Militancy: Govt, Avengers dialogue amidst protest, threat from other groups
Since the resurgence of militancy in the Niger-Delta region, several allegations have been made against the new militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), its motives and implications of its actions. Prominent among such allegations was that the group was not fighting the Niger-Delta cause, but that of Ijaw people, who were alleged to be their members.
It was also alleged that the group is being sponsored by the beneficiaries of the immediate past administration mainly from the Niger Delta region, who are being tried for alleged corrupt practices now.
In the light of this development and seeming move by the Federal Government to dialogue with the group to restore peace in the region, other ethnic groups from the oil producing areas have been threatening fire and brimstone.
They warned the government against engaging in a selective dialogue with the Avengers, stressing if there is anything contrary, they will soon start destroying oil pipelines in their areas. They argued that if there should ever be dialogue with the Avengers, other oil producing communities in the country must be carried along.
It appeared that not many including the Federal Government took their warnings and agitations, considering its silence since then. In what looked like living up to threat, a new militant group named Niger Delta Red Squad (NDRS) recently surfaced in Imo State. They have claimed responsibility for the bombing of two pipelines belonging to Elf Oil Company at Awara, Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area and threatened to attack Shell pipelines in Oguta Local Government Area and shut down all oil wells in the State. This is coming barely two weeks after lawmakers queried the exclusion of the state from Federal Government’s proposed dialogue with oil producing states in Niger Delta to quell the current hostilities by Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).
The lawmakers, during plenary marking the beginning of the new legislative year, argued that the state had been deliberately sidelined by the facilitators of the dialogue because of its youths’ disposition to peace.
They expressed worry that the exclusion might trigger militancy similar to what was happening in other Niger Delta states.
There is urgent need for government to finding solution to the resurgence of militancy in the oil producing areas now, stakeholders say the situation may spell more doom on the country’s economy in the days ahead.
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4 Comments
Dialogue with Avengers or No, you have seen how Britain just came out of a referendum without any loss of lives; President Obama and the rest of Heads of State spoke against the idea before the exercise but the people of United Kingdom have spoken and even Prime Minister David Cameroon accepted and has gone to meet with the Queen head of the Government and Realm! You have grievances multifaceted in Nigeria and the Confab Conference have humbly not only touched but listed recommendations for all the problem areas such that your best option is to get down to basics just as we have witnessed it in the UK, and see what you can get out of the recommendations to help you solve the perennial problems not only in Niger Delta but in the country as a whole not forgetting that – I mean Sir Wilkinson gave you hitherto the same recommendations 60 years ago and none of the Heads of state did something about the recommendations and you’re here in 21st. Century still discussing Delta problems! Look like the old proverbial it a matter of – “Vox-populi-vox dei!” for Nigeria, whichever way you want to think of the issues involved!
Like I said returning to that my definition of what Nigeria is, you left undone what you ought to have done and doing what you ought not to have done and the children have all grown to now know know what is going (has gone) wrong in the Polity – Nigeria! Buhari should therefore have the courage, just like David Cameron has demonstrated – not to resign in his case, but to do something for the people in Nigeria, folks!
The Ijaws are very very selfish and those advising the federal govt are bad advisers.
This war is not about Ijaw people, it is in response to Buhari declared war against our people, and this is the best way to respond to his hate and actions against our people. We are neither fools nor cowards. He should listen more to Atiku than a tribal bigots like Tinubu, Atiku told him to learn from history, but illitrates don’t read, and how can he learn, except he is taught by a wise man and an elderly man like Abubarkar Atiku.
Yoruba greedy politicians duped and confused Buhari that he can discards an entire regions (South-East and South-South), and treat them like conquered people, and expect peace to reign in Nigeria, he will be surprise to know that South-East and South-South have army and navy personnel’s in the Nigerian army ready and willing to bring down a government that treats its people with hateful disdains as Buhari swore to do. How can we easily forget his 95% vrs 5% patronage? Evil Yorubas applauded his government because Igbos and Niger Delta were to be relegated to the back. WE WILL MAKE NIGERIA UNGOVERNABLE FOR DUARA ILLITERATE AND HIS YORUBA FOOL-TINUBU
About time somebody told ypi people in Nigeria that you are not doing politics the way every successful nations or economies did it so as to arrive at the level/ stage they are today – capitalism or even socialists – you’re not dong the right thing yet! And your problems hinges on that lack of training and a thoroughly sensitized national orientation programme to nurture such possible leadership for Nigeria! So far your leadership os sourced from the ex-military officers whose training and background has nothing in it to commend them as capable political leaders and we have seen it payed out in the country! In France they have special training to get such officers willing to join politics to be weaned in the arrangement they term transmitting in America and England they have mechanisms in their school and University management whereby once you have passed through the crucibles, you are expected to stand out a possible leaders! It is part reason why you do not have ex-military officers vying for political leadership in the two countries without having gone through the parliamentary system first a platform, where they are supposed to exhibit the qualities in them and allow/ let the public – electorate to rate them in that regard! Whereas in the Socialist it is more of a question of a total commitment to accept a socialist system or you just fall out – there is no two way about their own system – no mago-mago in their own system – no hanky-panky or monkey business in the Communist States because their system is based on needs rather than on what you want – the main characteristics of Western or Capitalist approach to leadership! The one thing common in the two system is the effective application of the laws of the land although it is stricter in the socialists economies – you don’t mess with them!
It is not surprising you have a very big problem in Nigeria and it may well persist until you see the germ in my new political leadership solutions! Your case in Nigeria is made worse not only due to the composite formation in the country but adds to the fact that the presumed leaders are sourced from a defective or deficient system as applies to the countries I mentioned above! Just consider the just completed exercise of referendum in the United Kingdom, with the result only the Prime Minister tendered to resign 0- tell where in Nigeria or African can this happen?
Mark you the referendum is for their good whether we (some of us in the UK.) like the outcome or not, they have decided even with the observation acknowledged/ coming from the Prime Minister David Cameron and for that he has resigned! Now compare it with what is happening or happened in Nigeria – government called for a Confab Conference being the wish of the people of Niger, at the end of which a recommendation was issued about the outcome of the Meeting – a national even like the referendum in England! We are told that a group in the North are saying that the recommendations are of no effect in Nigeria as far as they are concerned and I talked about cowardice or forthrightness about Nigeria’s political leadership!
We now hear about forced retirements in the military from observations, you could presume that it is not unconnected with the agitations about the Confab recommendations! We recall Sir Wilkinson’s recommendations for Niger Delta and Ogoja zone before the Self Rule – it was part preconditions for Nigeria’s Independence and where are we with the recommendations; still grappling with it in Nigeria over 60 years!
So whether you (we) want to face facts in Nigeria – i.e. dithering in every recommendations meant to help situation in the country or not it is a commonplace thing (phenomena) that what goes round usually will come around, folks! We are now waiting to hear what the reasons for the rumor of coup peddled is about and I said urged) you Nigerians to make attempts for such act strictly punishable by treasonable felony law – was the provision in the pre-Independence Constitution but OBJ and group changed the provision in the 1979 even the 1999 amended Book and left it open-ended suggesting in effect to the officers if you can you can go ahead and arrange for one! otherwise Buhari, IBB and Sani Abacha all had their own kind of coups and they are still (except Abacha) walking as free citizens in Nigeria and enjoying all perquisites – IBB told us about ‘SPOILS of War’ and we recall how that phrase was coined – evolved!
Let me remind about my assertion like that child crying profoundly U keep saying it: You jave been given solutions for Nigeria what I noticed happening is that you chose some and leave some for example you’re using my Option A-4 for your elections and I just seen Buhari in the papers commending the Edo State arm of APC for a good work done in the primaries conducted under the ‘option’ and nobody is talking (wondering really) about how the solution, that is now able to solve election problems in Nigeria was evolved – i.e. Who done it?
In conclusion therefore, that you have this coups rumor or not on hand it suggests that you have an ‘impending crisis’ in Nigeria whoever is advising and from the trappings so far, as a political observer and analyst – a natural philosopher, I’ll recommend you look into the Confab recommendations and please do so along with my ‘New’ political leadership solution (concomitant indeed) for Nigeria, handed-in earlier on 2nd February 2015 personally – to show how concerned and serious your problems in Nigeria are! Part problem of Nigeria os failure to acknowledge receipts of correspondences – talking about corruption in the country – amazing, folks! U want to end with that proverbial: To be forewarned they say, is to be forearmed – you’re using my ‘Option A-4’ whatever (however) your advisers think Vincent can be derided and or rummaged in their musty records about it!
To drive my points (verifiable) home properly in case you cannot find my records in the INEC’s archives perhaps reference to IBB’s files dated 17th Aug. 1990 and 1st Dec. 1992 can tell you a lot about this my quest! So, take it that the solutions you need for Nigeria had been amply supplied and in time for that matter for something to be worked out if you had such advisers imbued with the right rectitude we need for that country! I am saying look into the recommendations and you might see that the geo-political re-arrangement could help you in the ‘bail outs’ in that those viable can return to the old sharing mechanism you changed in that diabolic State creation programme! Thank you, folks!
We will review and take appropriate action.