Mr. Yaradua’s provocative solutions to the Niger Delta Crisis

MEND, is a group that has before now, not found an iota of sympathy with me; there professed mission or objective—to draw both local and international attentions to the goings on in the Delta—, notwithstanding. Consequently, I have never taken the time to read digestively, any of their ever changing demands and its accompanying penalty in the event of default, like the last, operation Moses, which going by the rate of success it was recording, would have bled us financially, to a state of unconsciousness and possibly, death but for the trouble shooting quick barter of Mr. Okah

The reason been their objectionable method —pipelines and oil facilities rupturing and kidnappings— of promoting this singular objective. This, I consider an attempt to intimidate and stampede the government, and awe the rest of us. This, no doubt, is totally unacceptable; not for what it means now but what it is meaning to mean, in the future.

But all that changed when I watched on TV Mr. Imoke, the Cross Rivers State governor in the company of his fellow governors of the south-south states denouncing virtually all federal government arrangements, purportedly meant to usher in peace and development in the area; and contrasted it with those of the MEND voices in the wilderness, only to discover that the voice had all along been speaking intelligently but noisily; thereby, impairing hearing.

The voice says that there exist inexcusably, a wide gap in the give and take relationship between the oil rich region and the federation in relation to it contribution to the common purse; that there is almost nothing to show for the many years of oil exploration in the region. The governors on the other hand, limit their grudge to the most recent of the federal government solutions to the cries of the peoples’ of the region.

Yes, the past and present leaders from the area read to mean, constituted authorities, parents, religious leaders of every form and businessmen can and must be held responsible for part of the under development of the region, through their actions and inactions but this does not in any way rationalize the near absence of federal presence save for mainly oil business related firms and institutions, one of which—the Petroleum University— though yet to be constructed, the government according to Mr. Rilwanu Lukman, its point man in the Oil Industry has relocated to Kaduna. After all, most of the leaders particularly, the political leadership are mainly, the creation of the Central authority.

Focusing on the solutions so far put-forth by the government since it announced a sixty day amnesty which was reciprocated by a sixty day break by the most radical wing of agitators from the region, MEND after it leader Mr. Okah was released from detention, one cannot but submit that it has all been guided by a singular light: the hegemony light; and for a President that I personally repose so much confidence in, this is dispiriting.

In every justice based nation where crude oil has been discovered, the government through its laws and policies have measuredly ensured that those who are frontline victims of the unavoidable hazards of it exploration, are fêted like kings and queens. In fact, to discover it in ones land is to discover a generation of billionaires, made possible by accruing royalties but in a bill presented to the National Assembly to “restructure” the oil sector, the government dwelt extensively—sections, subsections and paragraph etc— on every imaginable oil related issues but the welfare of the host individuals and communities. Believe it or not, these are some of the most poorest of people in Nigeria; some of the communities only have pipelines running through their farms as sign of governance, virtually all their amenities are through individual or community effort. Example is Warri were water availability is exclusively made possible through individual bore holes. What the government has achieved by the bill is to capture all revenues which before now moved, chartless. The government might argue silently or through fronts that beside the fear of an unmanageable crisis as a result of communities laying claims to lands that, with the a ministry solely devoted to the area coupled with the 13% derivation, that it has more than done and given enough to the people. But, it would be better to resolve the ownership issues now than apply the ostrich principle. As for the other probable, they fall flat when ranged against royalty. While former are amorphous, the latter is victim focused.

What is the cost-benefit of locating a capacity building institution for the oil industry in the extreme northern state of Kaduna? Is the government meaning to share the jobs in the industry between the two poles with one producing dominantly, the junior cadre staff while the other, the senior? Is it really justifiable to invest the kind of fund planned for the institution in a region where the collective enrolment of the 19 states for the JAMB conducted examinations into universities for all manner of discipline, is comparable to just that of Imo and Anambra state? Have the people from the region been able to exhaust the entire slots made available for educationally less developed states in federally owned institutions? Must the continuous encouragement of educational pursuit in the north continue with the complex and ever changing technologies of the oil industry? What is the current enrolment for JAMB exams of Kaduna state after all previous encouragement? Is it not time the country adopts the development of each region and state to empirical evidence of needs of such areas? Must the country’s past misdirection in such matters continue unremittingly?

Why, in this age of seamless internet connectivity, should the headquarters of the supervising agency of the oil industry like the NNPC be located in Abuja or the PTDF –whose developmental effort in the PTI leaves much to be desired when the amount purportedly involved is considered—which plans to spend a whooping #11b on another headquarters complex in the same Abuja. Would those agencies not better serve their purpose if they were very close to the areas of operations and make report through the net rather than sit in Abuja and receive second hand reports about goings on? Is there a superior investigation report to an on the spot investigation? Is Warri in the minds of those who rely on the exaggerated report of the media not a ravaged town on account of it been home to the clash between the JTF and the radicals?


Just what kind of reaction does the government expects from the people of the region in the face of these provocative actions; and this is even when complains of the people about the depopulation of the top echelon of the NNPC of southern officers is discounted.

With all these, is it still possible for personalities from the region in government to convince the people that it is doing something to blunt the edge of their grievances and anger without been called a “mumu”? Wouldn’t the MENDERS add these as the more reasons to puncture pipelines and kidnap whatever and whoever is in sight?

Mr. Yaradua, please make it easy for everybody. I have written about your admirable qualities in times past and still believe so. I want to suppose that is one of those qualities that you desire to dramatize in a big way: that of being a listening president who would substitute the offensive Bill and over rule your minister’s relocation statement in the interest of justice.

Ilobi Austin writes from Warri and is available @ www.nigeriavillagesquare.com, www.twitter.com, www.facebook.com and www.vibratingaustin.blogspot.com