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Anatomy of 'Chicken Coop Politics' and Niger Delta Development By Martin Abadani Nigeria politics is tribal. Its true. Africans are very tribal oriented. In some cases, politicians tow the religious or tribal line first, then local or regional interest. No politician is detribalized in Nigeria as the media makes you to believe. Let's pause a minute and look at our politicians, federal and state legislators, governors and the Presidency. Its obvious that our current PDP/Military unitary system has always been reactive to disasters, delivery of justice - sharia vs English law, EFCC and corruption cases, unnecessary delays in election tribunals ( Edo State and Senator Mark) appeal cases, inconsistent national economic policies and criminality in Niger Delta region but blind to crime in non oil producing regions, such as Lagos, Kaduna, Kano, Enugu. This is hypocrisy and double standard in the fight against criminals. We now have barking dogs in Rivers State with public loud speakers and vigor to fight oil bunkering criminals but the real 'oga' oil thief live outside Niger Delta region. They acquire oil tankers to transport and sell large quantities of crude oil in Iceland. What's Nigeria Navy doing hiding in the creeks, go to the high seas and confront the smugglers. Show me what you got, baby! It presumptuous to assume that Ijaw people or Niger delta minorities own ships for transporting stolen raw crude oil to Iceland market. in fact, oil bunkering activities has been going on since the Nigeria/Biafra war in 1970s. The Muslim Sokoto Hausa-Fulani and Muslim Yorubas have been doing oil bunkering with their agents in NNPC and other oil companies in Niger Delta region before and after end of Nigerian civil war. Why should an Hausa-Fulani politician come to Niger Delta region and talk down on us? We don't care if you are Mallam or Alhaji or Emir in Niger Delta. Are we minorities criminals? So Alhaji Usman Lukman, Chief Adekunle and Chief Okonkwo smuggling petroleum products to Benin and Niger republics are saints and the IGP has become blind. Do Ijaw people own oil
tankers or shipping companies? Most Ijaw people may be poor but we are
not stupid. Our politicians have disappointed us. Muslims were known
smugglers before Nigeria was created. The economic activities that goes
on daily between Benin Republic/Niger Republic and Muslim western
Nigeria States from Badagry/Idi Oroko to Sokoto/Kano borders with no
Joint Task Force deployments speaks for itself. Most of the fake drug
NAFDAC attempts to prevent from entry in Nigeria came through these
border towns. What's the PDP/Muslim Yoruba, Hausa-Fulani security and
politicians doing to prevent the influx of goods in those areas? Such
areas are exclusive Muslim zones for commercial goods bunkering. They
also have their Syrians/Lebanese brothers in Cotonou too sabotaging the
Nigerian generator economy. At times I wonder whether Prof Soludo of CBN
monetary policy includes smugglers border town from Cotonou or Lagos to
Sokoto. This is a generator economy with single (oil & gas) product
econometrics forecast paradigm. Chief Soludo of CBN may be sitting on
top of the world last voodoo economy. The Northerners are micro managing
the CBN governor hence they refused his Niara re domination strategy
without explanation. We are held hostage! May God save us!
Why should the Federal
Government locate multi-billion naira gas and oil technology university
in Kaduna? This is a barren Muslim dusty region with goats, cattle and
camels pastures but closer to Abuja than any Niger Delta urban city. Do
they have oil or gas resources? Niger Delta Governors should urgently
mobilize all political resources to force Yar'dua and VP Jonathan to
move the proposed oil and gas University to Niger Delta area, such as
Oloibiri, Ogoni land, Eket or Oporoma in Sagbama LG of Bayelsa State
immediately. Its would be an insult to the average Niger Delta minority
if our political leaders allow the Sultan Muslims Caliphate to use our
oil and gas revenues to establish a Federally funded oil and gas
university in Kaduna, a non oil producing area. The children and youth
of Niger delta region would never forgive PDP and VP Jonathan, governors
and federal legislators peace. Indeed, RSG should develop more urban
centers such as Mbiama, Ahoada, Degema in the riverine area immediately,
please move government to the creeks to the Atlantic ocean landmark.
Bayelsa governor elect should also develop Opuama, Oporoma, Akassa and
Kaiama town to become urban centers with some impressive prefabricated
State and local government offices. Niger Delta States don't need
elephant projects (secretariats) to impress the electorate but
intelligently designed low cost prefab structures that would provide
huge covered spaces like what SHELL has in its PH HQ. Niger delta
governors could use simple economic indicators to measure their
performance quarterly and it requires the state PDP executive to go to
the local market to assess how many local Niger delta natives (Ijaws,
Efiks, Ikwerres, Ibibios, urhobos etc) own shops and participate in
buying and selling of (wholesale/retail) goods and services. it would be
considered as economic empowerment of the local people, the poor masses.
Niger Delta is where you would find indigenous people of oil producing
communities wearing the same shorts or pants or wrapper for a week, not
because of the hot humid weather but its all they got. Its common to see
bare chest youths walking around, they don't have any backup. And they
are sitting on top oil and gas resources in Niger delta.
This is how the
Muslim/Sultan Hausa-Fulani management works in Nigeria. Instead of
sending relief materials to the needy people in Niger Delta region
regularly, Chief Rocha of the Nigeria red cross opted for photo
opportunity with Mrs Jonathan (VP wife) and President Yar'Adua to cover
up incompetency and discrimination against niger delta
minorities. Another incompetent Agriculture Minister, Federal government
wants to spend $80billion of our oil and gas money on important of rice.
Nonsense! how much of the Fed Ministry of Agriculture annual budget goes
to Niger Delta region farmers? Yes, there is hunger in Nigeria except
for the families of politicians. Fed Minister for Agric should setup
a simple field test in our public universities and the results would
amaze the authorities. After all Fg subsidizes petroleum products with
billions of naira annually and probably more than half of the allocation
would be wasted through corruption. We should be bold enough to
subsidize quality meals 3x per day at all Federal and State
universities, especially the South-South region, where students would
be required to pay N10 per good balanced meal. Also, Federal executives
and Sate executives should be encouraged to sample or eat on surprise
visits to the institutions. Each region may have food preferences due to
culture or traditional values but the FG would be able to gauge hunger
in most urban centers and distribute aid to regional farming
communities. Agric Minister could also setup a 'Smorgasborg' or 'All U
can eat' joints for a minimal fee in Lagos/PH to determine the level of
hunger in metro centers. It could be worth trying it. It would show the
Agric Minister that most Nigerians go to bed hungry. Most people can't
afford to eat rice and the price of garri, gas, kerosene is out of
grandma's reach in the village.
Hence, we tend to be
driven by poverty, selfishness, egotism, stupidity, greed, ignorance and
our politicians tend to collude with the elders, elites, traditional
rulers seeking to please their Abuja PDP masters than the local
electorates. Ironically, no South-South traditional ruler benefits
equivalently in status and the opportunities with Emirs, Sultan, Obas or
Obi of non oil and gas producing areas from the federal and state
governments. You know what I am trying to say. figure it out yourself.
Therefore, the farmer (PDP/FG) who controls bulk of grains/feed walks
aways with billions of naira (oil and gas revenues - billions $$$USdollars)
that should logically go to Niger Delta region for development. you feel
me? Got it? At times the actual money goes to Bayelsa and Rivers States
and it makes quick U turn to Abuja PDP coffers. For example, VP Jonathan
released a whopping N557m to Ehindero Nigeria Police while Bayelsa
Volunteers (security outfit) had nothing. We should apply critical
thinking in every process in our demands for equity and justice in niger
delta region. We are still waiting for President Yar'Adua's detail
marshall plan for the development of niger delta region. How can you
trust PDP executive and presidency that has refused to release funds for
NDDC projects? Well, NDDC has done what the local governments couldn't
do and its far short of our expectations. Thanks NDDC and Chief Alaibe
and we are still waiting for major integrated pipe borne water for Niger
delta region. Yes, some niger delta politicians will preaching about
developing the region (9 states) with N46b capital budget and Yar'Adua
is withholding bulk of money due to the agency. Why? laughable indeed.
May be FOI bill when passed will allow investigative journalists to
bypass NTA and other government control media houses to get the story
behind it.
Kaduna is a wrong
location for gas and oil technology university and we don't want to be
slaves to the Muslim Yoruba/Sultan Hausa-Fulani Caliphate managers in
the Oil and Gas Industry. Niger Delta oil and gas resources and revenues
was used to build private universities in backward areas in Yoruba land
(OSUN, OGUN), Adamanwa State, Niger State, just to mention a few. What
do we have in Niger Delta region for the teeming Youth that need science
and technical university education? In fact, the Muslims, non oil and
gas producing states should be encourage to come to South-South
universities to study not the other way around. Human capital
development in the region with abundant natural resources would create
middle and top managers for the oil and gas industry. Believe me,
I would like to inform my people the Ijaws, Ikwerres, Efiks and others
that labourers don't make hiring decisions in the oil and gas industry.
Most oil and gas companies in Niger Delta region refused to hire
indigenous or local people because the middle and top managers are still
Hausas, Yorubas, Edo and Igbos. Nigeria is tribal whether you like it or
not. Its a fact and Niger delta governors need to wake up and stop
barking like pit bulls (RSG Magnus Abe signature) and work together to
obtain more money (50% derivation) and grants from the federal
government (oil & gas revenues) for human capital development.
Martin Abadani USA
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