Niger Delta suds… again?

By now, many would’ve been tired of reading tales of woes and the destructive power of dishonesty and insincerity. But wait to hear this again; very recently, the Militants stroked the Atlas Cove Jetty, which serve as the oil base for western region, located in Lagos, Nigeria.

For the militants, it was a show of invincibility, and to some western dwellers their action was simply a sign of provoking unnecessary aggression from a quiet sleeping dog. Though many condemnation trailed the action; his Excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde R. Fashola (SAN), bemoan the militants action and sue for peace, in order to avoid an escalation of the crisis. This has however generated so much reaction from some Yoruba leaders. Noble Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has just joined the rank and file of Nigerians that have lent their voices to the lingering crisis. But this time around, the Professor’s advocacy is for positive change, objectivity and fairness, as against what he termed as a deviation from the reality of insincerity, deprivation and abuses meted on the people of Niger-Delta…”amnesty is never the solution.”

It might interest you to know that former President Olusegun Obasanjo consented to the same very fact that amnesty is never a solution to the Niger-Delta problem. He said this during a presentation titled: Integrity and Credibility (a building block) for democracy and good governance at a Workshop/Orientation for African Leadership Forum (ALF) – Legislative Internship (LIP), in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria – Tuesday, July 21, 2009. According to Chief Obasanjo, the crisis requires all that mankind can contribute to resolve the matter, be it politically, economically, spiritually, religiously or legal. He said problem is beyond amnesty, and that Nigerians should learn to ask questions.

Meanwhile, governors from the south-south region, yesterday at a meeting in Asaba, the Delta State capital threatened to back out of the amnesty deal, if the federal government refuses to meet up with their demands, which among many others, include the much criticized plan to relocate the Petroleum Technology Institute in Efurun – Warri to Kaduna, the home state of the Rwane Lukeman, the kingpin initiating the relocation deal.