Militant crisis Okotie Ebor Blames Agencies

The rising of militant has been a major issue to Nigerian Government right from when the former President Obasanjo came into power in 1999.

When he started his administration the militant became more aggressive even when the struggle looks like it was for the neglected people of the Niger Delta, by the government, no doubt. But they are still reasons why we must also look at the other side of the coin which is the selfish part of the struggle, as they has always been sabotage on the region, which is prompted by a combination of factors, like the fall in standard living, and increased poverty in the region and the end of a government amnesty programme for form militants active in the 2000s.

This militant struggle has metamorphosed to
the vandalizing of oil pipelines, Kidnapping of oil staff workers, kidnaping of foreign expatriates, community destruction and unrest.

When the late former president Musa Yaradua came into power he tried all he could to harmonize the crisis in the Niger Delta, by specially inviting destructive militant to Aso Rock, by pleading with them to lay down their weapons. He also set up an amnesty program to re-absorbed the militant into the society, in other paralyze the unrest in the region.  

When President Goodluck Jonathan came into power he sticks to already existing deal with the militant on the amnesty programs which was propagated by his late predecessors President Musa Yaradua, until he left the office in 2015

When President Mohammadu Buhari came into power in 2015, he said he could no longer pay the Niger Delta Militant, their stipends. Which led to a fresh crisis in the region, as the militant has recently starts destroying Oil firms pipe lines, and oil wells of Chvron, Shell, Agip and others have been continuously destroyed.

Which has also affected Gross Domestic Product (GDP), in the Country coupled with the global fall in crude oil price, and as the country majorly depends crude exportation to finance its annual Budget. Although the crude exportation account 75 % the country’s GDP.

After so many critics the government started pleading with the Niger Delta militant, who are now called the Niger Delta Avengers. But the president is yet to meet with them on how to fine tune crisis.

Yesterday the Southern part of Delta region also witness another pipeline blast which blown up by the militant at Batan and Makarava area of Delta State. By 10:00 pm, on Monday, the military and the indigenes said.

 “The Monday night attack was an oil well head located at Makarava community, which is being operated by Chevron Nigeria Limited,”

According to Ogugu Dickson chairman of the Batan community, said “We heard three blasts at about 10:00 pm last night and this morning (Tuesday) we sent out the pipeline surveillance team to go and confirm details of the incident.”

“From findings by the team, an NPDC (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company) manifold was blown up while an NNPC (Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation) pipeline, which is about 800 metres from the manifold, was also blown up.”

A famous farmer Mr. Emmanul Okotie Ebor of the region has blamed the failure on the government developmental agencies in the region, and plead for their restructuration. He also said that the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC,have failed to achieve the reason for its establishment.

 In an interview in warri  Ebor said “All these bodies have failed the people, hence we have crisis in all parts of Niger Delta region,”

He added “To me, these developmental agencies such as NDDC, DESOPADEC and even the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs have failed all of us and I am calling for their total overhaul to meet the expectations of the people. All their actions have shown that they have failed the people. Government may not necessarily scrap them but they should be reorganised in such a way that their impact would be felt by the people unlike what we have at the moment,” he said.

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