Commonwealth MPs protest racism in Rivers
From Ahamefula Ogbu in Port Harcourt, 07.21.2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009

An unusual form of racism – a reversal of roles – was recorded at the weekend as members of the Commonwealth Parlia-mentarian Alliance (CPA) called off a trip to Bonny Island, accusing the ferry company of discriminating against white people.

http://odili.net/news/source/2009/jul/21/224.html

The Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, immediately ordered the closure of the jetties in Port Harcourt and Bonny belonging to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company.

Black parliamentarians refused to board the ferry in solidarity with the whites, describing the refusal to carry whites as "heinously racist policy".

The ferry company said having white passengers on board would compromise the safety of other passengers because of the cases of kidnapping in the oil-producing region.

Five members of the group - four white South Africans and a mixed-race Namibian – were barred from the trip.

The South African delegation, with the support of parliamentarians from Swaziland, Lesotho, Namibia, Gabon and Tanzania, protested that the policy was unacceptable.

All entreaties to persuade the company to allow the delegates to travel were bluntly refused while a South African lady who took shots at the jetty was wrestled to the ground and almost choked to death by a soldier who seized her camera.

The refusal to allow whites board the boat was seen as a racist policy which drew the South Africans to sing in solidarity especially as the day coincided with the 92nd birthday of Nelson Mandela, who is an icon of anti-racist struggles.

Within minutes of the incident, Amaechi carried out his threat to close the jetties.

NLNG has, however, apologised to the Rivers State government and the parliamentarians for the incident.

A statement by Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs of NLNG, Mr. Ifeanyi Mbanefo, said any policy that led to the misunderstanding was put in place even before the coming of the Amaechi administration to ensure the safety of every user of their facility so that travellers would be safe.

Mbanefo explained that the company was given a list of 80 people while over 200 arrived for the excursion, adding that there was a standing policy of not allowing any person not on their manifest to travel in their vessel.

“While restating that this policy was meant to ensure that everyone – staff, members of its host communities, vendors, visitors – travel in safety, the company recognizes that this guideline put in place before the current regime is capable of being misunderstood, especially when read against the background of the present efforts by Governor Amaechi to provide a conducive atmosphere for all who live and do business in Rivers State.

“In the light of the above, Nigeria LNG Limited apologises to the governor, the people of the entire state and most especially the Commonwealth parliamentarians for any misunderstanding arising from the application of this policy. The embarrassment this may have caused everyone is deeply regretted,” Mbanefo said.

Nigerians have graduated from tribalism to racism. That is a notable improvement.