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Political

The historical legacy of military rule and repression of the people has not changed since 1999 and the supposed rise of democracy. There is still a standing army securing the oil infrastructure from the population and protecting the politicians failing to use the resources at their disposal for the good of the people. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) controls over 95 per cent of seats at all tiers of government and in the core states of the Delta received in excess of 90 per cent of the eligible vote in 2003 and 2007 elections. This vote is obviously false and was secured by not only rigging the elections but also by empowering local youths with weaponry. The armed mobilisation of the youth in the run up to the 2003 elections across the Delta States was a significant conflict escalator in the region. Many of the youths now leading the militant groups and agitating for change graduated in the use of violence in conflicts over political office, most significantly the 2003 Warri Crisis, which was fought over the positioning of a local government office. They did not surrender their arms after the 2003 elections and mostly remained active since then. An important lesson was learnt in 2003: a monopoly of firepower is needed to secure the elections. Violence escalated in the run up to the 2007 elections as politicians again mobilized to secure the ‘victory’ at the polls.

The vast resources are available for politicians who have the political and personal will to deliver significant benefits to the lives of their fellow citizens. If based on bottom-up and locally owned initiatives this could be enough to prevent to the conflict from escalating.