Niger Delta militants are back in the business of attacking the nation’s oil and gas sector. Yesterday, a new group of militants known as the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack on Chevron oil installations in the area.

The NDA’s spokesman, Madoch Agbinibo, reportedly expressed his appreciation to some of its team members for the success of their destructive operation, “The high command of the Niger Delta Avengers wants to use this medium to thank Strike Team 6 for successfully blowing up the Chevron Valve Platform. And we are ready to protect the Niger Delta people.”

Furthermore, the NDA has warned that the deployment of soldiers in the region will do little to deter them from launching further attacks until they cripple the economy.

“This is what we promised the Nigerian government. Since they refused to listen to us we are going to zero the economy of the country. As for zeroing the Nigerian economy, the Niger Delta Avengers is done with the Niger Delta major oil installations. Now, we are taking the fight out of the creeks of the Niger Delta. We are taking it to Abuja and Lagos now. We want to pass this message to the all international oil companies operating in the Niger Delta that the Nigerian military cannot protect their facilities. They should talk to the Federal Government to meet our demands else more mishap will befall their installations.” – NDA

How will this attack affect Nigeria?

When a similar attack occurred last year, the Federal Ministry of Power reported that there was a shortage of 160 million metres standard cubic feet per day (MMSCD) of gas. This resulted in a cut in power supply to the operators of electricity generation facilities. Therefore with this recent occurrence, Nigerians should get ready for a fresh bout of erratic power supply and maybe the return of fuel queues.

NDA’s demand and the government’s reaction

The NDA has demanded for a greater control of the oil revenues from the oil-rich Niger-Delta region, what is the government going to do about it? They will not be the first group of militants to seek control of Nigeria’s oil. In 2006, the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) stated its plans to localize the control of oil and seek compensation for the pollution caused by the activities of the oil exploration companies. Therefore, while it is not wise for the government to buckle under the threat of militants, it may be the right time to have a round table discussion with the militants and major stakeholders in the oil industry. Maybe an agreeable conclusion will eventually be reached to the benefits of those involved.