Ibime:

Why do women kick mens' bollocks during a fight? 

How can small Ijaw boys fight Nigerian army if not for guerrilla tactics?

Instead of calling them punks, we should hail their bravery for taking on such a Herculean task.

I advice you not to sit in London and incite violence against your own people who live in the delta.

No responsible Government wants to use the full weight of its military on its people. However no reseponsible Government will sit bye and allow renegades take over security of any part of the country either.

Yes, let it be said that successive Nigerian governments have failed the Nigerian people. But there is a limit to everything, MEND is not the solution to anything. As a boy growing up on the streets of Port Harcourt if I was told there will come a time when the likes of Ateke Tom and Soboma Goerge and Prince Igodo or Dagogo will be confused as freedom fighters, I will never agree.
May be that underscores how much our leaders have failed us as a people. The boys who constitute MEND are no freedom fighters.

The Government of Nigeria have no moral right to use the army on our people, especially when they the Government can be blamed for people getting disillussioned. But MEND's terrorist activities will only justify a full scale military assault.

Also while JTF has the difficult task of isolating MEND from the Niger-Delta people to ensure that innocent civilians are not caught in the cross fire. You sitting there and spinning this into MEND defending the Niger-Delta against the Nigerian state makes the task of JTF a lot more easier albeit clumsy.


WE DONT WANT ANOTHER CIVIL WAR, THE POINT HAS BEEN MADE THAT PEOPLE ARE ANGRY. PEOPLE CAN ENGAGE IN PEACEFUL PROTESTS

My brother, I am not advocating any war. Like I said before, both sides need to chill before it turns to something else. Taking on the Nigerian Government is a Herculean and fool-hardy task. You think I don't have relatives on ground? I am a Borokiri boy and war is the last thing I want to see.

Ibime:

lol. . . . Idupaul done turn to military strategist. . . . as a Nigerian soldier once told me, Nigerian soldiers are not prepared to lose their lives in the Niger Delta, whilst MEND are. . . . the only section of the Nigerian army that could carry out the job properly are soldiers from the Northern axis. . . . because sure as hell, Igbo and Yoruba soldiers are not ready to lose their lives for no Nigerian army.

i think that is just the truth my dear. you just hit the nail on the head

It is true that successive government (and everyone of us here know the ''ethnic composition'' of the word government in Nigeria) of this god-forsaken country have caused damages and untold hardship, in no small measure, on the psyche of our people in the Niger Delta. We are not deceived by the lips service paid towards alleviating the sufferings of our people, and we know that the interests of the major ethnic nationalities comes first in the scheme of things in Nigeria. At present, we're operating a parasitic arrangement, and some people gets hurt, while others smile home with some booty at the end of everyday. This has to stop.


It is my utmost desire that the entire oil business in the country be completely crippled, until we fashion out a way on which this nation will be governed. It's not right, but it's the best way to go. There will be pains and anguish; there will be job losses and other unpalatable events, but I think it's the only way forward. This is where I'm somewhat unhappy with MEND. There are better ways of shutting in oil/gas production other than using dynamites and blowing up installations. These facilities are pretty expensive.

In all, Nigeria is reaping the seeds of discord, divide and rule, oppression, injustice, greed and hatred that was sown since the mid-50s, when oil was discovered in the Niger Delta.

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Hi All,



Just to make one point absolutely clear to everyone of you discussing this thread.  As a true indegene of the Niger Delta, I do NOT believe in, or advocate violence of any sort.  Dialogue and peaceful negotiations with MEND are the only things that would bring peace to the Niger Delta and nothing else.   

However, if peaceful negotiations are not getting anywhere, what would you do?  What other alternatives have you got, considering that your people have been suffering for decades?  What would you do if you're constantly made empty promises?  What would you do?

What would you do if your land, rivers, lakes and creeks have all been polluted, renderring your people with no means of livelihood.  What would you do?

What would you do if you are not getting anything out of the oil wealth that comes from your land?  What would you do?

What would you do if a petrol pipeline is laid all the way from Port Harcourt to Kaduna, considering that it makes no economic sense?  How would you feel?

What would you do if your youth have got no jobs, yet those thieving Nigerian politicians are lining up their pockets with the wealth of the Niger Delta.  What would you do?

What would you do if your land is not being developed, instead, neglected for decades, considering that the entire oil wealth of Nigeria comes from there.  What would you do?

What would you do if your political activists - Adaka Boro, Ken Tsaro-Wiwa, Dokubo, and so on, have (or are) being silenced?  What would you do?

What did you do when the Nigerian economy depended on cocoa?  What did you do when the Nigerian economy depended on coal?  What did you do when the Nigerian economy depended on iron ore?  What did you do when the Nigerian economy depended on rubber?  What did you do?

You know what, if anybody here thinks that the peoples of the Niger Delta would not fight back and instead, remain quiet and docile as they had done for several decades, then the one needs to re-examine the one's head.

When the IRA fought their guerilla war with the British mainland, it was only one thing that forced John Major and Tony Blair to initiate dialogue with the provos - the fact that the guerilla war was taken to the British mainland.  Cities like Birmingham, London (Canary Wharf), Manchester and Warrington were bombed.   This made the Tories and New Labour take notice of the IRA.

In the end, the British government started talking to the IRA and its leadership.  Eventually, peace prevailed in Northern Ireland, and it's been so, ever since.

Maybe the Nigerian government should take a leaf out of that and stop using strong-arm tactics, in a bid to 'defeat' the freedom fighters.

You people seem to think that it would be an easy thing to defeat someone who strongly believes in the cause that the one is fighting.  That is not the way it works because no-one knows the Niger Delta better than the peoples of the Niger Delta.  No amount of heavy artillery fire, helicopter gun fire, war machinery of any sort, could defeat such people - only DIALOGUE AND PEACEFUL NEGOTIATIONS, observed by an international body, would convince my people of the true intentions of the Nigerian government.

I hope you guys understand the plight of the peoples of the Niger Delta, instead of coming here to slate MEND.

God save Nigeria. 




kiwi992.

What would you do if your political activists - Adaka Boro, Ken Tsaro-Wiwa, Dokubo, and so on, have (or are) being silenced? What would you do?

why anyone would put dokubo in the same sentence with ken saro wiwa or isaac boro is mind boggling.

Kiwi992

I ll take it that u re inciting MEND against the rest of the country. Be careful what u wish for.

Hi,

I ll take it that u re inciting MEND against the rest of the country. Be careful what u wish for.

Nope!  Far from it.  Please re-read my post.

Just recalling what brought peace to Northern Ireland.  I'm sure MEND had known about guerilla warfare long before it even started military operations.

Maybe the Nigerian government should learn from the British experience.  Margaret Thatcher failed to engage the provos in any dialogue.  Rather, John Major initiated it whilst Tony Blair took the bold step of opening genuine dialogue with the IRA.

All military operations were suspended at the time dialogue was taking place, unlike what the Nigerian government does - carrying out military operations whilst the so-called dialogue was supposed to be taking place.




kiwi992.

bawomolo:

why anyone would put dokubo in the same sentence with ken saro wiwa or isaac boro is mind boggling.

To be honest Asari Dokubo is not a tout, he is not in the same category as Ateke tom, prince igodo or soboma goerge.

He may have had boys under his command do criminal things, but Asari himself is a natural actvist who had every opportunity to be a posh boy but chose activism.

I just hope he Asari grows up and realise that what he formed is becoming too dangerous for everyone and should be terminated.

@kiwi992
Have the courage to admit that your initial statement was bollocks. You actually spent your entire time here advocating violence, contrary to your assertion.
Now my question to MEND is, after the fighting dies down, will they somehow resurrect the innocent people killed in the fighting to enjoy the spoils? A community guard was reportedly killed yesterday in MEND's attack against the Alakiri flowstation. WHo knows if that guy's presence there was as a result of his community demanding that SHell must employ some indigenes. Now he is dead. I sincerely doubt that MEND has any plans for compensation.

At least Hezbollah and Hamas dispense crucial social services, build hospitals and schools. The millions of dollars these 'freedom fighters' obtain from sales of their bunkered crude has so far not beenused for any productive purpose.

Speaking of 'peace' and 'dialogue', it's painfully obvious now that MEND is far too volatile, far too trigger happy for their own good.

NNPC MD tells the senate that they paid some millions of dollars to millitants for protection. MEND's response? They blow up a pipeline.

JTF attacks bases of suspected criminals. MEND's response? Call off ceasefire!

It's oK for MEND troops to ambush and kill soldiers without mercy, without warning, even in the midst of a ceasefire. Yet a few millitants are killed and suddenly it's an 'oil war'.

Mate,

Have the courage to admit that your initial statement was bollocks. You actually spent your entire time here advocating violence, contrary to your assertion.

Make of it what you like - I couldn't care less.

You expect the Niger Delta to be razed to the ground with your lawless and ill-trained armed forces, in the hope that your towns and cities would remain in tact.  How so foolhardy!

The peoples of the Niger Delta would not succumb to anyone anymore.  This injustice has carried on for far too long.  MEND is here to stay unless there's genuine dialogue to undo the injustices that my people had suffered over the decades.

You all live off the oil wealth, at the expense of the Niger Delta, don't you?  You develop your own towns and cities, built a new capital, all at the expense of the Niger Delta.  What have we got to show for our oil wealth?  Nothing whatsoever, nothing, except large-scale pollution. 

You know what they say, don't you?  Every dog has its own day - the day of the peoples of the Niger Delta has come.

You guys need to wake up and stop dreaming of defeating MEND because you wouldn't.




kiwi992.

Finally coming out in ur true colours - I hate hyprocrites. Personally though, I agree with u, Nigeria needs to stop paying lip service to the development of the Niger Delta.

make God help us sha

But looking at the fact that energy generation through oil and gas is fast becoming politically unpopular and Nuclear energy is looking like the future of Energy Business. Should boys in places like Taraba/Benue/Cross River etc where they have Uranium deposits in large quantity start warming up to forming their own MEND??

.

.

Tpia

If the land is that much degraded by oil drilling and exploration, then the people are even supposed to be evacuated to somewhere else. Thats only normal, if the area has been polluted that badly. Humans arent supposed to be residing permanently on or near oil slicks or oil flaring. The health risks alone are mind boggling.

Just take a look at this vid:

http://www./video/x41afh_fire-in-the-delta_music

Oh yeah, and to every right-minded person in this Forum - how would you feel if this happened to your town or village?  Just be true to yourselves.




kiwi992.

i feel the whole niger delta matter needs some sincere opinions. my definition of sincere here is contextual, every individual has a right to his or
her own definition of sincerity.

while i would love to also share some views as far as niger delta crisis is concerned, i would not make the mistake of reducing my
analysis to the activities of MEND.
they seem to be the most vocal (not necessarily most organised) of all the militant groups, it really does not make them reasonable
and/or most respected.

i share the pains of our brothers and sisters from that side of the country and i feel it is just fair to jointly condemn the neglect
they have suffered over time.
i have personally paid visits to some oil rich states and i must confess, if you are very vigilant, you would see poverty in person.
poverty is everywhere.
not just poverty of amenities or money but also poverty of ideas. they feel so isolated that every other nigerian may quickly irritate them
on issues affecting their existence.

it is no gainsaying that the neglect suffered by this region has successfully seperated it from the rest of the nation, so the question
of whether Nigeria should divide may need no further answer, events would speak.
however, the first step to getting matters resolved is to see people from other regions condemning the neglect and ask for sincere attention
for oil cities.
this crisis to a very large extent has also contributed to what i call ethnic chauvinism.

having said this much, i have not,atleast within myself, been able to fathom out the sense in blowing up a place we are complaining is under
developed. the multi-dimensional issues attach to this matter all would have
various opinions visiting them.

first, on kidnapping, i condemn this act is strong terms and feel such should be discouraged. it is a reflection that the struggle for niger
delta emancipation as far been commercialised if people kidnap only to release
the victim after collecting certain amounts tagged ransome, i call it BRIBE.
i however have reasons to suspect that there is a kind of working understanding with most victims been kidnapped in recent times. the comfort and ease
with which this kidnap iscarried and and the speed at which deals are
brokered to facilitate release calls for more than meets the eyes. i feel the whiteman is also beginning to make faster money outside their blood-oil money.

second, the free display and use of arms and ammunitions raises alot of questions as regards security. my concern is centered round the fact that we
seem not to be asking where these ammunitions come from, definitely not Nigeria
then what is the mode of transporting it? by the time we try to ponder over this, we are not likely to spare some big boys cum politicians in this
arms deal! so also are the white men. what happens to all the tankers siezed, i am sure the don't spill all.
how many of their own are in school as a result of scholarship funded by this militants? all we see is young jobless men cuising around the streets
in state of the art cars, spending money lavishly and building castles. then the question is, get what you can using what you have:
with the caveat, EVERY OTHER PERSON CAN GO TO HELL!!! the whold third world war threat is a reflection of how shallow the militants' unerstanding
of this crisis is, THERE IS MORE TO WAR BEYOND BLINDLY PRESSING DOWN YOUR TRIGGER KILLING YOUR OWN VERY BROTHERS!!!

finally is the government recklessness and petty approach to resolving the matter. the govt has made this crisis so lucrative that nobody
currently feeding fat on this impasse would like to get is resolved anytime soon.
imagine the creation of a NIGER/DELTA MINISTRY with the office in Abuja while the crisis is in the war torn areas. so how do we reconsile
the mindset of a govt who has deployed most of our military might to a place and at the same time enticing them with a ministry?
stick and carrot approach, i'd say. a government that has built more bridges in abuja where there are no waters than a completely riverine niger/delta.

in conclusion, i do not fancy the government approach and there is nothing to hide here, at that however, i also condemn in strong terms the
manner with which this militants groups have fashioned to redesign their destiny and that of the people of niger/delta.
i for one do not see them as fredom fighters, i'd rather see them from the angle of anarchists who have privatised the the business of anarchism for
their own commercial benefits.
i like to see some sense of purpose in the agitation for a better niger/delta, a constructive and critical review of ways forward and high display
of maturity. beyond this, let us all add our voices to calling for a BETTER NIGER/DELTA.

i would sincerely appreciate your views as well.

(please pardon my mistakes)

cheers.

these MEND people should just stop being foolish, and i was here thinking Bush's war in Iraq was pointless, for real, before i could understand but what do they want again for real, do they think they are doing any good to the people they claim to be protecting??like seriously, they r irritating the shit outta me

If MEND were to lay down there weapon, what is the Nigeria government offering, are they really sincere with there offer?

The nigerian government left Niger Delta people no option than to take the gun

Remember Odi

I am a Niger Deltan i guess we cant all be hot headed like most Ijaws are but i feel their struggle we don suffer all kinds of marignalization and if gun na the only message wey those government understand then let them carry on they cant kill us all we have tried the peaceful route with the likes of Ken Saro Wiwa it didnt work

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This idiot and his asinine comments sef. . . . . what a cerebral invertebrate! . . . .show me where MEND kidnapped any child. . . . infact, show me where MEND kidnapped any non-oil worker. . . .


Moving on. . . .this shit is a catch 22. . . . if Nigeria is successful in rooting out militants but do not have a solid framework for respecting the resource rights and environmental rights of the Niger Delta people, they will be viewed as an invading force strictly there to steal the fruits of the land. . . . you can hold back a people militarily, but you cannot hold back their resentment. . . . sure enough, that resentment will express itself someday in more militancy and insecurity.

On the other hand, it is a proven fact that every military commander from 1979 - 1999 is a stakeholder in oil bunkering and a state attorney even wrote in a newspaper the other day that IBB and Atiku are bunkering heavily in the Delta and contributing to the insecurity. . . .this is what OBJ was speaking about when he said that he cannot stop bunkering from 'some powerful men' otherwise the nation will slide into civil war. . . . . I hope the Nigerian army will take this opportunity to route out these bunkerers, not just frighten the Niger Delta people into cowering silence and oppression. . . . . on top of that, I do not trust the army to carry out a good job. . . . surely, after a few months the situation would deteriorate and each soldier will be looking for ways to enrich himself as we see already. . . . . it is an affront to the Niger Delta people to have these Northern soldiers in our midst. . . .they are viewed as an invading force. . . .  we all know they are animals and have no respect for human rights. . . . we even prefer to have an International peacekeeping force than these animals. . . .

T

here's such a thing as a dirty war.

When you resort to kidnapping small children in the name of your struggle, then it blurs your fight in the eyes of outsiders.

Among other things.

It's official: Tpia is nuts. I have said earlier, you a fool. The struggle for Niger-Delta however it is done is okay. I have visited those places and the level of both human and envrionmental degradation is unimaginable. now Our President has done them a "favor" by creating useless Niger-delta ministry. it will not work. People like tpia and bilymuse and yemysee loath for a solution to the crises. As far as they are concerned, they want the status quo maintained. the only solution to this crises is a loose confederation, they each unit of the federation merely pay taxes to the coetre and keep the rest.

Planner:

T
It's official: Tpia is nuts. I have said earlier, you a fool. The struggle for Niger-Delta however it is done is okay. I have visited those places and the level of both human and envrionmental degradation is unimaginable. now Our President has done them a "favor" by creating useless Niger-delta ministry. it will not work. People like tpia and bilymuse and yemysee loath for a solution to the crises. As far as they are concerned, they want the status quo maintained. the only solution to this crises is a loose confederation, where each unit of the federation merely pay taxes to the centre and keep the rest.

Gbam!!! i think you just hit the nail on the head.

I tot kidnapping is now a general thing all over the country.

Kidnapping has never been the exclusive preserve of MEND.

If some people will support and justify the use "starvation " as a warefare tool which lead to the death of thousands of innocent Biafran women and children by the Nigerian State, I don't see why they should care about kidnapping, blowing of pipelines and flow stations as a means of achieveing justice for the Niger Deltans.

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@abdulrazzaq
if they gad agreed,they wont be going through hell now!

THE GOVERNMENT KEPT A SEALED LIP OVER THIS ISSUE BECAUSE MOST TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ARE MAKING MILLIONS FROM THESE GUYS. THEY ARE AFRAID SO THAT NAMES WON'T BE MENTION. IMAGINE THE OTHER LEADER THEY CAUGHT IN ANGOLA RUNNING GUNS BUSINESS, HIS CASE WILL SOON DIE OFF AND HE WILL BE SETTLED WITH A HOUSE IN ABUJA.

May almighty God bless and protect our Freedom Fighters,
in Jesus name. Amen.

youngies:

Kidnapping has never been the exclusive preserve of MEND.

If some people will support and justify the use "starvation " as a warefare tool which lead to the death of thousands of innocent Biafran women and children by the Nigerian State, I don't see why they should care about kidnapping, blowing of pipelines and flow stations as a means of achieveing justice for the Niger Deltans.

This your example no go set with some people as they are now at the receiving end.