil revenues will be returned to the states where the oil is produced, compared with 3% previously. Mr. Obasanjo hopes that this will kick-start development and gradually ease tensions (15 Jan. 2000).

A 21 January Post Express report commented that "both the Senate and the House of Representatives had separately passed the bill into law, they however differed on which states comprise the commission." President Obasanjo later refused to sign the bill into law and instead returned it to the National Assembly for amendment (Post Express 7 Apr. 2000; ibid. 12 Apr. 2000). This delay was criticized by some groups (ibid.; ibid. 7 Apr. 2000) and Post Express reported on 2 May 2000 that President Obasanjo had "been given a 30-day ultimatum within which to sign the [NDDC] bill into law as well as constituting the board or face another upheaval from the Niger Delta." The ultimatum came from "the Niger Delta-Izon youths collegiate leadership" after a two day meeting (ibid.).

A 12 May 2000 report from This Day commented:

Today, the compensation and development due the peoples of the Niger Delta is taking center stage and rightfully too. For the first time, political representatives from across the country are focused on providing respite for the embattled people of the Niger Delta area of the country. For those of us from that area, it is hope kindled. The first benefit of this concern is the recent payments of the 13 percent derivation fund that was enshrined in the 1999 Constitution.

It took almost a year before the Obasanjo government decided to meet its constitutional obligations by the derivation principle in revenue sharing. Even then, payment was made for only the first quarter of this year. Outstanding are payments due for June to December 1999. There is also the more critical issue of how much ought to be paid as derivation. Is it the 13 percent which the constitution clearly defines as minimum? Meanwhile the Niger Delta Development Commission bill remains shrouded in controversy between the National Assembly and the Presidency. These remain issues for the federal government to resolve quickly.

At the states level, the question is what will happen to the derivation fund. Some observers have described the derivation fund as a time bomb that will blow in the face of everybody. That the rancour that will be generated from the sharing of the funds among the multi-ethnic peoples of the Niger Delta will lead to massive inter-ethnic crisis, that will be bloody and destructive. But this need not be so. If the funds are judiciously and equitably spent, there will be no need for crisis. Another OMPADEC, which became a haven for political jobbery and patronage must be avoided at all costs.

The following limited chronology provides further information on the response of government authorities to the protests and demands of ethnic minorities in the Niger Delta region since September 1999.

In October 1999 a Nigerian journalist working for the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) was arrested apparently in response to MOSOP leaking a police report which described preparations for a major police mobilisation in the Niger Delta (MOSOP 13 Oct. 1999; AFP 20 Oct. 1999; IFEX 28 Oct. 1999; Post Express). Jerry Needham was still in detention as of 28 October 1999 and, according to IFEX:

The order laid out police plans to deal with an expected surge in activity by ethnic Ijaw activists in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

The police document classifies MOSOP as an "enemy force," along with other "human rights groups and criminals of all descriptions." The report also claims that Ijaw activists "intend to close down all oil installations and force all expatriate staff to leave and stop work at all flow stations" - a charge that the Ijaw groups have publicly denied. The report calls for an army brigade to be put on red alert, and for 2,500 police to join private guards employed by the oil companies.

Police have questioned Needam as to how MOSOP obtained the report, but the journalist has not been formally charged or allowed to see a lawyer. And although his health is deteriorating, Needam has so far been refused medical care (ibid.).

MOSOP stated that Needham's detention "reflects a deteriorating attitude by the police and military forces" (20 Oct. 1999). In January 2000 an information officer with the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Port Harcourt told the IRIN that the editor of an Ogoni newspaper had been detained without charge for one month recently (IRIN 11 Jan. 2000). It is unclear if the officer was referring to Needham. No further information on Needham could be found in the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

Platt's Oilgram News reported that protests at Bonny Island "attracted the attention of Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and seven of his ministers, [which] resulted in the provision of two power generators for the community, as well as promises of amenities such as water" (19 Oct. 1999).

At the end of October 1999 the Minister of State for Environment outlined plans for a program that would address the environmental problems of oil exploration:

The programme would start with "the collation of details of past-impacted sites by each company and the production of an up-to-date maps [sic] of the Niger Delta with the current roads, cities, villages and infrastructure that could be used for planning." The programme would also involve the immediate establishment of management/recycling centres in four locations, in collaboration with other stakeholders (Post Express 28 Oct. 1999).

Also at the end of October, Nigerian soldiers were deployed in Choba, Rivers State to control "rampaging youths" (PANA 12 Nov. 1999; HRW 22 Dec. 1999). Subsequently, a Lagos-based newspaper published graphic photographs that showed soldiers raping women (ibid.; PANA 12 Nov. 1999; Post Express 10 Nov. 1999). In response to publication of the photographs army representatives and the Nigerian government claimed that the photographs had been staged and that soldiers did not rape women in Choba (PANA 12 Nov. 199; HRW 22 Dec. 1999). Human Rights Watch published a report on this incident, as well as a subsequent incident involving the destruction of Odi town in Bayelsa State (ibid.). Human Rights Watchs stated that soldiers killed four people at Choba, and were said to have raped 67 women, after they were sent in to disperse demonstrators at an oil facility owned by Willbros Nigeria Ltd. (ibid.). An investigation was conducted by Human Rights Watch, and while not able to confirm the number of women raped, it stated:

The Nigerian government instantly dismissed the photographs as staged, and issued an outright denial of any rapes, before any type of inquiry had been undertaken. The government also denied that it had deployed soldiers to the community. While Human Rights Watch cannot explicitly verify the authenticity of the photographs, the dispute over their provenance is essentially irrelevant. Eyewitnesses, including victims, confirmed to Human Rights Watch that soldiers did commit a large number of rapes. …

The government … also refused to undertake any investigation of the allegations.  …

The Rivers State House of Assembly has set up a seven-person committee to investigate the incident, and the Rivers State Governor Peter Odili has said he will conduct his own investigation. Community members are not satisfied with these investigations, alleging that Odili has a close relationship with Willbros and lacks impartiality (ibid.).

Soon after this incident, in early November 1999 12 policemen were killed in, or around, Odi, Bayelsa State, reportedly by militant Ijaw youths (HRW 22 Dec. 1999; AFP 15 Nov. 1999; Post Express 16 Nov. 1999a). In response, the governor of Bayelsa State warned anyone who may be sheltering the killers that they would be dealt with severely although he denied

rumours of a proposed invasion of Bayelsa State on the orders of the Federal Government. …The governor, before the broadcast, had secured the endorsement of all the chiefs in the area, permitting the security agencies to carry out searches or raids in their domains, if that was what was required to track down the cop killers (ibid.).

On 10 November 1999, President Obasanjo reportedly told the state government that it had 14 days to find those responsible for the killings or a state of emergency could be imposed (Post Express 15 Dec. 1999; HRW 22 Dec. 1999). However, two days before the 14-day deadline, soldiers moved in to Odi (HRW 22 Dec. 1999). On 16 November 1999 Post Express wrote that women from Bayelsa State had stated they were "terribly worried" over the "massive deployment" of soldiers to the area that would again expose them to rape by soldiers (1999b). On 24 November 1999 sources reported that since the military had moved into Odi both civilians and soldiers had been killed (Amnesty International 24 Nov. 1999; Post Express 24 Nov. 1999a). Also reported on 24 November 1999 were statements by the Bayelsa state governor "that the soldiers have specific instructions and called on the people of the state not to panic and explained that the action was not intended to destroy Odi or any other community" (Post Express 24 Nov. 1999b). However, after the operation was over the town of Odi was described as "completely razed" following "large scale arson, looting, killings and destruction of property unleashed by soldiers" (Post Express 6 Dec. 1999; HRW 22 Dec. 1999). Official sources put the number of killed at at least 43 (ibid.; Amnesty International 24 Nov. 1999). In a summary of the incident Human Rights Watch stated:

These murders were committed by a group with no apparent political agenda, but took place against a rising clamor from those living in the oil producing areas for a greater share of the oil wealth. …  Before the deadline could expire, soldiers from the Nigerian army moved into Odi, a community of perhaps 15,000 people, engaged in a brief exchange of fire with the young men alleged to be responsible for the deaths of the policemen, and proceeded to raze the town. The troops demolished every single building, barring the bank, the Anglican church and the health, and may have killed hundreds of unarmed civilians. While the soldiers reportedly shot and killed some of the armed youths who brought trouble to the town, most of the gang is reported to have fled (22 Dec. 1999).

Human Rights Watch referred to excerpts from a speech by a special media advisor to President Obasanjo that were published in a 2 December 1999 Punch article:

I wish to make it categorically clear that government, by this act, has not violated any internationally acceptable human rights provisions as practiced elsewhere in the developed world. ... How can it be said that a carefully planned and cautiously executed exercise to rid the society of these criminals is a violation of human rights? (22 Dec. 1999)

At the beginning of November, security was increased around Warri in response to an ultimatum given to the O'odua People's Congress by Ijaw youth to release two of their members (Post Express 8 Nov. 1999). A government representative warned residents that anyone "breaching the peace" would be dealt with "severely" and like "a common criminal" and reminded residents that a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew was still in effect (ibid.).

On 19 November 1999, Post Express reported that at least 47 people were killed in clashes between Oleh and Olomoro youths. "The crisis …turned into a full scale war between a detachment of Mobile policemen drafted to maintain law and order and the youths. …The youths later went into the Oleh police station and carted away all the arms and ammunition during which three policemen were killed" (ibid.).

At the end of November, "the Federal Government …  unveiled its package to transform the Niger Delta" (Post Express 30 Nov. 1999; HRW 22 Dec. 1999). Human Rights Watch stated: "apparently in response to the outcry at the military operations in Odi, the government announced emergency projects worth U.S. $50 million in the Niger Delta region, including technical training for youths, road building and an improved power supply" (ibid.). A presidential spokesperson said that the President

was not going to leave the task of transforming the Niger Delta in the hands of the proposed Niger Delta Development Commission alone. Instead, …  all agencies of the Federal Government have been mobilised to descend on the zone to begin the building of roads, hospitals, schools, water projects and industrial concerns (Post Express 30 Nov. 1999).

The next day Post Express reported that Vice President Atiku Abubakar said that the development planned for the Niger-Delta area would not go forward if peace and stability cannot be ensured" (1 Dec. 1999).

On 7 December 1999 Post Express reported that "the Delta State government has approved the sum of N22.1 million for the execution of poverty alleviation programme and expansion of agricultural projects in the state" (1999a). Also on 7 December 1999  Post Express reported that in clashes between youths and soldiers who were said to have been searching for arms at a Warri market, "10 persons were feared dead and 40 others arrested" (1999b). According to the report the youths attacked the soldiers after arms were found and the soldiers tried to remove them (ibid.). P.M. News reported that the bodies of two women, reportedly shot by soldiers, were found the next day bringing the number of killed to 12 (8 Dec. 1999).

Vice President Abubakar stated that the government had created a special police unit "equipped to respond promptly to quell any disturbance in the [Delta] area …[and] assured that the Nigeria police would be more equipped, trained and enlarged to enforce order in troubled spots in the not too distant future" (Post Express 18 Dec. 1999; IRIN 11 Jan. 2000). MOSOP described the new police force "as a set back that is reminiscent of the dreaded Rivers State internal abuse on Ogoni between 1993 and 1998" (Post Express 22 Dec. 1999).

On 11 January 2000 IRIN reported that "human rights and pro-democracy groups in Nigeria say the performance of the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo is a marked improvement on that of the previous military regimes but more needs to be done." A representative of the Constitutional Rights Project (CRP) said that "the oppressive environment is no longer there" while the chairman of the Southern Minorities Movement that represents Niger Delta ethnic groups said "people generally feel more secure, particularly with the reduced military presence on the streets" (ibid.). While the CRP representative stated that "there is no longer a culture of impunity" among police,the Information Officer for the Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Port Harcourt said that human rights abuses still occur and that "people are still being picked up and detained by the police without being charged and without going to court" (ibid.). IRIN wrote that the biggest "blot" on the federal government's record was the destruction and killing by the army in Odi (ibid.). In fact,

A group of some 35 Nigerian human rights groups, known as the Odi Coalition against Genocide, has condemned the destruction in Odi and called for an international war crimes tribunal to be created to try those responsible for the atrocities which, they allege, took place there.

On the other hand, the government said that sending the military to Odi was unavoidable in the circumstances. "The deployment of troops to Odi was an inevitable step taken under very serious constraints on the part of the federal government," presidential spokesman Doyin Okupe told reporters on 29 November (ibid.).

Post Express reported on 17 January 2000 that President Obasanjo had called for six months of non-violence in the Niger Delta region in order to give development efforts a chance. This call was agreed to by the Niger Delta Oil Producing Community Development (NIDOPCODO) which held peace rallies in Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states in support of the call (ibid.).

On 19 January 2000 Post Express reported that the Minister of State for the Environment announced that the government would soon enact legislation that

would protect the interest of a damaged environment and ensure adequate compensation of the polluted environment by way of remediation or restoration …  the beneficiary will be equitably compensated, while the offender and saboteur will be held liable.

The legislation …would also provide an appropriate funding mechanism for response and remediation activities through the establishment of an environmental Trust Fund/Environmental Remediation Fund, similar to the super fund in the US to which both private and public sectors contribute.

Policemen originating in Bayelsa State and Ogoniland and serving in the Delta region, were ordered relocated to northern and western Nigeria in a move that was criticized by human rights groups in the region (Post Express 20 Jan. 2000). Representatives of these groups were reported to have "claimed the mass transfer was aimed at paving the way for easier execution of the [Delta] agitators summarily" (ibid.).

On 27 March 2000 MOSOP "issued a report on events over the last week which chronicles Shell contractors operating behind armed police, the arrest of local protestors, and attacks on the same protestors which have led to a number of injuries" after attempts by Shell to "establish a road project in central Ogoni. BBC reported "security sources" as saying that several people were killed and that the police responded to fighting between local gangs (11 Apr. 2000). "A police spokesman said eight policemen were kidnapped and injured, but were later rescued" and BBC commented that "these are the first serious confrontations in Ogoniland since the end of military rule" (ibid.). AFP reported that police had tried to arrest youths who were protesting against the construction of roads and that the youths then burned two police vehicles and took eight policemen hostage (14 Apr. 2000). Police and youths clashed resulting in up to 10 deaths (ibid.). The president of MOSOP was detained by police after he produced himself for questioning and was still being held the next day (ibid.). "During the disturbances, the [Ledum Mitee, president of MOSOP] family home was ransacked and later set ablaze by …unknown persons. Residents …are divided on who committed the two criminal acts. While some blame security agents, others said that youths opposed to Mitee were behind the attack" (ibid.).

On 27 April 2000 IRIN reported that "a nine-member parliamentary committee …  is on an information-gathering tour of the states of Delta, Edo and Ondo."

On 16 May 2000 Vanguard reported that "the federal government has reached an accord with youth leaders in the Niger Delta are to allow Shell Petroleum resume work." The report did not specify which groups the youths were leaders of.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Agence France Presse (AFP). 14 April 2000. "Police Detains Nigerian Minority Rights Leader After Questioning." (NEXIS)

_____. 15 November 1999. "18 Killed in Renewed Clashes in Southeast Nigeria: Report." (NEXIS)

_____. 20 October 1999. "Nigerian Rights Group Protests Journalist's Arrest." (NEXIS)

Amnesty International. 24 November 1999. "Nigeria; Fears of Human Rights Violations as Troops Pour into Niger Delta." (NEXIS)

BBC World News Service. 11 April 2000. Barnaby Phillips. "Killings in Nigeria's Ogoniland." (NEXIS)

The Economist [London]. 15 January 2000. "Oil Alone Doesn't Make You Happy." (NEXIS)

Human Rights Watch (HRW). 22 December 1999. The Destruction of Odi and Rape in Choba. [Accessed 19 May 2000]

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN). 7 February 2000. "Nigeria; IRIN Focs on Conflict in the Niger Delta." (Africa News 7 Feb. 2000/NEXIS)

_____. 27 April 2000. "Nigeria; Minorities in Kaduna Want Their Own State." (Africa News 27 Apr. 2000/NEXIS)

_____. 11 January 2000. "Nigeria; Focs on Human Rights and Democracy." (Africa News 11 Jan. 2000/NEXIS)

International Freedom of Exchange (IFEX). 28 October 1999. "Nigeria; Journalist Arrested." (Africa News 28 Oct. 1999/NEXIS)

Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). 27 March 2000. "Nigeria; MOSOP Condemns Shell's Violent Attempted Return to Ogoni." (Africa News 27 Mar. 2000/NEXIS)

_____. 20 October 1999. "Nigeria; MOSOP Urges Caution Over 'Democratic Process'." (Africa News 20 Oct. 1999/NEXIS)

_____. 13 October 1999. "Nigeria; Nigerian Human Rights Group Journalist Arrested." (Africa News 13 Oct. 1999/NEXIS)

Panafrican News Agency (PANA). 12 November 1999. Paul Ejime. "Nigeria; Nigeria Army Denies Alleged Atrocities Against Civilians." (Africa News 12 Nov. 1999/NEXIS)

Platt's Oilgram News [New York]. 19 October 1999. Vol. 77, No. 201. Jacinta Morin. "Nigerian Unrest Spills Over into New Regions." (NEXIS)

P.M. News [Lagos]. 8 December 1999. Okafor Ofiebor. "Nigeria; New Raid on Ijaw Enclave Two Fresh Bodies Found." (Africa News 8 Dec. 1999/NEXIS)

Post Express [Lagos]. 2 May 2000. Francis Onoiribholo. "Obasanjo Gets Ultimatum to Sign NDDC Bill." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 12 April 2000. Gabriel Agbonika. "NDDC Bill: Group Warns Against Delay." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 7 April 2000. Ignatius Chukwu and Boniface Okoro. "NDDC Bill: Niger Delta Lawmakers to Resist Alteration." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 24 March 2000. Jude Owuamanam and Bassey Inyang. "Niger Delta Supports Confederacy." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 21 January 2000. Chuks Ohuegbe. "NDDC Bill: Five States Threaten Legal Action." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 20 January 2000. Ignatius Chukwu. "Cops of Bayelsa Origin Face Relocation." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 19 January 2000. "FG Plans Law on Safety Standards in Niger Delta." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 17 January 2000. Willie Etim. "Niger Delta Declares Six Months Ceasefire … To Attract Development." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 22 December 1999. Iheanyi Amuta. "MOSOP Faults Proposed Special Police for Niger Delta." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 20 December 1999. Francis Onoiribholo. "Ijaws Kick Against Transfer of Derivation Fund." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 18 December 1999. Andrew Agbese. "Atiku Blames Oil Firms Over Sabotage." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 15 December 1999. Willie Etim. "Odi: Bodies of Seven Murdered Policemen Found." [Accessed 19 May 2000]

_____. 14 December 1999. Ignatius Chukwu. "Niger Delta Leaders May Reject NDDC Bill." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 7 December 1999a. Chris Anana. "Delta Okays N22.1m for Poverty Alleviation." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 7 December 1999b. Francis Onorbholo. "10 Killed, 40 Arrested in Delta." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 6 December 1999. Bassey Udo. "Odi Community May Drag FG to World Tribunal …Over Killings, Looting, Arson." [Accessed 19 May 2000]

_____. 1 December 1999. Josiah Emerole and Iheanyi Amuta. "Atiku Lists Conditions for Transformation of Niger Delta." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 30 November 1999. Ignatius Chukwu. "FG Plans to Transform Niger Delta." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 24 November 1999a. Josiah Emerole, Ignatius Chukwu, Willie Etim and Philip Nwosu. "Death Toll Rises in Bayelsa Crisis … No State of Emergency Yet, Says FG." [Accessed 19 May 2000]

_____. 24 November 1999b. Willie Etim. "Bayelsa Governor Explains Soldiers' Presence." [Accessed 19 May 2000]

_____. 19 November 1999. Francis Onoiribholo. "Four Policemen, 43 Others Killed in Delta Clash."

_____. 16 November 1999a. Ignatius Chukwu. "Killing of 12 Policemen in Bayelsa Condemned." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 16 November 1999b. Ignatius Chukwu. "Niger Delta Women Apprehensive Over Violence in Bayelsa." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 10 November 1999. Okey Ndiribe. "CLO Calls for Trial of Soldiers for Allegedly Raping Women." [Accessed 19 May 2000]

_____. 8 November 1999. Francis Onorribholo. "Delta Beefs Up Security in Warri." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 28 October 1999. Chidi Aja. "Succour for Delta …  FG Set to Solve Problems of Oil Exploration." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

_____. 27 October 1999. Phillip Nwosu. "Ripples Over Biafra Publication." [Accessed 19 May 2000]

_____. 22 October 1999. Nwaobia Chigbu. "FG Advised on Niger Delta Bill." [Accessed 17 May 2000]

This Day [Lagos]. 12 May 2000. Kenneth Tadaferua. "Nigeria; Niger Delta: Let Equity Rule." (Africa News 12 May 2000/NEXIS)

Vanguard [Lagos, in English]. 16 May 2000. "Nigeria: Delta Region's Youth, Government Reach Agreement on Oil Operations." (BBC 16 May 2000/NEXIS)