‘‘Indeed, any arrangement or policy of YarAdua’s administration(blanket amnesty for militants in the Niger Delta, creation of special ministry of Niger Delta)…that does not address the fundamental issues in the Niger Delta…will end up a pipe dream which merely postpones the evil day’’ – Nowata’s book,2009: WHERE WE ARE(page 130)
Pebbles with Igbotako Nowinta
In 2009,when I was putting final touches to the book: Where We Are-A Call For Democratic Revolution in Nigeria, the Alhaji Umaru Musa YarAdua’s administration was considering granting general amnesty to the militants in the Niger Delta.
It will be recalled that at that point in time, militancy had graduated into a massive lucrative business in the Niger Delta, a worrisome situation where kidnapping became an issue of national concern, burning at every opportunity.
In my own opinion or wisdom then, I decided to put pen to paper and made the above statement before I sent the manuscript to my publisher.
Today, my cautionary words have become a perfect reality. Having looked at the way the YarAdua administration was going about the nauseating activities that the rag tag militants were dishing out to a stunned nation, I knew adhocism will never work.
I knew that the so called militant leaders were playing a script designed to fool the people in the Niger Delta, and were clandestinely being used by some political scoundrels.
I knew the militants were (still) miscreants looking for a clever avenue to put some god money into their dirty pockets, to cut some fat slices from the so called national cake.
I knew the militants were insincere to the genuine cause of the Niger Delta; half-baked guys with little or no education at all.
When I watched and studied the body language of Ateke Tom, Boy Loaf, Asari Dokubo and the others, I concluded within myself that before long, they would be sitting on the bottomless pit of dollars, because they could carry or have access to AK47 and other weapons of warfare
Candidly, in 2009, I knew the YarAdua government was working at something that will result in ‘pipe dream which will merely postpone the evil day.’
Today, a chunk of ex-militants are bursting, bragging and boasting with so much money they have acquired, while the masses in the region are walloping in hopeless penury and abject poverty.
Today, the people in the region are dying installmental death – they are still drinking polluted water, and breathing in acidic air, their condition is simply worse than death.
The multinational Oil companies are smiling to the banks and making a hell of profits, while unemployment, ill Heath and certain death are waiting for the people at every corner in the Niger Delta.
A friend from the Niger Delta said to me few days ago that one of the ex-militants sponsored one of the deputy governors that won election in the recently concluded general elections in Nigeria.
The point I am making is that these ex-militants are so rich that they don’t even know what to do with money.
Recently, some of these ex-militants have started talking again since the emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari as the President-elect of Nigeria, as a result of the political hurricane that swept across the country on March 28th 2015.
I am concerned not only because I am a Nigerian, but a bonafide Niger Deltan. This time around the Federal Government should look at the fundamental issues prevailing in the Niger Delta holistically to avoid creating more useless, unproductive billionaires, while the rest people continue to live in utter impoverishment.
As General Muhammadu Buhari is getting set to climb the podium of power on May 29th, 2015, the Development Alliance of the Niger Delta (NAND), a political pressure group seeking a drastic holistic approach to the development of the Niger Delta has been formed. Yours sincerely is a member of NAND
What NAND is seeking is nothing but setting agenda for the incoming civilian administration in the Niger Delta. The in-coming administration should take steps to arrest all cases of impunity and to make the business as usual attitude of unrepentant politicians a thing of the past
The Buhari regime should explore useful means to positively engage non-violent youths in the Niger Delta region who have acquired useful technical skills and academic qualifications but are still unemployed and jobless
An all-inclusive mechanism for dialogue between the incoming administration and all stakeholders in the Niger Delta region on key policies affecting the region should be set up.
The Buhari regime should discontinue and discourage the use of political contractors and sundry unconventional means of funding projects/developmental initiatives in the region.
All development funding should be channeled through established institutions like the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the State Governments to foster transparency and accountability
A Truth Commission should be set up to investigate and address all cases of flagrant corruption both past and present with a view to recover huge sums of monies under the control of past and current treasury looters and draw a line thereafter against anyone who would be involved in corrupt practice(s) or money laundry under the new regime.
Failed Contract Tribunals should be set up to deal decisively with cases of rent seekers who would have collected huge sums without delivering such projects to Nigerians irrespective of how highly placed they are.
The anti-corruption and anti-money laundry agencies should be strengthened, along the review of our criminal justice system to expeditiously deal with economic saboteurs and other corrupt related cases in Nigeria.
Nowinta wrote, WHERE WE ARE – A CALL FOR DEMOCRATIC REVOLUTION IN NIGERIA.
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