Article January 14, 2002 Issue

Politics of tolerance

Warren Bolon with contributions from Emmanuel Diffa

EMMANUEL DIFFA was elected to Nigeria's Senate in 1999, in an election that solidified Nigeria's return to democratic government under President Olusegun Obasanjo. Senator Diffa's home is in Bayelsa State in the heartland of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Sentinel staff writer Warren Bolon first met Diffa in 1990 while traveling in Nigeria. At that time, Sen. Diffa was managing director of a company he still co-owns, Dateco Ltd., which provides oil exploration servies and products. Warren interviewed Sen. Diffa by phone.

How did you become involved in politics?

I was involved in my business, but at the same time involved in community affairs. I was concerned about the pains and aspirations of Nigerians, their struggle for self-determination and desire for better deals from the multinationals that were destroying our environment because of the oil exploration. Our area—Rivers and Bayelsa states in the Niger Delta—is where natural gas and oil extraction are centered. I wanted to see that the multinationals were more sensitive to the needs of the people. They are getting so much out of those lands, they should be able to at least do something about the environment, to see that there's some kind of development going into this region—like improved social amenities, schools, health services, roads, water, and electricity.

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