No Where Else to Go: Stop Forced Evictions in Nigeria

Celebrating Nigeria’s 51^st Independence anniversary on October 1, 2011 may not bring beaming festive smiles and cheers to the millions of Nigerians that have had their homes and business locations bulldozed and rendered homeless by government agents.

More than two million people have been forcibly evicted from their homes in different parts of Nigeria since 2000. Most were already marginalized and many had lived for years without access to clean water, sanitation, adequate health care or education. In 2006, Nigeria was named one of the three worst violators of housing rights by the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions.

On World Habitat Day 2009, Amnesty International called for the end to forced evictions in Nigeria. A forced eviction is the removal of people against their will from the homes or land they occupy without legal protections and other safeguards.

Forced evictions are continuing throughout the country. Since 2003, an estimated 800,000 people have been removed from their homes in the capital city of Abuja. Between May and July 2008 forced evictions took place on an almost weekly basis in Lagos, with some communities facing their third forced eviction.

In April 2005, bulldozers demolished houses, churches, and medical clinics in the community of Makoko, Lagos. About 3,000 people lost their homes. They said that they had not been given prior notice, were not consulted on the planned evictions, and were not given adequate alternative housing. Some of them, including children, were beaten and injured by law enforcement officials, and others had all their belongings destroyed.

In Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state and the most populous city in the Niger Delta, wide scale demolitions were carried out along the city’s waterfronts, despite earlier state government promises that no evictions would take place.

The Rivers State government claims the demolition of the waterfronts is necessary to implement an “urban renewal”. However the plan that was the basis for the urban renewal was developed without adequate consultation with the communities affected and the plan was not made publicly available. Most residents were opposed to the demolitions, which they knew would ensue. Thousands of people were eventually forcibly evicted from their homes.

In one community, these preparatory stages for demolition were accompanied by excessive use of force by the Nigerian security forces. At least 12 people were shot and seriously injured in Bundu waterfront community on 12 October 2009 when armed security forces opened fire on a crowd of people peacefully protesting against the proposed demolition of their homes. It has been two years now, yet no serious investigation has been initiated by the Nigerian authorities.

Months prior to the assault on the Bundu waterfront community, government agents demolished structures at the Njemanze waterfront community, so that the land could be passed on to a corporation to construct an entertainment plaza. It was estimated that in the Njemanze community 13,800 to 19,000 people were forcibly evicted from their homes. These people including children, women and the elderly were left homeless and vulnerable to other human rights violations. Apparently the State government has not shown any empathy or provided justice for the uprooted inhabitants of these communities that have nowhere else to go.

Eyes on Nigeria: Amnesty International acts to stop harmful gas flaring in Nigeria

The level of political violence foreshadowing the general election in Nigeria this month has once again focused the world’s attention on Nigeria. That focus got even sharper following the botched National Assembly election for Senators and Representative on April 2, 2011, which was canceled midway because of what was said to be logistical problems and late arrival of election materials to many states and polling stations.  For Amnesty International, the focus never really went away as concerns about extrajudicial executions, forced evictions, death penalty and the environmental and human conditions in the Niger Delta area have been raised repeatedly by the organization and other human rights organizations.

Reflecting on its 50 years of human rights activism, which was observed in March 2011, its US section, Amnesty International, USA launched a pioneering campaign project using satellite and geo-spatial technologies to expose and fight rights abuses around the world.

The focus on Nigeria through a program Eyes on Nigeria (http://www.eyesonnigeria.org)  is aimed at visualizing and exposing human rights abuses and situations in which human rights are at risk throughout Nigeria, including active monitoring of harmful gas flaring in the Niger Delta region of the country.

For many years, residents of the Niger Delta have complained that gas flares seriously damage their quality of life and pose a risk to their health, yet to Amnesty’s knowledge, neither the government nor the oil companies have focused attention on specific studies to look at health and flaring.

Given the human rights implications on this wanton human and environmental degradation, Amnesty International hopes others will join the organization in calling on the government and the gas and petroleum related corporations in the region to shut down the estimated 75 unchecked gas flares, which for decades have been a cause for concern regarding the health of the population and the environment in the Niger Delta.

Dr. Scott Edwards, the director of the Science for Human Rights program at Amnesty International, USA confirmed, “The Eyes on Nigeria project is a comprehensive view of the most pressing human rights issues facing the people of Nigeria”. And he hopes that people around the world will be inspired by what they learn through this new project to act in concert with the Nigerian people in demanding basic human dignity.

The Eyes on Nigeria project locates and maps each gas flare occurring in the region and estimates the impact on surrounding communities of the high temperatures, fumes and elevated sound levels caused by the flares. Also mapped are evidence of forced eviction, excessive use of force, police brutality, death penalty distribution among various states, communal conflicts and conflicts in the Niger Delta. Satellite images can be peeled back with a cursor to make a ‘before’ and ‘after’ comparison. (http://www.eyesonnigeria.org).

It should be noted that Nigeria has prohibited gas flaring since 1984, (unless a ministerial consent has been issued) according to Amnesty International groundbreaking 2009 report, Petroleum, Pollution and Poverty in the Niger Delta. The problem persists though. When oil is pumped out of the ground, the gas produced is separated and in Nigeria most of it is burnt as waste in massive flares. This practice has been going on for almost five decades and has been long acknowledged as negatively impacting human health and damaging the environment.

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 3 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.

Dry and Dark In Cote d’Ivoire: Ratcheting Up the Hostilities

As the world watches, the hostilities resulting from the November 2010 elections in Cote d’Ivoire keeps escalating and moving into the vast civilian population far beyond the group loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to concede the election and the New Forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the presumed winner.

Recently security forces loyal to Laurent Gbagbo shot dead at least six women among a large group of women holding a peaceful march in support of Alassane Outtara in Abidjan. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12646355)

As if the various atrocities against the citizens of Cote d’Ivoire who dared to be out in the street exercising their fundamental liberties was not enough, the government loyalists since February 28 cut off power and water supplies to the central, northern and western areas of the country; plunging a major part of the country into darkness and water-starvation. While majority of the affected areas are loyal to Mr. Ouattara, areas loyal to Mr. Gbagbo are also affected. Ultimately, the citizens of Cote d’Ivoire, men, women and children are being punished over control of political power.

The power and water shutdown is having immediate and devastating consequences among the populace, triggering what could be an uncontrollable humanitarian crisis. According to information and eyewitness accounts gathered by Amnesty International, the affected areas are said to be suffering from poor sanitation and disrupted medical services,

The Ivorian electricity company denied any responsibility for the power cuts, which began on 28 February, instead stated that officials loyal to outgoing President Laurent Gbagbo had made the cuts "for national security reasons".

Gaetan Mootoo, the Amnesty International West Africa Researcher has warned that the whole sanitary system in these areas is being affected and is stopping medical personnel from carrying out their work which could lead to the spread of diseases.
A senior doctor in the town of Man in the west of the country, told Amnesty International: "It's nearly impossible to carry out surgery as we only have one electric generator, we are running short of fuel. This will have dramatic consequences for people needing urgent care. This is particularly true for pregnant women needing emergency obstetric care including caesarean sections."

While the political issues are sorted out, the world must not sit idly by as a devastating medical crisis blows up in an already difficult environment. The already sick and injured cannot wait for the political crisis to be resolved and power turned on to get the medical services they urgently deserve. The rest of the population should not be deprived of sanitation or subjected to the outbreak of cholera and other diseases as portable water is being withheld from the citizenry.

President Laurent Gbagbo and his loyalists must restore power and water supply immediately. Keeping the people in the dark and dry would not resolve the political conflict. Those perpetrating this cruelty must be held accountable.

The right to safe water and sanitation is recognized by international law. Amnesty International insists that the government is obliged to ensure continuous access to water and ensure that the right to health and right to adequate housing is not jeopardized by power cuts.