The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, representing one of Nigeria's most dominant tribes, said that Yar'Adua recognizes the need to address economic injustices in the delta as a means of curtailing the violence there.

But the president's efforts will not bear fruit unless officials in Abuja match his dedication to incite real change in the delta, MOSOP said.

"It is thus our view that for President Yar'Adua's crusade for transparency, accountability and good governance to be effective in the Niger Delta, the Federal Government must match its words with action by increasing its interest in the operations of the state and local government administrations in the region," MOSOP said in a statement that appeared Wednesday in the pages of Nigeria's Daily Champion newspaper.

The Niger Delta, home to the country's multibillion-dollar oil industry, has been a flashpoint for decades amid accusations of government graft and corrupt practices by foreign oil companies.

Since the 1970s, Nigeria, Africa's No. 1 oil producer, has pumped more than $300 billion worth of crude from the southern delta states, according to estimates. High unemployment in the delta, environmental degradation due to oil and gas extraction, and a lack of basic resources such as fresh water and electricity have angered the region's youth, who have taken up arms, many times supplied by political leaders, and formed militant groups and local gangs.

Following his election in April, Yar'Adua appealed for calm and in his inaugural address said he would "set a worthy personal example" by tackling corruption and violence in the delta.

Since then some of the militants have said they would cease violence against foreign oil operations that have been the focus of escalated attacks and kidnapping campaigns over the last two years.

But gang activity, particularly in the delta's de facto capital, Port Harcourt, has risen sharply in recent days. Earlier this week the mother of a delta lawmaker was abducted, while the 11-year-old son of another lawmaker was freed after a short detainment.

At least 15 people have been killed in gang violence that spilled over into the streets of Port Harcourt last week.

While MOSOP professes non-violent opposition to the Nigerian government, the group has clashed with government forces and been accused of attacking foreign oil in the delta.

Last month MOSOP called for Royal Dutch Shell to shut down one of its pipelines, saying the company has done little to control the fires burning along it for several weeks.

A spokesman for Shell in Nigeria said the company is trying to address the problem but blamed residents of some communities affected by the pipeline fires for not allowing Shell to fix the leaks until they receive financial compensation.

Representatives of the activist group on Tuesday denied Shell's accusation and blamed the company for not reacting quickly enough in fear of retaliation by locals.

Nigeria experts like Emira Woods, co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute of Policy Studies, are critical of the government's past inaction on delta issues like the environment and political corruption and expressed some skepticism about the intentions of the Yar'Adua government.

"While the oil companies continue to make historic profits, the government and (foreign) companies will continue to exploit Nigeria's resources and its people," said Woods.

From its inception in 1990, MOSOP has asked that the government tackle political corruption in the delta, as well as environmental degradation attributed to petroleum extraction in the region.

The group stepped up its efforts in 1992, demanding $10 billion in compensation for past environmental misdeeds on the part of foreign oil and their "immediate stoppage of environmental degradation" or face attacks aimed at disrupting the flow of oil.

The military-ruled government at the time responded by banning public gatherings and deemed any effort to disrupt Nigeria's oil flow an act of treason.

Tensions came to a head in early January 1993 when MOSOP orchestrated an Ogoni festival that drew an estimated 300,000 people.

By the following year MOSOP was implicated in at least one attack on a foreign oil worker, prompting the government to crack down on the tribe and kill several of its leaders.

In 1995 nine of the group's most prominent activists were hanged, among them a prominent Nigerian playwright.

Since then relations between MOSOP and the government have been tense, though violence between the two has abated.

(e-mail: [email protected])

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