Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has asked the country's parliament to agree to a plan to give the people of the impoverished Niger Delta a share of the revenues from the region's enormous oil and gas reserves.

He has asked that the Niger Delta receive ten percent of the revenues, which would amount to some 340 million euros during the first year. Most of the country's energy reserves are located in the Niger Delta.

The offer is seen as a new move to end violence in the region, which has cost the Nigerian state billions of euros. Last week, the Nigerian rebel group the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, said it would take up arms again and resume attacks on oil production facilities.

The group had called a cease-fire in July after President Yar'Adua offered an unconditional amnesty and released one of MEND's main leaders, Henry Okah. The government says 8,000 MEND commanders and soldiers have taken advantage of the amnesty and turned in their weapons. The authorities had also promised to provide the region with a fairer share of the wealth from its energy reserves.

The attacks against the oil installations, which began three years ago, have reduced Nigeria's oil production from 2.6 million barrels to 1.7 million barrels a day. Last week, Royal Dutch Shell CEO Peter Voser announced that onshore oil production had fallen heavily due to violence in the Niger Delta. "I think we are now at 120,000 barrels per day and we used to be close to 300,000."

MEND has complained for years that the revenues from oil drilling do not reach the local population and have also devastated the region's natural environment.

Above: Trailer of 'Sweet Crude' on pollution in Niger Delta
Below: Amnesty International photograph of oil spill at Ikarama in Niger Delta
Photo by Jean Farr (flickr)