On the 'Republic of Niger Delta' declaration

 

 

The recent threat by the Niger Delta Avengers, which has laid claim to recent bomb­ings of major oil installa­tions and facilities in the area, that it would declare what it called the “Re­public of Niger Delta” by August 1, 2016 (today), refers. This is, indeed, taking a joke too far, and should be condemned by well-meaning, peace-loving Nigerians and the world at large.

 

In the last couple of months, the region has witnessed an upsurge of intractable violence culminating in the loss of lives and property pri­marily oil installations and facilities belonging to multinational oil com­panies and the Nigerian National Pe­troleum Corporation (NNPC). We at The AUTHORITY have severally deplored with vehemence, this bra­zen act of vandalism and deliberate lawlessness of the so-called militants. While regretting that the apparent militarization of the Niger Delta by successive administrations is a grand and monumental contradiction for the avowed desire for peace in the region, the militants must be told in clear terms that their threat is puer­ile, unthinkable and unachievable.

 

In the first place, the militamts must be told that what constitutes the Niger Delta in Nigeria is an agglom­eration of the nine littoral (oil pro­ducing) states, which include: Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers States. It is, therefore, preposterous and almost impossible to carve out the six South South states, two states from the South East, in addition to a state from the South West for their phantom republic.

If their major concern or grouse, as circulated in their ultimatum to the Federal Government borders on the overall transformation of the Niger Delta, then they must note that in the absence of peace and security, development is often seen in the di­viding line between savagery and barbarism. If they continue with the pornography of violence unabated, which has grossly affected oil pro­duction in the region, how would the government raise money to develop the place?

The problem is the absence of a political will on the part of the lead­ership of the region to develop the Niger Delta. It is stupid for those entrusted with the affairs of the re­gion to always reflect on peace in the Niger Delta as the only means of achieving increased oil production. What with their erroneous culture of entitlements in which people who constitute themselves into armed – gangs are sustained through huge unproductive contracts whereas the region remains without real develop­ment?

 

There is a very severe infrastructur­al deficit in the Niger Delta in spite of the NDDC and the Ministry. Unfor­tunately, all those who dictate affairs in the region who incidentally are from there live in Abuja. Is it there­fore strange that nothing seems to be working there even after the success­ful amnesty programme? Who is to blame for the poor state of affairs in the region when sons and daughters of the Niger Delta left no footprint throughout their period in power?

There is nothing more symbolic than the fact that the immediate past President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is from the Niger Delta. If during and after his admin­istration, the region still remained the same, under whose administration will the region be developed? Besides the East – West Road project which is still dogged by needless political quagmire, what were the achieve­ments of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs in the region for six years? What has the NDDC achieved in the region since its establishment by the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 2003?

 

If the billions of dollars security contracts awarded to ex-militants to protect pipelines and other oil facili­ties were invested in the development of the region by way of infrastruc­tural development by the immediate past government, Nigerians would have been saved this nightmare of the monstrosity called militancy. So much money has been pushed to the Niger Delta in the name of derivation funds, ecological funds and revenue from the Federation Account yet no development is in sight and worst still, some of the states cannot pay workers salaries and entitlements. What stops governors of the region from embark­ing on regional integration to fast tract the development of the area?

 

The establishment of an oil and gas company or even petroleum re­fineries, is long overdue for a region that accounts for Nigeria’s enviable ranking as the sixth largest exporter of crude in the world. The huge gas reserves in the region can be used as the feed-stock to drive power plants, petro-chemical industries and allied investments which will turn a deso­late region into Nigeria’s nay West Africa’s industrial powerhouse. An­cillary industries will spring up and cluster around such investments.

 

This is not to exonerate the fed­eral government from blame over the decadence in the Niger Delta-the goose the lays the golden egg. Almost all the federal roads in the region are impassable.. Even when funds are fi­nally released, the two agencies pay more money to their consultants than to project execution or implemen­tation. While the Avengers should query political leaders from the Ni­ger Delta who have misappropriated funds meant for the development of the region, there must be sincerity of purpose on the part of the Presi­dency for things to work in the Niger Delta. Militants must note that peace is paramount in all this.

 

credit:authority

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