By: Salisu Suleiman

I am Nigeria. I have millions of acres of arable land and billions of cubic litres of water, but I cannot feed myself. So I spend $1 billion to import rice and another $2 billion to import milk. I produce rice, but don’t eat it. I have 60 million cattle but no milk. I am hungry, please re-brand me.

I drive the latest cars in the world but have no roads. I lose family and friends everyday on roads for which funds have been looted. I lose my young, my old, and my most brainy and productive people to the potholes, craters and crevasses they travel on everyday. I am in permanent mourning, please re-brand me.

My school has no teacher and my classroom has no roof. I take lecture notes through the window and live with 15 others in a single room. All my professors have gone abroad, and the rest are awaiting visas. I am a university graduate, but I am illiterate. I want a future, please re-brand me.

Malaria, typhoid and many other preventable diseases send me to hospitals which have no doctors, no medicines and no power. So my wife gives birth with candle light and surgery is performed by quacks. All the nurses have gone abroad and the rest are waiting to go also. I have the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world and future generations are dying before me. I am hopeless, hapless and helpless, please re-brand me.

I wanted change so I stood all day long to cast my vote. But even before I could vote, the results had been announced. When I dared to speak out, silence was enthroned by bullets. My rulers are my oppressors, and my policemen are my terrors. I am ruled by men in mufti, but I am not a democracy. I have no verve, no vote, no voice, please re-brand me.

I have 50 million youths with no jobs, no present and no future. So my sons in the North have become street urchins and his brothers in the South have become militants. My nephews die of thirst in the Sahara and his cousins drown in the waters of the Mediterranean. My daughters walk the streets of Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, while her sisters parade the streets of Rome and Amsterdam. I am inconsolable, please re-brand me.

My people cannot sleep at night and cannot relax by day. They cannot use ATM machines, nor use cheques. My children sleep through staccato of AK 47s see through the mist of tear gas. The leaders have looted everything on the ground and below. They walk the land with haughty strides and fly the skies with private jets. They have stolen the future of generations yet unborn and have money they cannot spend in several lifetimes, but their brothers die of hunger. I want justice, please re-brand me.

I can produce anything, but import everything. So my toothpick is made in China; my toothpaste is made in South Africa; my salt is made in Ghana; my butter is made in Ireland; my milk is made in Holland; my shoe is made in Italy; my vegetable oil is made in Malaysia; my biscuit is made in Indonesia; my chocolate is made in Turkey and my table water made in France. My taste is far-flung and foreign, please re-brand me.

My people are cancerous from the greed of their friends who bleach palm oil with chemicals; my children died because they drank ‘My Pikin’ with NAFDAC numbers; my poor die because kerosene explodes in their faces; my land is dead because all the trees have been cut down; flood kills my people yearly because the drainages are clogged; my fishes are dead because the oil companies dump waste in my rivers; my communities are vanishing into the huge yawns of gully erosion, and nothing is being done. My livelihood is in jeopardy, and I am in the uttermost depths of despondence, please re-brand me.

I have genuine leather but choose to eat it. So I spend a billion dollars to import fake leather. I have four refineries, but prefer to import fuel, so I waste more billions to import petrol. I have no security in my country, but would rather send troops to keep the peace in another man’s land. I have 160 dams, but can not get water to drink, so I buy ‘pure’ water that roils my innards. I have a million children waiting to enter universities, but my ivory dungeons can only take a tenth. I have no power, but choose to flare gas, so my people have learnt to see in the dark and stare at the glare of naked flares. I have no direction, please re-brand me.

My people pray to God every morning and every night, but commit every crime known to man because re-branded identities will never alter the tunes of inbred rhythms. Just as the drums of heritage heralds the frenzied jingles, remember - the Nigerian soul can only be Nigerian - fighting free from the cold embrace of a government that has no spring, no sense, no shame. So we watch the possessed, frenzied dance, drenched in silent tears as freedom is locked up in democracy’s empty cellars. I need guidance, please re-brand me.

But then, why can I not simply be me, without being re-branded? Or does my complexion cloud the color of my character? Does my location limit the lengths my liberty? Does the spirit of my conviction shackle my soul? Does my mien maim the mine of my mind? And is this life worth re-branding? I am not yet born, please re-brand me.

This is cool men. I love it

brilliant, I need to share with sum other Nigeria that are not on this site

Oh ! what a piece.

mmm nice one there but may yahoo yahoo boyz no c dis one oooo.cos dem go readjust and rewrite the exponential palacy(chei)

Anothere Good Article, but very much differs from my own idea of solving the Niger delta / Nigeria problem

The End Game: MEND Versus Federal Republic Of Nigeria
Written by Dr. Olusola Osineye

The only game I have ever taken any deep interest in is chess. I also follow football but more out of the necessity to keep informed with the most popular game on earth. Chess is probably the only game that requires at least an average intelligence quotient (IQ) for you to be able to participate; but then you will not enjoy it because it will be quite a struggle comprehending what is going on. Little wonder why it attracts students and professionals in fields like medicine, law, engineering and so on.

I can still recollect, with nostalgia, couple of years back when all the best chess players in Nigeria used to converge in LUTH, Idi-Araba to play blitz-which can aptly be described as speed chess. There was the only International Master in Nigeria then, Tola Akintola; I cannot forget the genius, Odion, the fastest chess player in Nigeria (national blitz champion) who later became an international master by drawing with a Russian GM at the world chess Olympiads. Others include, Dashe, Bimbo Adelaja, Martin Odum, Okechukwu Iwu (No relation of the dim-witted, rogue, Maurice Iwu of INEC). Okey Iwu, now a US- based cardiologist; he was a year ahead of Odum and I. Odum Martin is based in Nigeria practising medicine

Although the game of chess originated in India, the Russians (USSR) have been far more successful compared with other chess-playing nations ever since they have their first contact with the game in the 9 th century AD.

Interestingly, the known Russian chess players of the past were high-ranking military officers, the ruling class or the bourgeois. Notable amongst them were, Ivan IV “the terrible,” Sergey Urusov (1827-1897), who later became a Major General in the Russian army and also had a chess opening named after him – Urusov Gambit. Carl Jaenisch (born in 1838) was a major in the Russian army and was credited to have written many books on chess openings; Nikolai Krylenko (1885-1938) was a Russian revolutionary and Soviet jurist. He held the position of commander in chief of the Russian forces. The popular Russian champions of the 1980s and 1990s include Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov.

Cuba is another country that has a profound chess culture. The country produced one of the greatest chess champions ever, Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942). The former Cuban president Fidel Castro and his revolutionary pal Dr. Che Guevara were known to be keen enthusiasts of the game.

One thing that fascinates me about the chess game is the way it can easily be used to mirror real life situation. I would not be surprised if the interest shown by some of the men I have mentioned above goes beyond the physical chess board and the pieces.

Anyway, I was recently prompted to bring out my computer chess board again after a very long time because of the unfolding events in the Niger Delta. After a few thoughtful games, I decided to offer some advice to my brothers in the movement for the emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) who might be tempted to consider the amnesty offer recently made to them by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

In a game of chess, a well played opening would give you a better position which, if well handled, can lead to a massive advantage in the middle game. MEND played the opening game brilliantly and that is why they are now recognised by all regional bodies and even the United Nations. MEND is the officially recognised body that can speak on behalf of the long-suffering masses of the Niger Delta region. In my opinion, the hope of all the suffering masses in the whole country might actually rest on the activities of MEND.

The achievements of MEND arguably dwarf all previous attempts by any known ethnic group within the country to bring the FGN to recognise the injustices that have been committed against the masses by the irredeemably hopeless ruling class. The Igbos have tried with very little success; June 12 was another injustice against the Yorubas. The Hausa/Fulani hegemony continued to terrorise the Christians of Southern Kaduna; the issues in Plateau state continued to be a festering sore. These are just a few. NADECO and later PRONACO have continued to plead that the country needs a sovereign national conference, but the FGN doesn’t see them as a potent threat. The OPC and Bakassi are just tribal nonsense with no real impact on the activities of the thieving politicians.

The chess game between MEND and the government of Nigeria entered the middle game and suddenly things changed. Criminality entered the struggle; and there were kidnappings for ransom while some militants were engaged in outright armed robbery. Some were even used by the political class as thugs to rig elections. At this point, MEND had thrown away all the advantages that they had at the opening of the game. They lost so much goodwill and divided the whole nation. Some saw them as criminals while others still identified with the struggle. I belong to the latter group.

Similarly, in the game of chess you can lose your opening advantages either because you did not realise you had one or because you lack the skill and wherewithal to exploit it. Anyhow, at that point what usually happens is called equality, with the game looking increasingly like a draw. That was exactly what happened when criminality took over the struggle in the Niger Delta. In fact, the FGN came out better in the middle game and were looking forward to finish off MEND. That was a mistake!

In chess, an obvious advantage can actually be a fluke because if you lack a very deep understanding of the game it might be a grievous error to go for a kill on the back of an isolated gain. A good chess master would rather accumulate the advantages and wait for the enemy to self-destruct.

The government of Nigeria and their posse of advisers spotted a fluke isolated advantage and went for the jugular of MEND by ordering a full attack on the militants with no considerations whatsoever for the defenceless women and children in that region. One of the members of the ruling class even suggested the extermination of twenty million Niger Deltans. Meanwhile, their own wives and children are all over America and Europe shopping and enjoying the money that came from the Niger Delta. The Nigerian ruling class are the most callous set of human beings that I have ever read about. The Khmer Rouge of Vietnam, in my opinion, came a distant second. Anyhow the last move by the government automatically drew the battle line for the end-game.

Maybe it is me, but has anyone noticed the grave silence from all the other ethnic groups, including PRONACO, that have issues with the way things are in the country? It was exactly the same during the BIAFRA; all the other groups suddenly developed mutism; while others gave their tacit support to the murderous regimes in power at the time. Only one political party, Action Congress, has been consistent in their criticism of the actions of the government. The Nigerian press gave more space to the reported R. Kelly gig that took place in South Africa.

MEND got battered in the middle game and entered the end game badly bruised and realised that the game might be coming to an abrupt end. However, in chess, your opponent becomes more deadly when the game seemed to be coming to an unexpected end. That is when he becomes calmer and therefore able to think and see better. The government was coasting to an easy win when suddenly MEND discovered the age-long move - “kamikaze!”

The kamikaze were suicide attacks used by the Japanese in World War II against the allied forces. The kamikaze pilots would attempt to intentionally crash their aircrafts - which are often filled with explosives and bombs - into allied ships. In the game of chess, kamikaze are form of gambits, sacrifices which you make to force your opponent to lose concentration and cede to you some of the advantages he might have previously gained.

MEND’s strategy shifted from taking what rightly belongs to them to sabotaging oil installations in the Niger Delta. How could this move possibly benefit the Niger Delta? No, it wouldn’t but then it is also not in the interest of Abuja to not have any income to run the affairs of the state; or better still to not have any money to steal.

The gambit worked! The government of President Yar’Adua panicked; and this was too obvious to even a primary school pupil. Overnight MEND had achieved what no other ethnic group had been able to since Nigeria became independent in 1960. The government suddenly started brandishing an olive branch - N50.0 billion amnesty offer. What kind of amnesty offer is that? A committee was hurriedly set up to work out modalities for the programme, but MEND continued to weaken the government’s position by destroying more pipelines. I am loving this game! I have a feeling those boys in the creek are enjoying the game too. Interestingly, some so-called militants have started showing up from nowhere claiming they are ready to take the government’s offer. My fellow Nigerians, these are the real criminals behind the kidnappings, raping and all other atrocities. Only criminals take up amnesty; revolutionaries either achieve what they set out to do- which is fairness and justice for everybody- or are defeated or die in the course of the struggle. Criminals on the other hand take up amnesty offer. BIAFRA never took any amnesty offer - It was a no victor, no vanquished outcome.

In my last article titled: Nigerians: The Happiest People And The Most Stupid, a lot of the comments asked me to proffer solution rather than moaning about the decay in the country. Well, the MEND issue and the fact that the government is badly wounded now, is my only answer. If we lose this opportunity to hammer the government into a state of total stupor, we might never have another chance in my lifetime. MEND had exposed the underbelly of the Nigerian government. They are a bunch of thieves and would do anything to keep the oil flowing.

MEND should continue to sabotage the oil installations until our output reaches zero. They don’t have too many choices anyway. Nigerians that seek justice, fairness and a country that they can be proud of must continue to support MEND in whatever way they can. I hope Gbomo Jomo, the spokesperson of MEND reads Sahara reporters and NVS. Palestine authorities have clandestine ways of raising money from Palestinian citizens all over the world; same goes for other organizations all over the world.

MEND is recognised worldwide for their struggle against the forces of darkness. MEND should also know that there are many Nigerian groups in Diaspora who are ready to send regular donations in hard currencies to them. They should get in touch with the different platforms like Sahara-Reporters and NVS – on these sites are people who support the struggle. They should just give the words and the money will roll in-tens, twenties, fifties - dollars and pounds. Fifty pounds monthly would not hurt a lot of Nigerians in Diaspora who believe in the struggle to free Nigeria from the shackles of oppression.

This is the end-game so MEND should expect all sorts of illegal tactics from a wounded government. Like in a game of chess, MEND must hold their nerves, remain calm, double check every single move, wait, wait and wait even more, until the government is completely haemorrhaged to death. Then out of the carcasses of the old Nigeria a new Nigeria will emerge where all the different nationalities will decide over a round table how they want to live together. MEND should realise that they are carrying the hopes of over one-hundred and forty million Nigerians who are too scared and have been cowed into living like dogs in their country. When ‘blood oil’ stops flowing and there is no more free money to steal, the present blood-stained Nigerian state will die naturally.

A Good read, but very much differ from my own idea and believe of how to end the Niger Delta issue.


The End Game: MEND Versus Federal Republic Of Nigeria
Written by Dr. Olusola Osineye

The only game I have ever taken any deep interest in is chess. I also follow football but more out of the necessity to keep informed with the most popular game on earth. Chess is probably the only game that requires at least an average intelligence quotient (IQ) for you to be able to participate; but then you will not enjoy it because it will be quite a struggle comprehending what is going on. Little wonder why it attracts students and professionals in fields like medicine, law, engineering and so on.

I can still recollect, with nostalgia, couple of years back when all the best chess players in Nigeria used to converge in LUTH, Idi-Araba to play blitz-which can aptly be described as speed chess. There was the only International Master in Nigeria then, Tola Akintola; I cannot forget the genius, Odion, the fastest chess player in Nigeria (national blitz champion) who later became an international master by drawing with a Russian GM at the world chess Olympiads. Others include, Dashe, Bimbo Adelaja, Martin Odum, Okechukwu Iwu (No relation of the dim-witted, rogue, Maurice Iwu of INEC). Okey Iwu, now a US- based cardiologist; he was a year ahead of Odum and I. Odum Martin is based in Nigeria practising medicine

Although the game of chess originated in India, the Russians (USSR) have been far more successful compared with other chess-playing nations ever since they have their first contact with the game in the 9 th century AD.

Interestingly, the known Russian chess players of the past were high-ranking military officers, the ruling class or the bourgeois. Notable amongst them were, Ivan IV “the terrible,” Sergey Urusov (1827-1897), who later became a Major General in the Russian army and also had a chess opening named after him – Urusov Gambit. Carl Jaenisch (born in 1838) was a major in the Russian army and was credited to have written many books on chess openings; Nikolai Krylenko (1885-1938) was a Russian revolutionary and Soviet jurist. He held the position of commander in chief of the Russian forces. The popular Russian champions of the 1980s and 1990s include Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov.

Cuba is another country that has a profound chess culture. The country produced one of the greatest chess champions ever, Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942). The former Cuban president Fidel Castro and his revolutionary pal Dr. Che Guevara were known to be keen enthusiasts of the game.

One thing that fascinates me about the chess game is the way it can easily be used to mirror real life situation. I would not be surprised if the interest shown by some of the men I have mentioned above goes beyond the physical chess board and the pieces.

Anyway, I was recently prompted to bring out my computer chess board again after a very long time because of the unfolding events in the Niger Delta. After a few thoughtful games, I decided to offer some advice to my brothers in the movement for the emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) who might be tempted to consider the amnesty offer recently made to them by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

In a game of chess, a well played opening would give you a better position which, if well handled, can lead to a massive advantage in the middle game. MEND played the opening game brilliantly and that is why they are now recognised by all regional bodies and even the United Nations. MEND is the officially recognised body that can speak on behalf of the long-suffering masses of the Niger Delta region. In my opinion, the hope of all the suffering masses in the whole country might actually rest on the activities of MEND.

The achievements of MEND arguably dwarf all previous attempts by any known ethnic group within the country to bring the FGN to recognise the injustices that have been committed against the masses by the irredeemably hopeless ruling class. The Igbos have tried with very little success; June 12 was another injustice against the Yorubas. The Hausa/Fulani hegemony continued to terrorise the Christians of Southern Kaduna; the issues in Plateau state continued to be a festering sore. These are just a few. NADECO and later PRONACO have continued to plead that the country needs a sovereign national conference, but the FGN doesn’t see them as a potent threat. The OPC and Bakassi are just tribal nonsense with no real impact on the activities of the thieving politicians.

The chess game between MEND and the government of Nigeria entered the middle game and suddenly things changed. Criminality entered the struggle; and there were kidnappings for ransom while some militants were engaged in outright armed robbery. Some were even used by the political class as thugs to rig elections. At this point, MEND had thrown away all the advantages that they had at the opening of the game. They lost so much goodwill and divided the whole nation. Some saw them as criminals while others still identified with the struggle. I belong to the latter group.

Similarly, in the game of chess you can lose your opening advantages either because you did not realise you had one or because you lack the skill and wherewithal to exploit it. Anyhow, at that point what usually happens is called equality, with the game looking increasingly like a draw. That was exactly what happened when criminality took over the struggle in the Niger Delta. In fact, the FGN came out better in the middle game and were looking forward to finish off MEND. That was a mistake!

In chess, an obvious advantage can actually be a fluke because if you lack a very deep understanding of the game it might be a grievous error to go for a kill on the back of an isolated gain. A good chess master would rather accumulate the advantages and wait for the enemy to self-destruct.

The government of Nigeria and their posse of advisers spotted a fluke isolated advantage and went for the jugular of MEND by ordering a full attack on the militants with no considerations whatsoever for the defenceless women and children in that region. One of the members of the ruling class even suggested the extermination of twenty million Niger Deltans. Meanwhile, their own wives and children are all over America and Europe shopping and enjoying the money that came from the Niger Delta. The Nigerian ruling class are the most callous set of human beings that I have ever read about. The Khmer Rouge of Vietnam, in my opinion, came a distant second. Anyhow the last move by the government automatically drew the battle line for the end-game.

Maybe it is me, but has anyone noticed the grave silence from all the other ethnic groups, including PRONACO, that have issues with the way things are in the country? It was exactly the same during the BIAFRA; all the other groups suddenly developed mutism; while others gave their tacit support to the murderous regimes in power at the time. Only one political party, Action Congress, has been consistent in their criticism of the actions of the government. The Nigerian press gave more space to the reported R. Kelly gig that took place in South Africa.

MEND got battered in the middle game and entered the end game badly bruised and realised that the game might be coming to an abrupt end. However, in chess, your opponent becomes more deadly when the game seemed to be coming to an unexpected end. That is when he becomes calmer and therefore able to think and see better. The government was coasting to an easy win when suddenly MEND discovered the age-long move - “kamikaze!”

The kamikaze were suicide attacks used by the Japanese in World War II against the allied forces. The kamikaze pilots would attempt to intentionally crash their aircrafts - which are often filled with explosives and bombs - into allied ships. In the game of chess, kamikaze are form of gambits, sacrifices which you make to force your opponent to lose concentration and cede to you some of the advantages he might have previously gained.

MEND’s strategy shifted from taking what rightly belongs to them to sabotaging oil installations in the Niger Delta. How could this move possibly benefit the Niger Delta? No, it wouldn’t but then it is also not in the interest of Abuja to not have any income to run the affairs of the state; or better still to not have any money to steal.

The gambit worked! The government of President Yar’Adua panicked; and this was too obvious to even a primary school pupil. Overnight MEND had achieved what no other ethnic group had been able to since Nigeria became independent in 1960. The government suddenly started brandishing an olive branch - N50.0 billion amnesty offer. What kind of amnesty offer is that? A committee was hurriedly set up to work out modalities for the programme, but MEND continued to weaken the government’s position by destroying more pipelines. I am loving this game! I have a feeling those boys in the creek are enjoying the game too. Interestingly, some so-called militants have started showing up from nowhere claiming they are ready to take the government’s offer. My fellow Nigerians, these are the real criminals behind the kidnappings, raping and all other atrocities. Only criminals take up amnesty; revolutionaries either achieve what they set out to do- which is fairness and justice for everybody- or are defeated or die in the course of the struggle. Criminals on the other hand take up amnesty offer. BIAFRA never took any amnesty offer - It was a no victor, no vanquished outcome.

In my last article titled: Nigerians: The Happiest People And The Most Stupid, a lot of the comments asked me to proffer solution rather than moaning about the decay in the country. Well, the MEND issue and the fact that the government is badly wounded now, is my only answer. If we lose this opportunity to hammer the government into a state of total stupor, we might never have another chance in my lifetime. MEND had exposed the underbelly of the Nigerian government. They are a bunch of thieves and would do anything to keep the oil flowing.

MEND should continue to sabotage the oil installations until our output reaches zero. They don’t have too many choices anyway. Nigerians that seek justice, fairness and a country that they can be proud of must continue to support MEND in whatever way they can. I hope Gbomo Jomo, the spokesperson of MEND reads Sahara reporters and NVS. Palestine authorities have clandestine ways of raising money from Palestinian citizens all over the world; same goes for other organizations all over the world.

MEND is recognised worldwide for their struggle against the forces of darkness. MEND should also know that there are many Nigerian groups in Diaspora who are ready to send regular donations in hard currencies to them. They should get in touch with the different platforms like Sahara-Reporters and NVS – on these sites are people who support the struggle. They should just give the words and the money will roll in-tens, twenties, fifties - dollars and pounds. Fifty pounds monthly would not hurt a lot of Nigerians in Diaspora who believe in the struggle to free Nigeria from the shackles of oppression.

This is the end-game so MEND should expect all sorts of illegal tactics from a wounded government. Like in a game of chess, MEND must hold their nerves, remain calm, double check every single move, wait, wait and wait even more, until the government is completely haemorrhaged to death. Then out of the carcasses of the old Nigeria a new Nigeria will emerge where all the different nationalities will decide over a round table how they want to live together. MEND should realise that they are carrying the hopes of over one-hundred and forty million Nigerians who are too scared and have been cowed into living like dogs in their country. When ‘blood oil’ stops flowing and there is no more free money to steal, the present blood-stained Nigerian state will die naturally.

A good read, but very much differ from my own idea of how to end the Niger Delta issue

The End Game: MEND Versus Federal Republic Of Nigeria
Written by Dr. Olusola Osineye

The only game I have ever taken any deep interest in is chess. I also follow football but more out of the necessity to keep informed with the most popular game on earth. Chess is probably the only game that requires at least an average intelligence quotient (IQ) for you to be able to participate; but then you will not enjoy it because it will be quite a struggle comprehending what is going on. Little wonder why it attracts students and professionals in fields like medicine, law, engineering and so on.

I can still recollect, with nostalgia, couple of years back when all the best chess players in Nigeria used to converge in LUTH, Idi-Araba to play blitz-which can aptly be described as speed chess. There was the only International Master in Nigeria then, Tola Akintola; I cannot forget the genius, Odion, the fastest chess player in Nigeria (national blitz champion) who later became an international master by drawing with a Russian GM at the world chess Olympiads. Others include, Dashe, Bimbo Adelaja, Martin Odum, Okechukwu Iwu (No relation of the dim-witted, rogue, Maurice Iwu of INEC). Okey Iwu, now a US- based cardiologist; he was a year ahead of Odum and I. Odum Martin is based in Nigeria practising medicine

Although the game of chess originated in India, the Russians (USSR) have been far more successful compared with other chess-playing nations ever since they have their first contact with the game in the 9 th century AD.

Interestingly, the known Russian chess players of the past were high-ranking military officers, the ruling class or the bourgeois. Notable amongst them were, Ivan IV “the terrible,” Sergey Urusov (1827-1897), who later became a Major General in the Russian army and also had a chess opening named after him – Urusov Gambit. Carl Jaenisch (born in 1838) was a major in the Russian army and was credited to have written many books on chess openings; Nikolai Krylenko (1885-1938) was a Russian revolutionary and Soviet jurist. He held the position of commander in chief of the Russian forces. The popular Russian champions of the 1980s and 1990s include Anatoly Karpov and Gary Kasparov.

Cuba is another country that has a profound chess culture. The country produced one of the greatest chess champions ever, Jose Raul Capablanca (1888-1942). The former Cuban president Fidel Castro and his revolutionary pal Dr. Che Guevara were known to be keen enthusiasts of the game.

One thing that fascinates me about the chess game is the way it can easily be used to mirror real life situation. I would not be surprised if the interest shown by some of the men I have mentioned above goes beyond the physical chess board and the pieces.

Anyway, I was recently prompted to bring out my computer chess board again after a very long time because of the unfolding events in the Niger Delta. After a few thoughtful games, I decided to offer some advice to my brothers in the movement for the emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) who might be tempted to consider the amnesty offer recently made to them by the Federal Government of Nigeria.

In a game of chess, a well played opening would give you a better position which, if well handled, can lead to a massive advantage in the middle game. MEND played the opening game brilliantly and that is why they are now recognised by all regional bodies and even the United Nations. MEND is the officially recognised body that can speak on behalf of the long-suffering masses of the Niger Delta region. In my opinion, the hope of all the suffering masses in the whole country might actually rest on the activities of MEND.

The achievements of MEND arguably dwarf all previous attempts by any known ethnic group within the country to bring the FGN to recognise the injustices that have been committed against the masses by the irredeemably hopeless ruling class. The Igbos have tried with very little success; June 12 was another injustice against the Yorubas. The Hausa/Fulani hegemony continued to terrorise the Christians of Southern Kaduna; the issues in Plateau state continued to be a festering sore. These are just a few. NADECO and later PRONACO have continued to plead that the country needs a sovereign national conference, but the FGN doesn’t see them as a potent threat. The OPC and Bakassi are just tribal nonsense with no real impact on the activities of the thieving politicians.

The chess game between MEND and the government of Nigeria entered the middle game and suddenly things changed. Criminality entered the struggle; and there were kidnappings for ransom while some militants were engaged in outright armed robbery. Some were even used by the political class as thugs to rig elections. At this point, MEND had thrown away all the advantages that they had at the opening of the game. They lost so much goodwill and divided the whole nation. Some saw them as criminals while others still identified with the struggle. I belong to the latter group.

Similarly, in the game of chess you can lose your opening advantages either because you did not realise you had one or because you lack the skill and wherewithal to exploit it. Anyhow, at that point what usually happens is called equality, with the game looking increasingly like a draw. That was exactly what happened when criminality took over the struggle in the Niger Delta. In fact, the FGN came out better in the middle game and were looking forward to finish off MEND. That was a mistake!

In chess, an obvious advantage can actually be a fluke because if you lack a very deep understanding of the game it might be a grievous error to go for a kill on the back of an isolated gain. A good chess master would rather accumulate the advantages and wait for the enemy to self-destruct.

The government of Nigeria and their posse of advisers spotted a fluke isolated advantage and went for the jugular of MEND by ordering a full attack on the militants with no considerations whatsoever for the defenceless women and children in that region. One of the members of the ruling class even suggested the extermination of twenty million Niger Deltans. Meanwhile, their own wives and children are all over America and Europe shopping and enjoying the money that came from the Niger Delta. The Nigerian ruling class are the most callous set of human beings that I have ever read about. The Khmer Rouge of Vietnam, in my opinion, came a distant second. Anyhow the last move by the government automatically drew the battle line for the end-game.

Maybe it is me, but has anyone noticed the grave silence from all the other ethnic groups, including PRONACO, that have issues with the way things are in the country? It was exactly the same during the BIAFRA; all the other groups suddenly developed mutism; while others gave their tacit support to the murderous regimes in power at the time. Only one political party, Action Congress, has been consistent in their criticism of the actions of the government. The Nigerian press gave more space to the reported R. Kelly gig that took place in South Africa.

MEND got battered in the middle game and entered the end game badly bruised and realised that the game might be coming to an abrupt end. However, in chess, your opponent becomes more deadly when the game seemed to be coming to an unexpected end. That is when he becomes calmer and therefore able to think and see better. The government was coasting to an easy win when suddenly MEND discovered the age-long move - “kamikaze!”

The kamikaze were suicide attacks used by the Japanese in World War II against the allied forces. The kamikaze pilots would attempt to intentionally crash their aircrafts - which are often filled with explosives and bombs - into allied ships. In the game of chess, kamikaze are form of gambits, sacrifices which you make to force your opponent to lose concentration and cede to you some of the advantages he might have previously gained.

MEND’s strategy shifted from taking what rightly belongs to them to sabotaging oil installations in the Niger Delta. How could this move possibly benefit the Niger Delta? No, it wouldn’t but then it is also not in the interest of Abuja to not have any income to run the affairs of the state; or better still to not have any money to steal.

The gambit worked! The government of President Yar’Adua panicked; and this was too obvious to even a primary school pupil. Overnight MEND had achieved what no other ethnic group had been able to since Nigeria became independent in 1960. The government suddenly started brandishing an olive branch - N50.0 billion amnesty offer. What kind of amnesty offer is that? A committee was hurriedly set up to work out modalities for the programme, but MEND continued to weaken the government’s position by destroying more pipelines. I am loving this game! I have a feeling those boys in the creek are enjoying the game too. Interestingly, some so-called militants have started showing up from nowhere claiming they are ready to take the government’s offer. My fellow Nigerians, these are the real criminals behind the kidnappings, raping and all other atrocities. Only criminals take up amnesty; revolutionaries either achieve what they set out to do- which is fairness and justice for everybody- or are defeated or die in the course of the struggle. Criminals on the other hand take up amnesty offer. BIAFRA never took any amnesty offer - It was a no victor, no vanquished outcome.

In my last article titled: Nigerians: The Happiest People And The Most Stupid, a lot of the comments asked me to proffer solution rather than moaning about the decay in the country. Well, the MEND issue and the fact that the government is badly wounded now, is my only answer. If we lose this opportunity to hammer the government into a state of total stupor, we might never have another chance in my lifetime. MEND had exposed the underbelly of the Nigerian government. They are a bunch of thieves and would do anything to keep the oil flowing.

MEND should continue to sabotage the oil installations until our output reaches zero. They don’t have too many choices anyway. Nigerians that seek justice, fairness and a country that they can be proud of must continue to support MEND in whatever way they can. I hope Gbomo Jomo, the spokesperson of MEND reads Sahara reporters and NVS. Palestine authorities have clandestine ways of raising money from Palestinian citizens all over the world; same goes for other organizations all over the world.

MEND is recognised worldwide for their struggle against the forces of darkness. MEND should also know that there are many Nigerian groups in Diaspora who are ready to send regular donations in hard currencies to them. They should get in touch with the different platforms like Sahara-Reporters and NVS – on these sites are people who support the struggle. They should just give the words and the money will roll in-tens, twenties, fifties - dollars and pounds. Fifty pounds monthly would not hurt a lot of Nigerians in Diaspora who believe in the struggle to free Nigeria from the shackles of oppression.

This is the end-game so MEND should expect all sorts of illegal tactics from a wounded government. Like in a game of chess, MEND must hold their nerves, remain calm, double check every single move, wait, wait and wait even more, until the government is completely haemorrhaged to death. Then out of the carcasses of the old Nigeria a new Nigeria will emerge where all the different nationalities will decide over a round table how they want to live together. MEND should realise that they are carrying the hopes of over one-hundred and forty million Nigerians who are too scared and have been cowed into living like dogs in their country. When ‘blood oil’ stops flowing and there is no more free money to steal, the present blood-stained Nigerian state will die naturally.

May God help Nigeria. Too much disease with diseased leader

BLAME THE WEST THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING. FROM THE ELECTION RIGGING IN EKITI, DOWN TO THE PROBLEMS WE NOW FACE.