Hey,if you guys are not tired of the behaviour of the youth of the Niger Delta,i am.Because their kidnappings of oil workers is not helping the Nigerian economy at all.Nigeria is losing millions of naira each time they do this.What is really their problem?because i know that in terms of employment these company have tried their best.They employ these youth who are not ready to work,they pay them the so called developmental fee and build infrastructures for their community and also give them scholarships.What else do they want?before you fight,you most know what you are fighting for.can somebody please tell me the reason they are kidnapping these foreign workers?Because other foreign investors will be afraid to come to Nigeria and invest when they hear the news of kidnappers in Nigeria.They are even killing innocent people because of what?What are they fighting for.?

Apparently, MEND is the problem and US-based carpet bombing advisors (aka anti-terror specialists) are the answer.

I'm not so sure that the Naija military authorities are so displeased that this Delta incident took place, in that it gives them that well needed upmf to get the government to swell their budget, so to allow them to get all their planes, ships, tanks and other out of commissioned equipment finally fixed, and upgraded, and to ad hundreds of millions of $ worth of state of art new equipment into their inventory.

It will also allow them to display to the world just how strong they are, give their men some real action,  so to test out just how effective the forces' training has been, and give them ground to majorly swell their ranks from the current man power of about 80,000 strong,  in which for a nation the size of Naija and with its ever growing continental responsibilities,  is significantly too low of a number!!

Some specialist suggest that the number should be in the range of 250,000 to 300,000; yet 80,000 is pretty large. That's more than what the UK has in their Military!! From now on the Military will have no expenditure problems for the foreseeable future. Also, this incident will bring into forewishing an new and improved extended olive branch to the entire Nigerian defence mechanism,  in that this meshing of US and Naija forces will see loads of defence material once bard from being sold to Naija,  now given the green light to go through.

Expect to see a massive growth of the Nigerian Military mechanism and other security branches with in the next couple of years; a growth in which will be heavily aided by the US government. Mark my words; the greatest victors in this situation when the dust clears is going to be the Nigerian Military,  by a long shot.

The Federal allocation given to these oil producing states,is the higehest.What else do they want?

They want to control their money, resources, future, dreams, aspirations and destiny.

They don't want another person to administer it for them.

They are tired and sick of receiving their own money as an allocation in addition to insults.

They wish the larger Nigeria well but not at the expense of thier 'living' bread.

One thing you guys fail to understand is that Nigeria is about the only country in the world where the region where oil comes from is massively underdeveloped. I was listening to bbc news today and the report was on the province of Alberta in Canada being one of the richest in the regions because there is oil there and they where talking of things they are building in the region, services being provided and all that. All the money they are getting from oil is going to them. But in Nigeria it is the reverse even the 13% they have now they fought tooth and nail to have it. The Normal thing is for the region to have 100% and pay tax to the federal government but they are begging for 50% and senators from other regions are saying no as if it is their area, in some other countries rebels would be controlling the whole region and taking proceeds from the oil.

Hero:

Expect to see a massive growth of the Nigerian Military mechanism and other security branches with in the next couple of years; a growth in which will be heavily aided by the US government. Mark my words; the greatest victors in this situation when the dust clears is going to be the Nigerian Military, by a long shot.

@Hero your post is spot on. I said something similar here https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-4704.0.html#msg158141

The thing is Nigeria's future is now tied to America's longterm economic masterplan. At a certain point the Americans must have decided that it is better to keep Nigeria one by ensuring its military is well equipped rather than encouraging or supporting the groups fighting in the delta.
America may say Nigeria is a "failed state" but that has not stopped them from supporting the Nigerian Military. If the Americans truly believe Nigeria will implode, then it would make sense for them to support the groups fighting in the delta not the Nigerian military.

China is America's biggest concern, in the coming decade Africa with its many untapped resources will be the battleground for the two nations.

Considering the fact that i wuite agree with everybody's contribution on this thread, i think yoiu are all right. But at thesame time have we considered how shell and other oil companies has been destroying the land and not doing anything to reiinstate it back?. Have we considered that fishermen( who depend on fishing) as well as farmers has been diusposessed of their livelihood coz of oil?. do we not consider that it will be a good thing if the government put up measures to create jobs as well as mainain the environment that they destroy.
Has anyone read Ken Wiwa Jnr account of his father's struggle recently?, ,

gbengaijot:

Has anyone read Ken Wiwa Jnr account of his father's struggle recently?, ,

I've read Ken Jr's excellent book 'In the Shadow of a Saint'. Saro Wiwa used his influence to bring attention to the situation in the delta and in the process made the world aware of the environmental situation.

Other threads on this issue have gradually turned into heated discussions where Nigerians from outside the Niger delta are insulted and vilified. If people want to sensitize other Nigerians to the appalling situation in the delta then post images, record what is going on and share it with us.

it is NOT their money, and this is the kind of attitude that causes all this niger delta wahala. it is unfortunate that nigeria is stupidly dependent on oil money but the niger delta cannot come and claim it is their oil. it is nigeria's oil finish! back in the days of groundnut money and agriculture, we did not see anybody claiming that it is OUR money, thus we should get so and so amount of money. now i know that a lot of nice things were done with this groundnut/cocoa money, nice things which have not been done in the niger delta, whose fault is that? they already get more than other states based on their contribution. but who are the governors of the states, is it obasanjo? is it a man called chukuma? is it a man called sanni? no! it is one of their own, so please look into your eye and remove the log there first. when alami came back, people were hailing him, and yet they are kidnapping people and saying what? abeg jare go and siddon, evn if alami had stolen half the money he got from the FG, there was still enough to do something tangible in bayelsa. have we seen the tangible a'a! not only is the niger delta faced with corruption, it is faced with lack of skills and this itself  is the real tragedy, LACK OF SKILLS. if the niger delta was indeed emancipated today and they formed their nice little country, perhaps yes all of them would be able to live in mansions, and drive fifty cars, but the fact remains is that they would not be able to manage their interests, and would need shell, mobil and chevron and co to rape them and their land while giving them peanuts. maybe after all the fish in the rivers have died, and the land is no longer arable they would move to yankee. when the oil has finished as it soon, what will happen? why are they demanding money from these oil companies? money that will not get to them, money that will be used to do what? eat for the next five years but send no one to school? instead of these people to go to school with the intention of obtaining the skills to manage the oil for themselves, for nigeria, they are busy there kidnapping people. this is a case of longer throat, show me someone who really and truly cares. if they did they would saying emancipation of nigeria from foreign oil companies.

while i sympathise with abject poverty in which these people are living, considering that obj and co, as well as royal dutch shell and co are getting fat, they are going about it the ignorant way. already the oil companies have a quota for ijaw, itsekiri people and the like to fulfil in their companies? but is this helping? no! oftentimes they have to hire a less competent itsekiri/ijaw person just to fulifil quota. this jeopardises the functions of the company esp if we are talking about hospitals and this jeopardises the people themselves, because they say ehn they are employing us we are satisfied, but if you don't have the skills you wil never advance adn the oil companies will sit back and say ehn we have fulfilled the quota, shi ke na!

please educate your people, be patriotic, stop screaming our oil our oil, that is nonsense, respect the environment above all else, because oil will finish one day, and all the fish dead, wetin you go do then

Lady gigitte, may it be that you have not bitten more than you can chew. Please read many other similar threads on this forum where most of your concerns have been addressed and placed where they belong.

Your assertions and reference to where your father and his brother works betrays so many things. Be assured that some of the people that post here do not only work in these companies, but are also Niger Deltans, who are top of the range in their chosen profession.

Your declaration that there are no N. Deltans with the requisite skills to work in these organisations is laughable.
If so how come Akwa Ibom, Delta etc are classified as educationally advantaged and their wards consequently denied admission into universities across the country?

In any case to avoid any contradiction and to help you in your superiority complex
1. N. Deltans are not looking for work now (they did so twenty five years ago). They want to control what is theirs. Then, they will give work to as many as they want
2. N. Deltans are not seeking your sympathy, they want to be in a position to give sympathy and help the less privileged societies of the world.
3. N. Deltans know and believe that their destiny is more secured in their hands than in the hands of any other person.
4. N.Deltans believe that these issues need to be accomplished (addressed) now and not tomorrow

My opinion is that,They should just give them what they want,if possible their independence.If it will stop this lost of life.Let peace reign.

Over the past few months I've been following the situation in the N.Delta and have come to reliase that the region is indeed way too underdeveloped. But you also need to reliase that this kind of under-developement compared to the rest of Nigeria has occured over a number of decades. I think what is needed is a long term development plan.

The oil companies definetly need to do more. And while they seem to still be draging their feet there does seem to be a change in the way they operate. But kidnapping contractors and destroying oil facilities will not work. It will simply not work. That is the way the world today functions. This kind of violence will not work.

I feel sorry for the real people in the N.Delta. Those that just long for the infastructure to be able to achieve a better life for themselves. These people are not being helped by the current crisis.

In my opinion, civil disobedience is probably the best way to achieve the long needed development of the N.Delta region. Make it difficult for the oil companies to operate by peaceful protest.

From The New York Times

Some of the current violence is a backlash against the Nigerian government's recent anti-corruption successes. But over all, Nigeria is not strong enough to solve its own problems. The Bush administration, with its good relations with Nigeria and with oil companies, is unusually well positioned to broker international arrangements that would enhance transparency in the flow of oil dollars and development in the Niger Delta.

Sub-Saharan Africa is on track to double its oil production in the next 10 years, when it will likely supply up to one-fourth of America's imported oil, much of it from Nigeria. Now is the time for the American government to pay more attention to this region.

Danger Signs in Nigeria
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/opinion/27mon2.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

owo:

Lady gigitte, may it be that you have not bitten more than you can chew. Please read many other similar threads on this forum where most of your concerns have been addressed and placed where they belong.

Your assertions and reference to where your father and his brother works betrays so many things. Be assured that some of the people that post here do not only work in these companies, but are also Niger Deltans, who are top of the range in their chosen profession.

Your declaration that there are no N. Deltans with the requisite skills to work in these organisations is laughable.
If so how come Akwa Ibom, Delta etc are classified as educationally advantaged and their wards consequently denied admission into universities across the country?

In any case to avoid any contradiction and to help you in your superiority complex
1. N. Deltans are not looking for work now (they did so twenty five years ago). They want to control what is theirs. Then, they will give work to as many as they want
2. N. Deltans are not seeking your sympathy, they want to be in a position to give sympathy and help the less privileged societies of the world.
3. N. Deltans know and believe that their destiny is more secured in their hands than in the hands of any other person.
4. N.Deltans believe that these issues need to be accomplished (addressed) now and not tomorrow

first i must tender apologies to anyone who believes i have shown a superiority complex, this is not true.
what does having relatives who work for oil companies reveal? these are my opinions based on what i have seen heard and observed
owo, what makes you think i am not a person from the niger delta?
please, point me to these appropriate forums where my posted opinions have been rehashed and debated, thanks
if in any way i signified that all niger deltans were lacking in skills forgive me? i do agree with you that a lot of niger deltans are at the top of the range. but do you honestly think that they could manage crude oil production right now, today, if it were left to them
furthermore, assuming they could effectively and efficiently manage crude oil production today, what does that change? after all are these niger deltans in top positions at the forefront of the emancipation fight?
well and good if niger deltans are educationally advantaged. in reference to the quota system, i didnt say these people pusing to be hired were incompetent, rather a lot of times there are people with better skills and expericnce who are more suited to the job, yet they are passed over due to the quota, or even because these oil companies like to have expats.
i don't know if niger deltans are looking for work or not but i must wonder all these people kidnapping and causing unrest, is that their part time job, what indeed is their educational background?
lastly, assuming that the oil is theirs which it is not, is kidnapping people and demanding ransom the way to do it? this not sound to me like the game plan of educated, informed people.

in fact i think am more confused than before, they are not looking for jobs, okay, ba wahala, in fact they occupy top positions in energy companies, sometimes sef they support thieving governors. all in all they want to control what is theirs. how do they want to control it
is it by ensuring all who work in oil companies are from the niger delta?
all the oil money goes to them?

i feel that one must ask the questions  why is the area so underdeveloped?does the FG forget to give them money? is the money not enough? what has been done with the one already given out

longer throat, fighting and myopia is not the way foward.

i may be wrong, but i feel that there are nigerdeltans who operate small scale oil companies, i cannot think of a name now. instead of kidnapping people why not highlight these oil companies as being competent enough to deal with the nigerian oil sector (assuming they are) and then push at various levels for rewriting whatever in such a way that the foreign oil companies are pushed out

dafman:

One thing you boys fail to understand is that Nigeria is about the only country in the world where the region where oil comes from is massively underdeveloped.

Point of correction,
I'd like you to travel to other Oil producing African countries and get a broader perspective. Pls go to Congo, Angola, Gabon and c for urselves o! It's probably worse than what you have in 9ija Delta. But the difference is that they have not been kidnapping and bombing pipelines.

This is not to say that the Oil Co. are doing well. That's far from it. But the leaders in the 9ija delta should be made answerable to the woes of their pple.

I wonder why we seem to always want to compare 9ija to countries like Canada, US etc. Abegiii, In the UK, oil money does not stay with Scotland alone o! But Scotland is closer to the north sea than any part of the UK.

Saudi Arabia has the largest deposit of crude oil known to man today. Virtually all the oil fileds are in the western coast of the country, but everyone, including foreigners are enjoying the wealth.

Corruption and greed is the bane of 9ija's problems. No matter how appaling the 9ija delta situation may seem, kidnappings, killings, maimings and violence will certainly not resolve the problem.

I noticed rather conspicously that owo did not and have not answered a little poser by gigitte there, is Obasanjo and co is your problem or Alams and co? why don't you remove your problem first. I still feel better things were done with cocoa and kolanut money than crude oil, I am almost certain as well that owo is a grauduate of UI, is that a product of oil money or cocoa?

one more thing, by kidnapping people and bombing, you people are not better that Osama bin Laden and "our" Northern Brothers" that believes in Killing and maiming, for whatever reason.

Let's all move away from our pariah way of thinking and move constructively, there is a future, if only we can do some thinking,

Just like i said in another thread where the issue of oil and control came up, the solution is quite simply. Put a lock-down on digging, tapping, exploring, excavating, exporting and all the other exes on Nigerian crude oil for at least say 4-5 years. There will be no more money to steal, the niger deltans will no longer 'see' an oil contractor to kidnap. There will be peace even if  temporary. This time-out period will be used to re-think the way forward. Nigeria survived before the oil boom and we can't actually say that the discovery and subsequent income accrued has helped much. There are still countries out there, without oil i should say, living better life than majority of Nigerians. There are other untapped, somewhat forgotten ways money can be made in Nigeria. Nigeria as a nation has failed as far as oil income management and utilization is concerned. Lets try something else. We will one day exhaust this seemingly everlasting resource. If and when that happens, what are we gon do?

gigitte:

first i must tender apologies to anyone who believes i have shown a superiority complex, this is not true.
what does having relatives who work for oil companies reveal? these are my opinions based on what i have seen heard and observed
owo, what makes you think i am not a person from the niger delta?
please, point me to these appropriate forums where my posted opinions have been rehashed and debated, thanks
if in any way i signified that all niger deltans were lacking in skills forgive me? i do agree with you that a lot of niger deltans are at the top of the range. but do you honestly think that they could manage crude oil production right now, today, if it were left to them[b][/b]furthermore, assuming they could effectively and efficiently manage crude oil production today, what does that change? after all are these niger deltans in top positions at the forefront of the emancipation fight?
well and good if niger deltans are educationally advantaged. in reference to the quota system, i didnt say these people pusing to be hired were incompetent, rather a lot of times there are people with better skills and expericnce who are more suited to the job, yet they are passed over due to the quota, or even because these oil companies like to have expats.

Madam gigitte
Please listen to yourself. If a lot of Niger Deltan are at the top of the range in the oil companies, why do you think they cannot manage crude oil production, refining and sales if left to them?
I just don't understand, please explain. I cannot comprehend your logical reasoning in this regard.

Ynot:

Just like i said in another thread where the issue of oil and control came up, the solution is quite simply. Put a lock-down on digging, tapping, exploring, excavating, exporting and all the other exes on Nigerian crude oil for at least say 4-5 years. There will be no more money to steal, the niger deltans will no longer 'see' an oil contractor to kidnap. There will be peace even if  temporary. This time-out period will be used to re-think the way forward. Nigeria survived before the oil boom and we can't actually say that the discovery and subsequent income accrued has helped much. There are still countries out there, without oil i should say, living better life than majority of Nigerians. There are other untapped, somewhat forgotten ways money can be made in Nigeria. Nigeria as a nation has failed as far as oil income management and utilization is concerned. Lets try something else. We will one day exhaust this seemingly everlasting resource. If and when that happens, what are we gon do?

Ynot, I concur. Let the oil stop flowing for just 1 year. Patriotic MEND militia are capable of doing just that, and they've started already.

Mariory:

Over the past few months I've been following the situation in the N.Delta and have come to reliase that the region is indeed way too underdeveloped. But you also need to reliase that this kind of under-developement compared to the rest of Nigeria has occured over a number of decades. I think what is needed is a long term development plan.

Mariory, the Abuja Masterplan is currently being executed to the letter with the resources of the Niger Delta people. For peace to reign, let the Federal Authorities begin a massive 12 years developmental plans for all the core Niger Delta states. And they should be seen to be doing just that - massive development activities similar or of greater magnitude to Abuja, considering the fact that the ND is the goose that lays the golden egg.

We don't want some stereotype development commission.

@ono,
a lot does not mean all
just because they are at the top of the range does not mean they are qualified to be there, or are competent to be there
furthermore, they are the top, but not the forefront of things, i hope this is not confusing, they are not at the helm of management, evn shell where the MD is nigerian, the man is edo

besides i am asking owo his honest to God opinion, b/c as for me i have not seen evidence of this

also, if the FG had implemented this massive 12 year plan last year, alami would be stashing that dough in swiss bank accounts by now, check your local leaders first oh!

respectfully yours

Lady giggite,
All these your yarnings - me I no understand o! Anyway, lets take it that you just don't like Niger Deltans running the oil industry even when they are qualified to do so.

I said earlier in one of my posts that all that Alami and other Niger Deltans governors stole is a drop in the mighty ocean of stashed away billions and zillions that people like Abacha, OBJ, Diya, Danjuma, Bamaiyi, Babangida, Bode George, Abdulsalami and a host of other non-Niger Deltans have ever stolen in their life time. In fact they are the ones who taught the Niger Delta people how to steal.

My sister OPEN YOUR EYES and don't be deceived.

And even as we speak, Bayelsa state is yet to be connected to the National Grid; thesame Grid that gas from Bayelsa State powers the turbines for generating power to it and other places.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/niger_delta/nd228022006.html

All these your yarnings - me I no understand o! Anyway,

giggite, as I told you before, these Niger Deltans on Nairaland are not interested in listening to anybody. Please don't be discouraged by this and try to participate in other topics on the forum. Thanks.

I don't like generalizations such as the statement made by the last commentator.

It is a known fact that the entire bayelsa state is not connected to the federal national grid yet they contribute the second largest money to the federal purse.

What about the federal east - west road which connects all the coastal states? This road which accounts for the highest number of traffic including trailers, oil tankers evacuating refined petroleum products and crude oil and heavy moving vehicles carrying large oil installation fittings like pipes is in a constant state of disrepair and remains undualized

if you look at the locations of the headquarters of these oil companies, they are all in lagos with the exception of shell which just moved to Port Harcourt. In the end its the Yoruba and Igbo men that are in top management employing their fellow country men. Which job did u say is reserved for us the niger deltans - it is the messengers, cleaners and drivers shey? No be una fault.

that was how you people controlled admission into such universities as the ones at Lagos, Ife, Ibadan and Zaria plus Nsukka so that we will be underdeveloped but it was to our benefit as we had our own universities established for us at Benin and Port Harcourt with many of us going abroad for further studies.

I gave a lift to a soldier who was going home to the 2nd Amphibious Brigade (Bori Camp) at Port Harcourt from his posting in the creeks. He explained that all the soldiers in that barracks and the one at Elele are all now on duty (infact the 14 dead where all from Elele zone) at various oil installations in the Niger Delta at whose expense you may ask (the oil companies) cos the federal government is too busying holding public hearings on the 1999 constitution.

I don't like violence but we should not twist the facts. How much dollars did the groundnut, cocoa and whatever contribute as a whole. Do your research and then compare it with only the excess crude money to see if it will even reach 1/10.

The federal authorities should provide basic amenities in the whole of Nigeria and especially in the Niger Delta which contributes over 80% of the total revenue in the last 36 or more years.

PICTURES AND IMAGES FROM SCENES OF
OIL SPILLS, OIL FIRES, GAS FLARES
AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES

While i will blame everybody, i will push more blame on the federal government and the shell corporation( they knew too much) for not comabting the problem in the nigerdelta area. I dont blame seun for his blabbings really.
I am neither a nigerdeltan nor from the east. I have been to the bayelsa before and i know what the environment is like. Throughtout my stay in bayelsa(2 weeks) i was going about topless, why?----coz shell is burning fuel residue about 5 kilometers away and the heat is so strong that people about 6 KM feels it. one funny thing is that it burns 24hrs a day-7 days a week, 365 days a year.

is therre no alternative?, check the land, it is filled with oilspills, the place is not bearable for farming. Mandela one said, if violence is a way of combatting the ills of the society, then ,let it be done but it must be controlled. That is where the ijaw youths have failed!.
Does anyone understand my rubbish?!

uche1:

PICTURES AND IMAGES FROM SCENES OF
OIL SPILLS, OIL FIRES, GAS FLARES
AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGES

Uche1
How many cases of oil spillage have actually been caused by the locals themselves or better still bunkerers? How many times have oil pipelines suddenly got busrted due to acts of negligence on the part of the oil companies?

The various bombings by the MEND hoodlums will certainly leave some pipelines exposed and ofcourse more oil spillage. I wonder if such spillages again will be blamed on the oil companies.
Once again, I still stand by the fact that charity begins at home. Lets clean our mess in the 9ija delta b4 pointing accusing fingers at other tribes for our woes and failures.

3 weeks ago the delta state house of assembly invited the management of Agip to come and explain why they have refused to clean up an oil spill 6 months after it had occured. This Oil company was still producing from that location inspite of the oil spill. This is not the first time that Agip will do a thing like that in Delta State. The GM refused to appear sending instead the head of Public Relations a Nigerian who has little authority or influence. In any case they have been giving one month to clean up the environment and pay compensation to the affected peaceful communities or leave the entire delta state. This type of thing can never happen in Italy. Its a known fact that a Federal High Court has ordered shell to compensate the Ijaws which they have refused to do.

I have noticed that people from regions that do not have resources are the once ruling Nigeria.e.g.North,what are they doing with oil money?

HOW COMeS THE STATE GOVERNORs IN those states never seem to complain about oil spillage or unfair treatment of the locals?

the so called community leaders of these communities are they questioned about the gifts and monies they receive??

if these states/communities are given 100% revenue whatever they do should will just leave them to it?

i think they should be given 100% of the oil money so that the other regions will use their own resources then in 5yrs time lets see who's gonna be blamed if there is still fightin in the niger delta

The state governors are lame ducks without any authority in their states of jurisdiction as the consitution has given control of the mineral resources to the federal government.

I think these Governors are not complaining.What do you think is the reason of this silence?For me i think,they are corrupt.