MEND targets Julius Berger
MEND has upped the ante by threatening Julius Berger in Abuja, following on from last week's crash in town. Article here.
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12 comments:
I hate the violence, but I have to say that MEND has a point with the issue of military presence in the Niger-Delta.
If there is something that troubles me greatly anytime I am in Warri, it is seeing all those road blocks, sand bags and military igbo smoking men.
I doubt if the rest of Nigeria knows how it feels like having the military everywhere you go.
Especially for children, its very scary....how can that be a normal way to grow up? To live in constant insecurity? It is awful... when I had to go to the salon once...after counting 6 road blocks half-way on my short journey, I felt so defeated by my environment, making my hair seemed the most stupid thing to do...I went back home....and that is what the people of the Niger-Delta are subjected to daily...I do not know how this is going to play out, definitely, they are taking it to a whole different level...but at the same time, its very hard to get people to understand the circumstances people are living under.
I am sick of asking the same question, what are we still waiting for? All these meetings, summits... why is it only the people that live down there that feels the sense of urgency with this situation? Is everybody in the Niger-Delta panicking for no reason? People are nervous, anxious...and Nigeria sleeps. A friend of mine told me recently that I am panicking over nothing...nothing is going to happen.
Sigh.
Is President Yardy really clueless about what to do about the Niger Delta Crisis?
For months after he assumed office I had solid hope- not that he would solve everything, but that steps would be taken towards the right direction- but now all i see is how clueless he is and how most of other Nigerians seem to have a "Them and We" attitude towards the crisis. What you get is the sense of the general inconvenience and trouble this is causing. As if the attention being offered is benevolence.
I dont understand MEND. I dont know if they are fighting for Cause- the development of the Niger Delta. I do not trust them too. But I like the attention they have brought to the Niger Delta.
Nigeria could seize this time and do something about the complex problem of the Niger delta { and does it have to take only conventions and inventing new names for new commissions?}
I resent this smell of terror.
I began resenting President Yardy greatly after his visit with Gordon Brown.
All I want to say is he is the damn President, he should do something. That is what we have leaders for.
Jaja and Waffarian, what do you guys propose is done about the Niger-Delta? All I hear is complaints, complaints and more complaints about what is being done, but what do you suggest as a workable strategy?
Surely, it can't be violence?
You have a voice. We have a voice. How about coming up with an educated solution and having it published or something?
Sorry if my tone is 'somehow' but the young generation of Nigeria need to start pitching in instead of complaining, complaining and complaining. Let's kick start the change we want to see.
Waffarian,
Do you prefer that our dear friend Jeremy be kidnapped before you see the sense in it? If they hear say him get PhD, na 1 Billion naira dem go collect.
Why didn't u come into the world as a German expatriate and be kidnapped to know wassup?
Been there, done that. cash will change hands and everyone will be happy.
@generation x: ah ah! me, I don write my own reform plan tey tey na!oya make you go read am for here hehehehehehe:
http://waffysarticles-waffarian.blogspot.com/2008/01/reform-plan-for-niger-delta.html:
wey you read that one finish ehn, you fit read all the rest ones for there...but if you no get time ehn, i get one tiny column for guardian, the name na "THIS MY COUNTRY"...na every sunday dem dey publish am...u fit dey read some of my complains plus small small suggestions for there but I agree say my complains dey pass my suggestions...I go improve...
@anthony: heheheheh abeg, no kill me with laughter for here...chei...the kain things wey person dey hear...what exactly is your point?
@Waffarian - Some of my colleagues were talking about the cancer called Niger-Delta and someone asked why the military didn't just wipe them all out like they did in Odi. No one was able to say anything after that.
I guess the lives of evil-meaning militants sabotaging national infrastructure is dearer than those of the soldiers abi? When they kill the soldiers, well they were born to die. But when the soldiers take military action against them, then they are killing innocent civilians se?
Whatever Umar does to the situation is ok by me, as long as it's a step at curbing their activities. It's better than doing nothing. So I don't encourage people talking down on his actions.
@Anthony:
"Whatever Umar does to the situation is ok by me, as long as it's a step at curbing their activities"
How can you support "whatever"? Thats why Nigeria is the way it is because of this "whatever" attitude. We need a long lasting solution, not a solution that will "curb" activities for the mean time.
Before I even begin to argue further with you, I'll have to ask, have you ever been to any of the oil producing communities? Cos I find that it is totally useless arguing with people who have never been there.
How is is easier to fight with militants than build a road? or a school? or a clinic? how in the word is it so much easier to do that? To spend money and time on bullets and warfare is so much easier?
We have the money, why is nothing being done? The biggest thing that has happened in Warri in 30 years is "osubi airport"...oh right, that was built by shell right?
What do we have to lose by investing in education? What do we have to lose by investing in sports? but no, its so HARD.
By the way, the military just attempted to "find" militants in Agge....but please, do not be bothered...you do not know anybody there right? You are not the one spending your nights phoning friends and relatives hoping everybody is alright.
Yes, "whatever" is what is killing us...
@High Chief Waffarian - vre do!
I will agree with you if two things happen:
1. Militants don't go about kidnapping anyone doing anything different from oil, like building roads and other stuffs. So when the govt wants to build roads, it's the militants who will, obviously, ensure it won't happen by kidnapping the whiteys.
2. Why not tell governors, local government chairmen and community leaders to publish how much they have received so far from the derivation and what they have used them for. We do not need a seer to tell us that the 'seemingly few billions' they have collected have ended up in private pockets. Alams is a typo. Abi the monies those ppl share were not meant for roads, clincs et al? Niger-Delta is not immune to corruption, you know. She's part of Nigeria.
And why for heaven's sake will I go to that region for any reason? Have you not realised that I, like my two brothers, am an albino? We actually look so white that under cover of darkness, we could be kidnapped.
If the militants don't want the military to strike their community, it's very simple. They should look for ways of seeking redress without killing soldiers.
And have you noticed that these militants don't have one body? There's no way there can be a round-table where government will sit with militants and have a talk on 'way forward' cause they all cannot be represented.
My friend Onyokoko (who lives in PH) on his own is a militant. If he wakes up one day and he needs some money, he'll try to kidnap me, truce or no truce. His militant group consists of only himself and his pot-belly.
So what do you suggest is the way forward?
@Anthony:
"If the militants don't want the military to strike their community, it's very simple. They should look for ways of seeking redress without killing soldiers".
The important word there is "community" Anthony...it is the ordinary man that suffers not the militants.
It is always the ordinary man that suffers.It does not matter if it is the militants or the government that strikes...it is the child that was supposed to be in class that morning that can not leave the house because of "unrest".
By the way, are you trying to tell me that it is only "whiteys" that can build roads, clinics and schools? Are you trying to say that Nigerians are not in the construction business?I bet there would be no kidnapping if the Nigerian government fund such projects themselves and employed people from the affected regions. They should leave the oil companies out of it...perhaps that can be a solution? abi, dem go kidnap their own brothers?
Obviously, the Niger-Delta is a hot bed of corruption...anybody will tell you that. Is that not why we are in the shit we are in today? Because while everybody was busy enjoying "oil money", the people were forgotton?
As I have suggested many times before, things have to happen. Let the people see that the government is serious...if the militants do not allow you to build in one area, build in the area that you are allowed to. It is not every community that is infested with militants. There are many places that the government can still make a significant difference to the lives of the people and it has nothing to do with "oil money".
Regardless of if the Niger-Delta had oil or not, should we not have roads and water? Are there not places in Nigeria that are developed despite the fact that they have no natural resources?
They are many projects the government can start without being disrupted by the militants. When the people see other communities enjoying the amenities that they are fighting so hard for, my guess is they would turn the militants in themselves.For example how about giving us light huh? we go for weeks without light in warri...and no...we do not have any militants kidnapping NEPA(or whatever it is called these days)officials.
Finally, since you have never been to any of those regions and you have no intention of going there, you can not possibly understand the level of rot I am talking about.
I'd love for nothing more than an Odi-style beat-down for the Niger Delta. Since the West appears to be on the side of the Feds (Inshallah!), I hope we can drain parts of the swamps and flush out the thieves called MEND. I can't wait to see the first American war machines arrive in the Niger Delta. :-) This should be fuuuuuuuuuuun!
@ Waffy
So you mean Joseph Yobo's brother is a whitey? Abi he's not a member of the community?
Are you also saying that the mothers/fathers of the leaders of state houses of assembly that were kidnapped at various times aren't members of the community?
I'm sure that even if Goodluck relaxes his security, he shall surely be kidnapped. Isn't he a member of the community?
All these aren't whiteys ooo.
You said that there are some areas that militants don't disturb construction/infrastructure development. I totally agree with you. Infact I know some areas that no militant will dare do any such thing. That is Ijebu-Ijesha (my dear home town) in Osun State. Even if you bring all whiteys, the community will organise dinner of solid pounded yam and egusi soup with better bushmeat for as long as they want to stay. We go even dash dem some of our young ladies sef.
And by the way, who is closer to the community so they can talk to them? Is it those in Aso rock as far as Abuja or militants at your backyards? How do you expect the man from Katsina to listen to you when your militants that speak the same language can't listen to you?
How about that?
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