From the communiqué’s chilly symbolism, of date and place of issue, it was clear: history was about repeating itself, but this time as grand farce.
On 15 January 1970, the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) formally ended, though actual fighting did on January 13. In Port Harcourt, to this day, the vexed issue of Civil War Igbo “abandoned property” remains a sore point. Yet, from the same Port Harcourt came, on 15 January 2012, the communiqué.
A nationwide Occupy Nigeria protest, over oil subsidy removal, had paralysed the country. But from Annkio Briggs, a Niger Delta environmental activist who signed in as president, Agape Birthrights and convener, Niger Delta Occupy Niger Delta Resources (NDONDR), came the ringing declaration.
