Despite the army of , 000, 000 dollar salary earning crises managers in addition to PR executives inside the employment from the oil companies within the oil-rich Niger Delta region associated with Nigeria, It is usually still baffling that the oil firms did not start to see the current crises arriving. If they do, it truly is either they will underestimated the power and might of the Ijaws in being able to take their destiny into their own hands, or the shylock executives regarding Shell, Chevron, Agip, ExxonMobil plus the sleep of the carried away foreign oil search companies operating inside the region are also heeding the counsel of false oracles.
Now the turmoil is threatening to be able to spill out regarding proportions just like the oil plus flames spewing out from the numerous burst oil sewerlines and wells spread round the Niger Delta region. The tale and plight of the Ijaws and also the other indigenes of Nigeria’s oil generating communities is not necessarily fresh to the globe, but the world seemed to have got taken just a scathing and perfunctory observe when Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight members of his Movements for the Your survival of Ogoni Folks (MOSOP) paid the best price in 95 Nicotine Salts.
Perhaps Saro-Wiwa’s challenges and death needs to have been a wake-up call for almost all who’ve been milking the cow to dying, and feasting alongside the vultures in the region associated with death but greed seemed to have used the upper hands. The judgements associated with the Nigerian government authorities starting from the particular federal and state governments to the local governments had been beclouded, they rejected to listen.
Of serious concern may be the way the Nigerian government have gone about managing the downturn, there has been an almost befuddling passivity on the part with respect for the Niger Delta crises. To consider that the federal government has not but considered a constructive Marshal Plan to be able to resolving the downturn which is intimidating Nigeria’s chief way to obtain revenue, and which may potentially undermine the existing socio-economic reforms set up makes one to wonder what the particular members from the federal executive council talk about at their regular meetings. While flagging off the election campaign for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) within Port Harcourt just lately, President Obasanjo admitted the neglect associated with the region by successive governments, according to him “Let us say the truth; there had been neglect of this region in the past. Neglect at the community, local, State and Federal ranges. There have been neglect in the oil company levels, avoid let us deceive ourselves”. To typically the disappointment of his / her listeners, there had been no outline associated with planned solutions in addition to strategies towards a resolution.
From pictures beamed around the particular globe by journals as the National Geographic and reports by organisations such as the ‘Chop Fine report’ by Human Rights Watch, one may easily see that the Movement regarding the Emancipation of the Niger Delta People (MEND), the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF) and the several other militia groups operating in the region possess a case, and these people sure mean company. When pictures regarding the balaclava clothed, A-K 47 totting militia men 1st emerged in 2005 alongside the photographs regarding the first set of kidnapped oil workers, Nigerians and some members associated with the international neighborhood scoffed at the boys and rubbished their antics, some others simply proceeded to go about their business in the anticipation it turned out a one-off incident and sick wind that might eventually blow apart. However, our company is right now into the 2nd year and the kidnappings rather than abating have improved in intensity. The particular militia men have come to be more daring providing the world media daily doses regarding their kidnapping exploits. Lending his views to the Niger Delta conflict, Sabella Ogbobode Abidde, A new prominent Ijaw indigene and Washington dependent public analyst referred to as on all Nigerians especially Niger Deltans to intensify their particular protests against the particular injustice in the particular region, quoting Elie Wiesel, Mr Abidde said that “there might be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there need to never be a time when we fail to protest”. “The time for you to vigorously protest this specific blatant injustice is now. The time offers come” he determined. Echoing similar sights, Victor Dike, creator of Democracy in addition to Political Life in Nigeria warned that will “without social justice there could be no peace in the Niger Delta and economic development and development will certainly continue to stay away from the region. What is Delta 8? recharged political leaders to work harder for serenity in the Niger Delta because “without peace, growth is impossible. ”
The particular Nigerian government attemptedto contain the entrée in 2006 when it announced that the us government would spend huge amounts of naira to create bridges and flyovers throughout the Niger Delta area. The story itself which is a warped PUBLIC RELATIONS idea shows of which the government is not necessarily fully touching the realities on a lawn within the Niger Delta region. Although typically the government defended the decision by claiming the effort would certainly help provide local jobs, the story hardly addressed the particular core issues in the heart from the Niger Delta crises such as source control, poor living standards of typically the indigenes of the olive oil producing communities, gas flaring, oil spillages and other environmental disasters that possess plagued the location as a outcome of those activities of the oil search companies. The Nigerian government’s proposals to create bridges and flyovers across the Niger delta region stems from a poverty of thought plus have not intentionally addressed the key issues hence the insurgencies and unrests in the area have not abated.
Perhaps this may possibly be fun in order to either review typically the modus operandi or scrap totally the Niger Delta Advancement Commission (NDDC). Although set up with the best of intentions, the particular organisation has on the other hand become a having their nests ground for damaged government officials in whose penchant for directing allocated funds designed for the development of typically the Niger Delta location for personal employ has meant that the communities in question increasingly question where the great of naira the commission claims it has invested in areas have long gone to. The sleaze culture within the percentage was epitomised by simply its former chief, the exiled runaway and billionaire meandering Professor Eric Opia who took typically the commission to the cleansers when it was still known as the Oil Mineral Generating Areas Development Percentage (OMPADEC). Its quick past and current executives are also recognized to be nursing political ambitions, placed into context in a country where candidates for leadership elections require billions of naira within campaign funding, it might not be difficult to be able to fathom the sources of the electoral war chests regarding the likes regarding Onyema Ugochukwu in addition to Mr. Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, both former handling directors of NDDC. Ugochukwu is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial prospect in Abia express within the coming April/May general elections, although Aguariavwodo, the quick past managing director resigned his appointment to vie with regard to PDP’s gubernatorial ticket in Delta condition. The former Exec Director, Finance in addition to Administration of the particular NDDC, Timi Alaibe has now been verified because the new handling director taking over from Aguariavwodo, plus Alaibe can also be known to be eying the federal government house of oil-rich Bayelsa condition, the house state associated with impeached governor Deb. S. P Alamiesegha.
The recent comment credited to Nigeria’s Vice President Atiku Abubakar is worrisome, he or she alleged that typically the Nigerian government has placed orders regarding weapons and ammunitions worth over $2 billion which this plans to use to be able to quell the Niger Delta insurgency. Whilst accepting that the declaration should be cautiously received considering the particular raging feud between President Obasanjo and the vp, that has to be said still of which should this be true, then this should be worrying information for all those that have been adopting the Niger Delta entrée.
The Obasanjo federal government would be doing itself a disservice whether it proposes in order to use violence towards its citizens due to the fact memories from the Odi and Zaki Biam massacres are still fresh in the remembrances of Nigerians. This approach will elevate violence in the particular region because physical violence begets violence. The particular government should still explore dialogue with all the current stakeholders, an choice which it doesn’t seem to have considered extremely much in typically the past. The Nigerian government should also understudy America’s situation inside Iraq before you go in advance with its plans. It is not necessarily always the person together with superior weapons that win wars. Typically the Niger Delta militia are at residence in the creeks of the Niger Delta and would not necessarily be easy prey for the government troops the authorities is planning in order to send in to the area. The government should think twice before trying to achieve this highway to perdition which usually spells doom with regard to the innocent residents living in Niger Delta communities, the particular militants and the particular federal troops that will may be having to pay with their lifestyles fighting an unjust war much like ALL OF US soldiers in War.
To the credit score of the Niger Delta militants, they have not embarked on large size execution of abducted oil workers the majority of of whom they will eventually release except in exceptional circumstances. The released oil workers have come out to their own defence maintaining that will they were nicely treated while beneath captivity thus demonstrating the human side of the partisan, a side that will is amenable to dialogue. It truly is this particular human side that will the Nigerian government should be exploring unless the Obasanjo government wishes in order to add to the catalogue of individual rights abuses plus injustices against the particular Nigerian people.
