Amnesty Success Story At A Glance

Amnesty Success Story At A Glance

Abbas A. Dikko

Nigeria, as complex as its nature, so, its people’s docility, today many believed in the existence of the so called movement for the emancipation of the Niger Delta people, by extension, the present militants granted amnesty and, their struggle if truly, is/was genuine. These characters are nothing but a by-product of the immediate last administration of Obasanjo/Odili at the federal and state level and, post-charade election of April 2007, recruited specifically, to execute a personal vendetta and project. At least, we have seen Ateke Tom and Tom Pollo, is it the former or the latter that look reasonable, responsible and knowledgeable enough, to lead a just and sincere cause for the emancipation of the Niger Delta people?

These elements and their conjectures called movement and group are no different in every sense of political brigandism with the election riggers, ballot-box snatchers, and political thugs and assassins, rampaging kidnappers of the south-west, entire north and south-east respectively. They are nothing but, half-baked literates who know little or nothing about their constitutional rights and obligations to the constituted authority. The language best understood, is criminality of whatever dimension; be it political economy, social or all in return for monetary reward. Therefore, managing post-amnesty, I bet to tell anyone who care to listen, will be an added problem to the already existing ones, the Seven-Point-Agenda, will by principles become eight now.

In addition to the addition, to borrow the style of revered writer, Adamu Adamu, we have seen sophisticated and mass armoury of destruction, mark you, the only number they chose to retired. But, it has never occurred to the government or even willing to investigate how they came about these mass armaments as another mechanism for control in order to curtail a repeat in the near future of this ungodliness called struggle. For their sponsors, one need not to mention, government have enough evidence and authenticated list, at least, Tom Pollo camp five list of some of the disgruntles that are/were involved in this show of shame is at their domain, but, swept under the carpet, else, it would have been too ugly, many heads within and outside the system would have been definitely, rolling by now.

Be that as it may, the intelligent ones that are sacrosanct enough to dissect between falsehood and truth, knows that all these were a ruse, a combination of caricatures, insincerity, political gimmicks and mockery against the Nigerian people, more especially, the mass innocent population of the Niger Delta.

Like I said, if one is brilliant enough to assess wholesomely the entire show-down because, this reflects nothing, but a wrestling rumble in the jungle of absurd, he needs nobody to tell him the recalcitrant key players behind whichever name they have chosen to called this movement and group. We have glaringly seen how two seating governors, several political/ruling classes from the oil rich region, became disturbed and worried, restless and working tirelessly to bring to end this impasse called struggle for freedom. Quite numbers of them were not sincerely doing it, rather, became a must in order to cover-up and washed-off their hands from the crime they selfishly orchestrated.

Biafran unrest, June 12 saga has never been a lesson to many of us, someone or a group somewhere would stupidly and inordinately sparked-up a crisis, mindless of its gravity and whether it will tire-up a part or the whole nation and, when it became imminent, he/they could not handle the mayhem, the whole-hog will unpatriotically, be shifted to the court-yard of the government and, within a clock tick, will become a national palaver. Same people in collaboration with their sponsored tribes-men, regional people and some disgruntle elements in the system; will capitalize on the undue advantage to deplete our national treasury.

This has always been the case with our elite, personal problem will be made national problem, not enough, it will be manipulated in such an uglier manner and continue to distort and steal from our resources, simply because, we have much to throw away as predicated by the nature and manner, the leadership mange our resources with reckless abandonment. There was indeed, civil war in this country in order to satisfy tribal sentiment, June 12 was annulled in this country in order to satisfy select few political interests and now, throw-backs were recruited and sponsored in order to settle scores and execute personal political project that has now, turned round to be a national calamity.

Unfortunately, the docility, insincerity or all of our leadership made it easier for these people to cheat on the simple majority, the common phrase; is peace and unity as the only way-forward to progress, growth and development. One ponder, where punishing offenders for crime of whatever magnitude against the state, no matter how highly placed he/they are, becomes another crime or likely, hampers peaceful co-existence of the country. It’s only in this part of the world, leadership is personalize as if one is administering his personal enclave, our money will be extravagantly squandered, our collective patrimony will be recklessly misused or turn into a personal property, the less privileged left at the peril of harsh reality to fend for their living while, the few opportune and their immediate family, swims in opulence from the resources of all.

Obviously, this kind of rubbish has been in existence for decades in our body system and that no doubt, constitutes the menace and albatross to the growth and development of all aspects of our national life. Only and unless, we have or ensure the emergence of leaders that are knowledgeable enough, understood our nature and political terrain of the country as well, have the courage and liver to squarely and holistically face head-on any person or group of persons that constitutes a nuisance to removing this country from endless crudeness, timidity and cogmire, else, we will continue to be at the periphery of underdevelopment and backwardness. Leadership is all about selflessness, sincerity and honesty, matching words with action within the constitutional powers conferred on the lead not the unnecessary and persistent calls and appeals as is the order today.

Ever since after the demised of our falling heroes, this country is yet or was never allowed to produce a patriot with the nationalistic zeal, fearless, tenacious and sincere enough, to redirect, reconstruct and rebuild this battered nation that was indeed, the handwork of the leaders that came after them. Nations are moving forward at the international, continental and sub-regional level, handful examples are: the Asian tigers, Botswana, Ghana, even war ravaging Sierra-Leone. But, Nigeria, the so called giant of Africa cannot fixed its election correctly, more to think of the polity itself, economy and all other aspects of our social life as a people, which was as a result of the insincerity, selfishness and complete failure on the part of our political/ruling class.

Primordial sentiment apart, another point of note, worrisome and some level of alertness and caution must be expedite, the existing system, consciously, sub or otherwise, has built or better put it, promoted regional bigotry that would probably, begets another national problem; the creation of the ministry for the Niger Delta . With due respect to Niger Deltans, methink, it’s unnecessary, a waste and duplication of effort, NDDC, should have been properly funded; ensure accountability and judicious utilization of the appropriated resources.

The danger is, if in the future, any of the regions happens to by commission or otherwise, becomes a major contributor to the national treasury, no leader can stop it from agitating for a ministry and, that will inevitably, hamper national unity. If truly, we want to embrace federal structure as enshrined in our laws, let’s sincerely implement it as specified by the same laws. There is no part of this country or state that is not potentially endowed, by so doing; it will greatly help us to overcome our economic despondence and dependent on single digit economic policy or mono-productive economy.

And now that the amnesty package has been discovered as a workable tool for poverty eradication or alleviation for the teeming unemployed youth and has equally becomes not only a moral but also a material commitment on the federal government, similar generosity and gestures should be extended beyond the boundaries of Niger Delta region. There is no federating unit, geo-political zone or region in this country today that does not harbour a galaxy of these used and dumped political miscreants.