Nigeria Declares State of Emergency

Abayomi Azikiwe, editor of the Pan-African News Wire, speaking at the Dr. Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History on April 5, 2008. The event commemorated the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Nigeria Declares State of Emergency

Regional conflict, oil industry and the threat of imperialist intervention

By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire

A state of emergency was declared by Federal Republic of Nigeria President Goodluck Jonathan on January 1 in the aftermath of a series of bomb attacks that took place at various Christian churches on Christmas Day. Initial reports indicate that 49 people were killed and with scores of others being injured.

These bomb attacks have been claimed by the Boko Haram religious organization which the Nigerian government and others claim is linked with al-Qaeda. The attacks on Christmas Day follows a pattern of escalting conflict in Africa's most populous and oil-rich state beginning with a government crackdown on the Islamic group during 2009, when the leader of the organization was killed extra-judiciously by security forces.

The state of emergency has taken effect in the northern state of Bornu where Boko Haram is said to have its strongest base of support. Other areas impacted include 15 local councils spread out within Yobe, Niger and Plateau states.

Military units have entered the areas where the emergency has been declared and in some cases the army has taken over police stations and local government offices. Although many political parties and civil society organizations have reportedly supported the declaration of a state of emergency, others have been more cautious and with some being highly critical.

According to the Nigerian Vanguard newspaper on January 2,"Among those who spoke on the issue were the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN); Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF); Second Republic Politician, Alhaji Yahaya Kwande; Former Transport Minister, Chief Ebenezer Babatope; Third Republic Governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife; former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Austin Opara; former Member of the House of Representatives, Nze Chidi Duru; Rights Activist, Mr. Richard Akinnola; and Lagos Politician, Sunbo Onitiri."

In response to the declaration of emergency, the Boko Haram group has reportedly given an ultimatum for Christians living in the northern states to leave the region within 72 hours. The organization has said that it will confront any military operations carried out by the army during the emergency delcaration.

A spokesperson for Boko Haram, Abul Qaqa, told a press briefing done by telephone that “We find it pertinent to state that soldiers will only kill innocent Muslims in the local government areas where the state of emergency was declared. We would confront them squarely to protect our brothers.” (Nigerian Vanguard, January 2)

During the press briefing the Boko Haram representative spoke in the Hausa language common throughout the north. Qaqa said “we also wish to call on our fellow Muslims to come back to the north because we have evidence that they would be attacked. We are also giving a three-day ultimatum to the southerners living in the northern part of Nigeria to move away.”

History of Regional Conflict in Nigeria

As a result of the legacy of British imperialism and the current role of the oil industry in Nigeria, regional conflict still exist inside the country. The system of indirect rule was enacted during the period of colonialism from the late 19th century through 1960 when the country won its national independence.

This system was designed by the British ruling class to perpetuate colonial and eventual neo-colonial control over the oil-producing nation. Most of the nation's Muslim population is based in the north where within the south and east, there are more Christians.

The Nigerian military has been heavily dominated by people from the north dating back to the pre-independence period. Between 1966 and 1993, there were successive military coups sprinkled with only a four-year period of civilian rule between 1966 and 1999.

A civil war took place between 1967-1970, when the eastern region attempted to breakaway and form an independent state known as Biafra. After the defeat of the successionist movement, the military maintained control up until 1979 when a civilian regime took power but only for four brief years.

The oil industry which became prominent in the national economy after 1956, four years prior to independence, saw a surge in production and profitability during the 1970s. Nonetheless, most of the profits from the production and export of oil has not generally benefitted the population as a whole.

With the lack of equitable distribution of resources in the oil industry unrest was flared in petroleum-producing regions in the south of the country. Tremendous environmental problems have had a devastating impact in oil-producing areas as well as the recent Bongo oil spill involving Royal Dutch Shell.

Labor Threatens Unrest Over Removal of Fuel Subsidies

As a result of the economic underdevelopment of the country, fuel subsidies have been enacted to provide lower prices for personal use of petroleum. With the worsening worldwide economic crisis underlying the growing national deficits, the subsidies were recently cancelled by the federal government.

The cancellation of fuel subsidies immediately brought about a 116 percent increase in gasoline prices at the pump. Public anger grew sharply over the New Year holiday prompting the two major labor federations, the Nigerian Labor Congress and the Trade Union Congress to threaten action against the government of President Jonathan.

In a report published in the Nigerian Vanguard it points out that "The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, in a joint statement yesterday rejected the increase and asked the public to enforce the N65 per liter price that obtained until yesterday as it promised what it claimed would be a long drawn out battle with the Goodluck Jonathan administration." The labor organizations noted that the rise in fuel prices coinciding with the recent escalation in regional violence represented a high degree of insensitivity by the federal government. (Nigerian Vanguard, January 2)

The same above-mentioned article pointed out that opposition to the rise in fuel prices is growing. The Vanguard states that "The two labour organizations were backed by different civil society organizations, the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, the Civil Liberties Organisation, CLO, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC among others."

In addition to these developments "The Joint Action Force, JAF, led by former national President of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dipo Fashina in a statement yesterday also called for mass demonstrations starting tomorrow."

The Role of US Imperialism in the Nigerian Oil Industry and National Security

There is an increasing amount of oil being imported from Nigeria and other West African states into the U.S. At present over 20 percent of U.S. imports are coming from the African continent which exceeds the amount exported into the country from the Middle East.

Consequently the U.S. ruling class is very concerned about developments in Nigeria and other countries in the region. In 2008 under the Bush administration, war games were conducted by the U.S. military that used a scenario related to possibile instability in Nigeria.

In 2009, during the early days of the Obama administration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Nigeria and made comments related to Washington commitment to the country's national security. These moves coincide with the increasing role of the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) which has engaged in its first military operation in Libya where the country was bombed extensively for seven months resulting in regime-change and the assassination of leader Muammar Gaddafi.

Over the last two months reports have surfaced of an enhanced U.S. military role in Nigeria. In a report published by the London Guardian it states that the Pentagon has sent instructors to train Nigerian military forces in counter-terrorism operations.

With specific reference to this report it notes that "The (Nigerian) military said some battalions had received training in the US. 'The army is in the process of setting up a division that is effectively looking at warfare tactics,' a spokesman said. Various battalions were in the United States earlier this year for training to that end." (Guardian, November 8, 2011)

The article goes on to stress that "US officials confirmed it has a longstanding deal with Nigeria with soldiers travelling to America for training. It could not comment on whether the exercises were aimed at combating Boko Haram."

Internal developments inside Nigeria can only be resolved through a national reconciliation process inside the country. The involvement of the Pentagon and the State Department in the internal affairs of Nigeria will only escalate the conflict and emphasize military as opposed to political solutions.

Economic and regional problems in Nigeria stem from its total integration within the world capitalist system. The only real solution to the underdevelopment and exploitation of workers and farmers would derive from a formal break with U.S. and western imperialism as a whole.