Nigeria is a nation where the truth is bitter and hated by those in authority, in some instances the truth is apprehended and even jailed to rot.
The truth antagonizes those in power who love lies and sycophantic Palace jesters. That's why the politician and their boot lickers do all within their power suppress the truth. If not, the Niger Delta sigma could have been cured long ago.
There is Niger Delta Avengers today because the authority used force instead of dialogue to suppress Issac Boro. There was Issac Boro because the Federal Government neglected the sufferings and environmental violations of the Niger Deltan Areas. There was Ken Saro Wiwa because Issac Boro was not listened to, there was Asari Dokubo because Saro Wiwa was brutally murdered. There was Niger Delta militants because Odi was forcefully and violently levelled.
Today, we are battling with the Niger Delta Avengers because out profit and bask on the delusionary succor that we can use brut force to suppress the truth and deny the Niger Deltans the benefits of the oil in their own land.
As far as you keep on using force to try and suppress the truth, the truth like the sun, will always emerge at its due time in ever new dawn. No amount of violent brut force can ever blanket the truth. Trying to use any form of violence to suppress the Niger Delta Avengers is to live a lie. Violence begets violence. Any bomb any part of Niger Delta because of Avengers is to create more dangerous and deadly avengers tomorrow.
From the last census, there are over 21million South-south people and am sure the avengers are not up to 100 or give and take 1,000 in number. You cannot start destroying villages, communities, homes and farmlands of millions of innocent people because of the activities of few.
The truth is that without social injustice that has been going on over the years against the oil producing zones, there would have been no Niger Delta Avengers. Looking at Chevron and other oil companies that has been operating in the Niger Delta Region for over 40 years and for these 40years, while the people watch, there's no single day their terminals have gone without electricity. They live like kings in the mist of poverty while their host communities and villages are in darkness and lack basic amenities like portable drinking water, schools, hospitals, roads over the years. And looking at the level of infrastructural developments going on in Lagos, Abuja and other places from the oil from the Niger Deltans zone. One might atimes have reasons to justify the Niger Avengers anger towards the entire Nigerian system.
The federal government over the years has used force instead of dialogue to suppress the Isaac Boro offsprings and from all indications gun power cannot stop the bleeding heart of the people who's natural resources has been powering this nation.
Any home bombed produces a bitter child marking his or her time for revenge. Any community hit produces another club of militants who are ready to die in revenge. Any state attacked produces more avengers.
This is 21st Century not 1960. The arrogance of our leaders towards the Niger Deltans is outdated. For Christ sake these people have woken up to the realization of the reality of today. Time is gone when they fold their hands, live in poverty and lack of basic things and watch their oil change forest like Abuja into the fastest developing city in the world.
Which ever way you look at it, this oil belongs to them and they have every right to benefit big time from it. One Nigeria or not, it's their environment that the oil exploration is destroying. So, any reasonable person will see that to a reasonable extend, they are justified in seeking a reversal of these ugly situations.
In the order hand, while the Niger Delta Avengers anger towards the discriminations against their people led to their picking up arms. They should equally consider the fact that all their struggles is for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta. If they refuse dialogue and continue on the path of war and it brings about the bombing of our people, villages, towns and cities there's no single benefit therein to the people.
Let's go for this cease fire negotiation and bring all our reasonable demands on the table. It is only this that will show the world that the Avengers are not a bunch of criminals as being projected in some circles who are looking for pipeline protection contracts. But, rather a group of courageous people who decided to sacrifice themselves to fight for the purpose of developing their communities.
A big opportunity have presented itself that will save lives, destruction and enhance development of Niger Delta. Let's once again test the sincerity of the Federal Government on the Niger Delta issue.
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