Stumbled on an opinion piece I wrote at the height of the
militancy problem in the
Niger Delta last year. Think it is still relevant...
A whole lot have been said on the Niger delta crisis, governments have come and gone but this situation have persisted, for too long government and Nigerians have been held to ransom by a faceless group of so-called freedom fighters and militants. They have killed, burned and kidnapped hundreds of people and have recently effectively turned Nigeria into a kidnap haven only second to Mexico.
The money that has exchanged hands in the course of this crisis is enough to address the issues raised by the so-called militants. Granted, the oil explorations have caused untold hardships and environmental degradations, also the dividends of the crude is diverted to other well connected pockets while the goose that continues laying the golden egg is left root in abject poverty of want.
The so-called militants moved from being that to terrorists long ago. I believe that it is the lack of political will that have allowed them to thrive, that and the meddling in governance by greedy politicians and business men, who in my opinion should be lined up and shot. To move forward as a country we need to take our destiny into our hands and do away with all the money loving politicians and terrorists gabbed in the toga of freedom fighters.
I say destroy all the camps, capture all the leaders and find out from them who their godfathers are (yes they all have godfathers in Abuja) and let them all face the justice of the gun.
Why give them clemency to loot, steal, and then kill again? Why allow their godfathers to further subjugate the Nigerian nation? Why create a ministry to siphon more money into already heavy pockets.
Now we hear they killed some army officers in an unprovoked attack. Why won’t they attack soldiers when the government invites their leaders to Abuja for lunch and dangle a very big carrot of clemency before their painted faces.
We should see these boys for what they are, jobless youths who took the path of crime to earn a living that rivals that of senators. We should also see their political and businessmen sponsors for what they really are, mean mindless men who are so deep in corruption, they organize the oil bunkering that is ongoing while they lie back in posh air conditioned offices, sipping French wines.
I am tired of hearing the same sad story, I don’t want to pander to their whims and allow my nation suffer, I don’t want to wait anymore to let the truth be known, I want to make a difference and make sure it works, not hoping it works. Let’s move forwards together and allow this season of madness pass for ever.
As for the so-called militants, I am tired of their constant threats and kidnappings, I am tired of their constant killings and disruptions of oil flow by blowing up pipelines, I am tired of their blatant hypocrisy.
They are not the only wronged parties in Nigeria. If they must know, any Nigerian who is making do without good roads, constant electricity, portable drinking water, a good job and decent housing, is also missing I action.
Ok now, let us all rise up to bomb Nigeria! Stupid!
As for the army, I am sorry it took the deaths of senior officers for you to rise up to your responsibility, but the deed is done and any right thinking person will tell you to weed out the rotten eggs and not bomb entire communities in the search for elusive militants, whose sponsors obviously eat and dine with the powers that sent you to war.
For the oil companies, I think it is time we drive all of you out and find indigenous companies that can do your job. Oh! You think we cannot. Mind you, it is our people that work for you; I bet they know the job terrain better than your expatriate staffs in air-conditioned offices.
Thinking about it, I could not find a foreign oil company operating in America, abi them self no get oil? Shell na dutch company abi? How many oil Holland get?
As for the political class we have now, I have said before that, they should all be lined up and shot! With the exception of the very few good eggs amongst them anyway, only it will be very hard to know them since the system always find a way to corrupt the virtuous, see how Dora don dey miss yarn!
What am I doing? Well…I am writing a comprehensive novel set in the Niger delta. I have given it the title Rivers of blood. I am looking at all the possible situations and people, I will not spare anyone and I will kill all who needs killing while staying with the story. I will look at arms smuggling and the bunkering, I will look into environmental degradation and its effects on the locals, I will talk about the love lives of the militants and the people they kidnap, above all, I will tell a tale that is as truthful as fiction can get. I hope that it will open people’s eyes to the truth, but I will not take up arms to fight my government…yet.
N/B
If you are safely anchored in an air-conditioned office, drive around and air conditioned car after waking up in an air-conditioned office, I doubt if the reality of a stuffy mosquito infested shack will readily come to your mind. If it does, it is probably as a shivery horror that is someone else’s nightmare. How wrong can I be?
