[Note to NLers] It's time to relax from all the Igbo vs Yoruba bickering and get familiar with a Delta man. Thank You!

Thinking about raising your kids in Delta state?

A child growing up in southern Nigeria faces countless perils. The environment is riddled with prostitution, cultism, violence, drugs, oil spills, gas-flaring, illiteracy and POVERTY. Hearing and/or seeing something that hurts you emotionally but having to pretend it doesn’t bother you is proof of emotional strength when you begin life in the region.


Two Boys Attempt To Draw Water From An Oil-Polluted River in the Niger-Delta

They say Nigerians are some of the happiest people on earth. “They” would do well to point out the basis on which their logic is built. One can endure nonsensical argument if it would logically counter the fact that this idea being bandied around is ridiculously impractical in the current climate of the country. It is little wonder that corrupt Nigerian politicians secretly hold onto this preposterous claim as a reason to maintain the status quo. Most children in the region are not truly happy as “they” would like us to think. How happy can you be when you have to contend with the harshest living conditions, a deficient food diet and the greatest inhibitor to the development of a young mind – mediocre surroundings and facilities?


Poverty and Sustainable Development in the Niger-Delta

To put things in perspective, let’s focus on Delta state. In the east, a Delta man is usually referred to as a “Warri Boy“. In the west, it’s “Omo Ibo” or “Omo Delta”. Wherever he goes, the general consensus is that Deltans are mentally sharp and not to be trifled with. Life is too short.

A typical Delta man doesn’t want a job but he wants money… Lots of money. He is lazy and promiscuous. One unique quality is the fact that educated Deltans speak good English without the trace of an accent compared to the “WaZoBia” nation i.e Yorubas, Hausas and Igbos. Most would agree that the fascinating, hard-hitting Delta Pidgin-English is widely appealing and enthralls even those who can barely make sense of it.

Growing up in Delta state means you eventually develop into an adult belonging to one of the following categories listed below:

(1) Poor. Drunk. Illegitimate children all over… Basically useless and belonging to the lowest echelon of society.


[DOMESTIC VIOLENCE] SAY NO TO WIFE BATTERING – DELTA STATE

For the sake of clarity, not all poor folks in the region are a product of their own bad decisions. Some just never had the opportunity/money/support to acquire the necessary education and skills required to achieve a better life. Coupled with environmental hazards caused by the egregious activities of oil firms that constantly deplete agricultural resources. A lesson in systematic chaos.


Flames from a Shell flow station in the Niger-Delta

(2) Responsible. Average. Working class. Middle-class. Fulfilling minimum expectations of what a Delta man is capable of.

(3) Deltans who soar to the highest heights in politics, business and industry. Shy and quiet teenagers from the region are more likely to become arrogant adults when successful.

Childhood is the most critical stage of development for every human being. It doesn’t matter whether he is shipped off to boarding school in another state, so long as his roots are firmly planted in Delta state, then the influence of the environment on an individual exponentially increases and cannot be dismissed.


Curse Of The Black Gold

No one wants to be in the first category but sometimes, laziness overcomes determination with certain individuals ultimately leading to drug use and abuse. Some fall behind in the rat race for survival and discover only when it’s too late that life is cruel if you lack the ability to buckle up and knuckle down. People like these with weak mental strength eventually succumb to the bottle. They become alcoholics, give birth to so many kids from a string of women. No money to cater properly for the children. Feeding is a struggle for the family as they get by on the bare nourishment needed for survival. Mayhem!

The middle-class category doesn’t need much to break it down. The bourgeois is overloaded with your regular hardworking Joe. I see this class as the “ordinary” category. They do what society expects of them and are just so NORMAL. Boring!

Anyone who writes about the last class of Deltans is bound to do so with a smile when you remember fallen statesmen like the former governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori and to a lesser degree Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former governor of neighboring Bayelsa state.



Glaring errors they made in governance which came behind the continuous exploitation of their greed is laughable. Cecilia Ibru and the Oceanic bank scandal is another high profile incident. Admittedly, there are Deltans who maintain their status, reputation and pedigree as leaders worth emulating. These bunch are only able to fulfill their true potential through a combination of sheer grit, determination and individual brilliance. Usually cloaked in an air of invincibility, some are capable of portraying a façade of respectability beyond a flurry of unscrupulous deeds. Intriguing!

Whenever it is, wherever you are, just remember, Delta no dey carry last!

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