@Jakuma,
Well said man, I appreciate your grasp of the issues.

@oyibo01
It`s so stereotypical of you to say the black man is his worse enemy. I stand by Jakuma`s assertions that we were joined together without our consent by some drunks and given a name by someones wife. What I concede to you is that the whiteman shows more purpose. They would`ve corrected this anomaly by any means necessary and done it a long time ago.

@issac boro
Despite the unfair situation, we Niger Deltans shouldn`t look at other Nigerians as enemies. Our problem is leadership even with our people. I apprediate all three tribes especially igbos and yorubas, those guys have talent like we do too. And it`s wrong to think we should shut out other Nigerians . Lots of us have benefitted from other societies, I have lived in Lagos, Benin and europe and nobody said I shouldn`t be there because I didn`t come from there but I did respect the indigenes and thats what we should demand. Our due and respect.

@everybody
Big up guys, we`ll get there, and when we do, EVERBODY is welcome!

WARRI— THERE are fresh worries in Delta State that the nine foreign oil workers kidnapped February 18 by the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) may not be freed soon with their abductors making a fresh demand of compensation on the Federal Government for the families of the villagers allegedly shot dead and injured by the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta in the three-day bombardment of Ijaw communities.

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These are no rebels these are kids with toy guns, they'll get over it when they are done playing.

these guys may be kids,but surely those guns don't seem to me to be toys.

hmmmn!!!this is evil.

?

Well, thank goodness some hostages were released. I heard about a few being released on the news; however, I'm curious to know if all of the hostages are now set free.

Only six of the nine hostages were released. They are "low valued" according to the militants so they have to let them go.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/01/AR2006030101153.html?nav=rss_world/africa

@Demmy

this is not ordinary toy gun demmy. I think this is the beginnig of riot in year 2007. Where this people get all the amunitions from? I am scared ooo, but I pray that everything will be settled,

They get these amunitions by stealing oil and selling it in the black market. There is some speculation that governors like Alameigheseigha are also sponsiring these groups. Governor Alams recently offered to help with the current hostage crisis if released fro prison!

Well, well, well--- I was only away for a couple days and look what has happened!?

mingi14 and all the others who were so quick to jump on board and label me racist, or posting on the forum with racist undertones, all you have done is shown yourselves up as racist or possibly suffering from an inferiority complex because of your skin colour! Why is it always a damned colour issue?!?

Correct me if I am wrong, but did I say it is because a black man has been running South Africa since 1994 that all is falling apart I definitely did not! So why did you immediately jump on the "racism" train?! I was refering to the corruption! Unfortunately you cannot deny it. The corruption has become rife and that, AND ONLY THAT, my friends has let to the deterioration I spoke about! If you want to put a "colour label" on it, go ahead and do it, but dont call me the racist.

Whether you want to hear it or not, I support the South African leadership, ie. ANC and have voted for them since the first democratic election in South Africa. I met with and was fortunate enough to have had tea and dinner with Mr Nelson Mandela on a few occasions too. I get upset and angry about the corruption, but will support the ANC till my dying day. The one major difference is that corrupt officials are arrested and tried in a court of law without any preferential treatment. Not even the deputy president is immune! Transparency has made this possible!

I have been in Nigeria for approximately 8 1/2yrs now and love it here. I hope to stay here for quite some time longer. I am a happily married man with a wonderful family back home and I can, with a honest and clear conscience and heart say that I have never taken advantage of Nigeria or Nigerians, including the unfortunate "students" who prostitute themselves to the shameless, disgusting expatriates that visit Nigerias shores.

Whatever your opinions about me, I do not really care about it and would under normal circumstances not have lowered myself to having to defend myself on such pitifull allegations.

Okay, now that that is all out of the way, lets get back to the issues/topic at hand!

What happened to MEND? Have they taken a step or ten backwards? How much money did they accept to release the 6 hostages? Dont get me wrong, I am glad they were released and hope that nobody else has to experience such a traumatic ordeal. My point is just that for once everyone believed that finally here was a group that were actually going to carry out their threats (ie. further attacks on oil installations, pipelines, etc) and they could not be bought. Suprise suprise!!!

MEND have now, after releasing six of the hostages, threatened further attacks and warned all expats, oil workers, multinationals, etc, etc to get out or face their wrath, etc, etc, etc. and all that before 5 March??

MEND is not a serious group. They are extortionist 419ers with guns. They are probably sponsored by Alams and co. They'll soon realized that militancy is not a child's play.

US INTERVENTION IN NIGERIA MY FOOT! See what their intervention has done in Iraq! They simply bit more than they could chew. And you want same in Nigeria? Haba! Come off it. You dey think with your "brains" or your "anus"? Let them solve their own economic and racial wahalas and let us solve our own.

The people from the Niger Delta just want to be heard. They want their problems to be addressed. Why should the Niger Delta where the nation's wealth comes from be soooo under developed? It is immensely painful to see such. Alot of people on this forum may blab and talk but they have never been there to see for themselves. I know a small village called "OMADINO" in delta state which hardly has a sane building on it but alot is drained from it by the country, Haba! If those people vex, them get reason to. How can you take, take, take and not give back?

Fine,we have alot of greedy leader,who prefer to fill their pockets and neglect the masses, shouldn't this be addressed? EFCC! EFCC!! EFCC!!! Bulls! BullS!! BULLS**T! Who are they decieving? Me?

Now nine workers were kidnapped and it takes the headlines. A hungry man is an Angry man! If the lives of the people in the Niger Delta is not taken seriously,the kidnaps will continue. Helicopters every where in place of birds in the sky (laughs) how ironic! You cannot shut the mouths of the people.They only way you can is to address their situations in a proper manner. Blood begeths blood! The dialogue should continue, not fire for fire. And this time, dialogues backed with actions. They people need to see improvements, only then and then will they be consoled.