It's sad to see so many folks here saying they're not bothered about what the CNN came up with. I decided to stop contributing to the Niger Delta issues thread for a while, hoping to see some change and improvement across board. Now see what so-called fellow citizens are saying here.

Debo at least is wise and smart enough to say something soothing. And big ups to CNN. They should continue to show these sort of stuff on TV and in their report as time and opportunity permits. More grease to their elbows for doing a good job of this.

ono:

And big ups to CNN. They should continue to show these sort of stuff on TV and in their report as time and opportunity permits. More grease to their elbows for doing a good job of this.

Agreed

@shotster50
you are absolutely right and i completely agree.

the point i was trying to make is that these publications these days, far from trying to help, have become a source of entertainment especially as it is channeled  to people who cannot help. what business has a bank manager going to work in new york subway on a monday morning with an african crisis?

Whilst the news should be reported (in fact thats great), the nitty gritty details or irrelevant details should not be there. details should be tartgetted to thegovt officials who can help. how does endless journlistic twists help other than creating entertainment?

it 's very saddening to see  the sheer ignorance and complacence displayed by the very  people who are supposed to be the future!

a few questions to ponder:

just because "it's not new" does that make it any less true or real?
does not the fact that it's not new make it more expedient to find a solution?
CNN is one and the same as the American govt?
are you all waiting for the ruling class to find a solution just like you're waiting for them to provide the very basic of infrastructures?
oh! you didn't know you had a ruling class?
if you are so concerned and defensive about the negative portrayal of Nigeria what are you willing to do about it?
who do you guys think is bankrolling MEND? 

i hope you all realize you can make a difference and you can bring about desired change to your various communities contrary to what you have been conditioned to believe.

lastly, oil is not a curse, it's the selfish braindead morons, a.k.a ruling class that are cursed! and the people who remain complacent? they deserve their ruling class!

sherri:

it 's very saddening to see  the sheer ignorance and complacence displayed by the very  people who are supposed to be the future!

a few questions to ponder:

just because "it's not new" does that make it any less true or real?
does not the fact that it's not new make it more expedient to find a solution?
CNN is one and the same as the American govt?
are you all waiting for the ruling class to find a solution just like you're waiting for them to provide the very basic of infrastructures?
oh! you didn't know you had a ruling class?
if you are so concerned and defensive about the negative portrayal of Nigeria what are you willing to do about it?
who do you guys think is bankrolling MEND? 

i hope you all realize you can make a difference and you can bring about desired change to your various communities contrary to what you have been conditioned to believe.

lastly, oil is not a curse, it's the selfish braindead morons, a.k.a ruling class that are cursed! and the people who remain complacent? they deserve their ruling class!
 

When it comes to the country Nigeria then it is! Let's be realistic for once. Look at Dubai. . . It is a blessing to our country but we have mis-managed all of our natural resources that it has now become a curse to us.

The CNN documentary is good. I know the Western Television stations don't like to portray Africa nicely but they have my support on this one. Nigeria is so rich especially from the billions of dollars made from crude oil but what has the government done with this money especially earlier this year when the price of oil rose dramatically- NOTHING!- They are rather embezelling public funds to the detriment of the masses.

Shame on the Government. They should learn from countries like dubai that is attracting foreign investment because of the way they are developing their economy.

Let the truth be known and let the unscrupulous ones be named and shamed.

This sounds interesting!!


I will pay attention the next time its on.

Just so that I don’t  make duplicity of treads on this topic, I have decided to post my own  contribution here, but its  way beyond CNN,s report and the intent behind it, this is my own report, born out of the confused state  of situation in the Niger Delta. Read!!

Also if I can suggest to Seun, you should please add two more separate sections, on NL, one specially for the Niger Delta, and the second for Lagos state, fashola needs to feel the purse of the people, I bet he wont mind to going through NL to do that.



NIGER DELTA ,Planet in Peril, INDEED!!

[b]Well thanks to the Cable News network, (CNN) Nigeria once again made a major story on one of its program special, Planet in Peril. What is it this time? Well it’s the now world famous Niger Delta story, that’s what was on the news again.

Well this post is actually not about CNN and how it would rather show the ugly or troubled side of Nigeria to the world, and not try to balance those stories with all the Good or great things happening in Nigeria at the same time.

My issues here on this post, is this our so called Niger Delta issue, fight for freedom or what ever they call it, that is now going on in the region for some time, because to me I really don’t know anymore and can't make sense of the whole thing.

If I had grown up in another part of Nigeria, well my ignorance can be excused, but I grew up in the Heart of the so called Niger Delta, and I come from within the region, born and raised up in Warri, Delta state Nigeria and having lived and worked in Port Harcourt for the last four years before living the country, hopefully to return soon,I ought to know better about what the problem in the region is but the truth is that I don’t, and infact nobody really knows what the problem is, as obvious as it may seem, because if we all know, why are we not solving it?.

Just incase you are reading this and, think why is he saying this? Well here’s why I am saying what I just said.

CNN will make the average world viewers and even some Nigeria’s oblivious of the Niger Delta issue, fell like it is Hell out there in the region, and that Nigeria or the Nigeria Delta is just one big hole on the face of the planet, possibly another Sudan or Sierra Leone in the making.

Well its not at least not yet, but the Niger delta is actually what we can call a very complicated case of Evil, done to a group of people or region.

First off, we have a Government, and by that I mean, the Nigerian Government since independence from the British till the present day, that has been so insensitive, greedy, corrupt and far from the reality of what is really going on in the Niger Delta.

Secondly we also have state Governments and Local Goverments within the region that, sadly enough have towed the same line as the Federal Government both during Military and Civilian governments.

Thirdly we have the major multinational oil companies, that have been the actual investors and sometimes rapists on the ground in the Niger delta,

Fourthly the so called community Leaders within the region, and last but not the least, me, you,MEND and all the 1001 militant groups springing up everyday, we all have created this MONSTER! That we see today, called the Niger Delta crisis.

However, my list above is an encompassing one, I will try to make 2 exception, First the Federal Government of the day because it seems to have a good intent for the region, but they are saddle with over 40years of neglect to deal with, lack of trust and to make matters worse the people within the region just can't wait anymore, so this young Government is left to deal with a monster that past Governments in the Military era and the (Obasanjor) OBJ, Government created. The second exception I will make, will be me and you, just so that you don’t get angry that I said you are part of the problem and decide not to read through this, thirdly maybe one or two present Governor from within the region, because of their drive for change, but I wont mention names just yet.


Well CNN report got one thing right, the Niger Delta, is where the thirst for oil has created a deadly situation, the wealth created by the Black gold over the years has gone into pockets of some of the most wicked, greedy and corrupt people on the face of the earth, Presidents, Governors, Local government chairman, state and federal legislators, community leaders, certain foreigners etc, and has eventually created a problem with a hydra head.

I for one believe the wealth underneath the earth in the Niger Delta, is meant to be a blessing, for Nigeria. First for the people within the region that are feeling the direct effect of the exploration activities, and also for the common good of the entire Nigerian state, but sadly enough this is not the case.

The wealth is in the hands of a few, some of them in Government, others out of Government and these people are everywhere round the country, from up north, to down south, from the west and to the east. They have profited from the oil wealth in government purse through their corrupt days in office or out of office, through political connections etc, these are the people that will do any thing for things to remain the way it has always been, and rather unfortunately we have a lot of these people either still in government at one level or the other, or they are Godfathers behind the scene. These groups of people, are like wolfs in wolfs clothing, they are killer bees and will always be a part of Nigeria’s problem.

The so called military or is it militant group we see in the Delta, some are even groups that represent the interest of this same people mentioned above, because since the agitation in the region is growing, they now had to look for other means to continue to milk the wealth from the region, and one of such is to have or sponsor groups  in the Region through this so called Niger Delta struggle, so that with the instability in the region they can profit, either through bunkering of oil, or for those in government securing heavy security vote from national and state budget that they can plunder,  that’s why for me, the credibility of a whole lot of these groups within the Niger Delta that  go by one name or the other, is just a masquerade.

The ones that are really up in arms for a genuine struggle are few, indeed if any.

The Situation in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers state in the last few years, tells you a story of  how politicians helped in arming  young men to use them in rigging election, these young men becoming wise and kept the guns for themselves, and in some case split up because they two have tasted oil money, power and respect by the gun, and over time we now see, what we see in Port Harcourt and surrounding  town and states, such as Kidnappings for ransom, Bank robbery, jail break, and the tussle for power by some of these gangs, that spilled into the street late 2007, and yet some of this same gangs, YES!! Gangs , have the nerve to call themselves freedom fighters, fighting to free who ?, definitely not me or the millions of Niger Deltan’s that so eagerly want to see a change in the region.

MEND, on the other hand, is still hard to place, they make strong statements and claims, sometimes blow up oil installations, and threaten the oil companies , but at the end of the day leaves everyone wondering, what do they really want ?, where do they want to take this fighting to ?, because to me, I see nothing so far that is constructive about the fighting, yes we all agree that the Federal Government, and  the  Oil companies have for so long robbed the Niger Delta people and we just can't take it anymore, so that’s why (MEND) are fight, but what about the many state governors from within the region that have also looted state treasury while people in the region suffered, what about some of the so called elders that have parleyed with Government , and oil companies to become rich and influential , while its people and the region sufferers, and now they are the ones calling themselves elder or leaders that want to mediated for peace, are these people not known as part of the problem in MEND books?

To Me, I feel If MEND must raise its profile as a true fighter, then its should not just be up in arms, and enjoy clips like the one shown on CNN where they call them “ One of the most Notorious or Violent  militant in the world”, No! to me I think such report do more harm than Good to the cause of MEND, which if am correct is to liberate the Niger delta from years of Poverty and neglect, then it should not let it self be called a Violent group on international TV, its ok to show the Guns and Bazookas, the Hooded face and red head bands on military camouflage, but more importantly they should tell the Niger Delta people and the world, what they have achieved so far?.

So back to why I say the problem is complicated, you have groups within the region, some fighting each other, over who should be the Underground warlord e.g. Tom Ateke and George Sogboma mini war, some groups are just ethnic fighting, e.g. Okrika- Eleme, and the many other inter and intra ethic squabbles that comes up every now and then amongst the hundreds of tribe within the oil rich producing region.

We have the Oil bunkering groups some of which are from the group mentioned above and in some of the text I will write below

We have the criminal group or some time petty thief’s that take advantage of the situation and kidnap, expatriates, or wealthy Nigerians and sometimes regrettably little children also.


We have groups like the well known Militants groups MEND fighting the government Military forces protecting oil installations.

We have to groups that are always on TV, especially private TV stations in Lagos state, talking about the problems in the Niger Delta and how they are going to fight to the end to liberate their people, e.g. Joseph Eva, Asari Dokubo etc, and yet you will hardly see them on local TV or radio stations in the Niger delta region, at least the private radio stations, if they will want to argue that we only have mainly state run TV in the Niger delta region.

We have the state Governors, most of whom where planted by their predecessors, so they really can't investigate past government as we have seen in the last one year plus now, none so far has even accused the immediate past government of corruption, maybe an exception will be in Rivers state, because the Governor came in via a court verdict in his favor.

And last but not the least we, have the me and you and the millions of Niger delta people group, who just seat and watch all the various actors or groups mentioned above do the, siphoning of cash to foreign accounts, the cat catch rat match, finger pointing, blame catapulting, propaganda war, and the shelling, shooting, bombing, that go on in the creeks, or water ways of the Niger delta region.

All these brings me back to where I started, which is this,. Where do we go from here? How can this problem be solved? how can the legitimate groups above be pacified and the criminal and evil one be clearly identified and totally  alienated and flushed out, well its hard to tell, because sometimes,  the boundaries within each of this groupings are not a clear cut one, today I can be the one writting and saying my bit or side of the story, who knows maybe tomorrow I might be amongst the masked ones in the creeks, brandishing a Gun on CNN, or who knows I can somehow find my self in government and get my conscience marred and lot the federal, state  or local purse , or who knows I can still end up as an executive in the oil industry and look for all the best ways to continue milking wealth from the crude oil business, while the trouble in the region rages on.

The CNN report is just meant to do one thing, and the reporter Lisa Ling, said it over and over again in her report, if you listen to it well you will pick up on it. The CNN report just serves to show that a source of crude that is Vital to US economy, is being threatened, and with the pressure already in the US economy, if it should lose oil supply from Nigeria, with out argument that loss very well, you can just imagine what will happen,that’s just it

So it’s not like CNN really want to show this region to the world, so that world leaders or the UN will debate, or pressure the Nigeria government to act, in the most expeditious and bold manner to address the biggest issue facing it nationhood, but that Nigeria’s oil is not a dependable source for supply.However Lisa ling personal statement, on the news show hit the point again, its greed thats at the bottom of all this suffering and trouble in the region

Despite the picture I have painted, I believe there’s hope for the region to change, to rise and to grow, the reason I believe this, is because of what we see today, it is bound to get this worse, before it will get better, although it would have been better if everything had worked well from the start, when oil was first supped at Oloibiri in 1956… or so, well that didn’t happen, but we are at the turning point now, lets keep hope alive and keep praying


This perhaps happens to be my longest post ever, well I have always avoided this topic, but I guess this evening was just the right time to get it off my chest!

Find link
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/12/11/pip.nigeria.oil/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Many people may have contrary views to some or all I have said here, but the truth is,  “it is, what it is[/b]

Why wont CNN yan about it.Now they want a change because they have problems in the states.change ma ass.its all a trickle down effect.I do not support them that oil is a curse because that is what they want us to believe did they not get rich from the same oil that our leaders in NIGERIA who were stupid enough to be exporting rather than produce the damn thing in Nigeria.I wish some of u on this nairaland can come hang out with me in warri,may be then u can have a better view of the situation and stop saying that it is no news.Life is hard here but we are surviving.They should blow up all the pipeline and lets start afresh and go back to the days of agriculture at least there will enough food for us to eat.In the united states no matter hw bad it is they still get to eat chicken otherwise they would have canceled Thanksgiving as an holiday,the only thanksgiving here its to go dance in church you do not get to eat chicken.But here to even eat fish na wahala because they ve destroy the waters and some biatch sits down and say oil is a curse when she can eat chicken in a comfy office why are they not sending in troups to sudan because there is no oil there.our African brothers are dying everyday "Another Genocide"And they say its not a genocide they have nothing to gain,they only say such trash because they can't afford such in NIGERIA they should say the truth they have made so much money from us.As far as am concern this is ma conclusion "OIL A BLESSING TO NIGERIA THAT WILL HAVE TURNED TO A CURSE AND MADE IT A BLESSING TO OTHERS"we are the cause of our own demise.

@Debosky
I usually appreciate meaningful corrections, but your point that Brazil will soon start exporting oil doesn't make any sense. Before they hit real large oil, Brazil perfected the technology of making gasoline from sugar-cane/corn.

UK, USA all produce oil, mostly for domestic consumption. UK from their North sea wells, and USA produces less than 3% of their total consumption.

So what's your correction again?

canada, norway and denmark are oil exporters. those countries seem to be doing good for themselves. the key is diversifying your economy

Hey Everyone,

Wow!!! I cannot believe some of the comments I've read on here. (and to the one that said smth like CNN is the cause of the Niger-Delta's problems, are you kidding me))

I'll start by saying I am very proud to have been one (out of probably very many) to write to CNN a while ago asking for a feature on Oil in the Niger-Delta. And, YES! I'm ecstatic they put it out there.

No, a lot of it might not be "new" news, but now it's gone to a wider public. and at least it was clearly mentioned that Shell is the cause for the environmental disaster in the region. That should prod Shell's Commerical department. If you work for a multi-national, you know very well just how much any public bad press shakes up the department. And coming from one of the largest news broadcast station, I wouldn't be surprised if the CCO got a phone call in the middle of the night asking him to turn on his TV.

CNN's focus was on the environmental damage (and it did slightly touch upon the Govt's activities) - so I don't think there was any "misrepresentation" in that feature.

And like someone else has said, it's sad, really sad that some say they have developed "tough skin", whatever happened to determination, action, and relentless hope??

I'm not from the Niger-Delta area, never even been there! but so what?? Such a large company wouldn't even DARE act that way in most developed nations, so why in Nigeria? because the Government allows it? as long as the Government gets its own share? tsk! tsk!

There are many considerations that have to be taken into account to revamp that area, who should take the first step?

if your dimwitted media cannot do a report like this due to cowardice and fear, why complain when a foreign one dose it? is it true or not? old news! we have heard all this before! story! story! story! what have you done about it? sitting on your fat asses in your little rooms somewhere in exile, typing rubbish, getting high in denial.

Dear all, let’s not start calling names or blaming CNN more than we already have or keep fighting over it, lets all Talk about our problem (NIGERIA), and how we can be part of the solution, even if its from the point of having our honest views heard,… Ok

I feel a great dismay for our homeland and its people, there’s so much, Ignorance and illiteracy, with or without education, am not saying this to make anyone look bad, no I don’t and wont get a kick from that, but it is the reality, that we either are ignorant or don’t just care about the time bomb we are all seating on,. We don’t ask questions, we don’t challenge even as grass root as it is, our own local government chairmen or even ward counselor on how they spend tax payers  money and government subventions, not to talk of challenging, state  government, or our legislators, and yet we think the problems in every community will go away? No way my friends it wont, (Fela) God bless his soul, said these words years ago “My people dey fear too MUCH!", and funny enough his words still ring true.

However all of that will change, if and only if me, you and hundreds, perhaps millions more, Nigerians from within and out of the region, who know the truth, and how twisted and complicated the problem of Nigeria and especially the Niger delta is, then we need to start now to make the change, the civil rights movement in the US, the Fight against arpartied in south Africa, etc all started from somewhere and today we see the result.

Some may say I sound over ambitious, well your right, my prayer is this, lets all  challenge ourselves,  pull our strength together, gather in numbers, and tell the world and our people the truth, that we will all someday drown in this mess, so its up to us Nigerians to make the change we desire.

I believe, YES! We Can

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Hey,

Mr FX or whatever you call your name This is a thread for a serious issue and not for money doubling agents!!!!!!!

nigerians and their hatred for truth.
this same oil has coursed nigerians everyother minerial resources.
cnn or bbc or even our own ait will continue to suffer in our hands as long as they say those things that we do not want to hear.
it is the duty of the press to expose hidn issues what more the truth that even okada people in nigeria know.
this oil has coursed us more harm than good.
imagine this same oil forced obj to be the president and the oil minister the same time. wow! with the number of petrochemical engineers nigeria have, an illetrate in the name of obj was the oil minister for seven and half years. what a shame?

i personally watched the clips on CNN that night,
it wasnt as bad as most people are taking it,
infact other countries had it worst than us.

what's fullfilling was the positive remark HE Gov
Ameachi made. the truth is the oil is NOT a curse.
its the greed od our african leaders (checkout other
african countries other than Nigeria).

CNN did thier best to do what our locals could not.
they only show was causing the probs (FG & MILITANTS)

i like our MILITANTS for thier doggedness. enof is enof.
if they[FG & OIL COMPANIES] would not help our communities
then let them STOP tapping our resources.

you can't imagine NIGER-DELTA with no roads but go to the NORTH.
what are we saying? who's the fool here. people should open thier eyes wide.

CNN actually did quite a good job and i think I enjoyed their documentary, we should try to look inward and solve our problems instead of getting angry with westerners telling us home truths. Thats my view on this

nawa for CNN, make them face the current crisis in usa and leave naija alone, that reporter, must have paid those guys some cool $$$$$$$$$$$$$

you can't imagine NIGER-DELTA with no roads but go to the NORTH.
what are we saying? who's the fool here. people should open their eyes wide.

@p.lawson
truth of the matter is u are right in most of ur comments. i'm not tryin 2 justify wat d FG or d militants ar doing, but i'm fortunate 2 hav travelled to 35 states + d FCT and wit respect 2 ur quoted comment i wont blame d FG for d lack of roads in d niger-delta. for example, bayelsa state gets almost 5 times wat jigawa state gets in a mth. why cant they hav good roads like jigawa?

one thing though i feel is not right is dat d FG shuld also force d northern states 2 b more productive on their own cos they solely depend on FG for allocations. i also agree that nigerians dont like d truth cos even though their may b a little propaganda in CNN, nigeria wasnt d only country touched in dat documentary. fortunately, i watched d documentary live and i felt bad about d whole thing.

in a nutshell, i just feel dat we culd also examine wat dose niger-delta leaders actually do wit their allocations

Nigerians, nigerians nigerians, We need serious serious heavenly help,

How can people have watched that Planet in Peril telecast and turn it into a "Na them sabi" thing? CNN has nothing to gain here, they ran similar showcases in different countries, the agenda here is that the frigging planet is in danger!!!
Did you see the creeks? We say we've seen and heard all this before and still we sit here like FOOLS knowing its wrong but hating when it is highlighted to the world, waiting for an "International Coalition" to come free us from the "Oppression". WE"RE ALL MAD!!! NOBODY'S COMING!!! Nigeria will never progress until we THE FRIGGING CITIZENS decide to go into the streets in protest, round-up the local government chairmen and senators in our constituencies to demand small local results and then build up, demonstrate like in Thailand and Tibet, progress has never come easy, check your history. Someone must be willing to go out and peacefully express how they feel in the face of armed police and teargas and yes, bullets, only THEN will international coalitions be obliged to step in(if they will). We read the lives of Gandhi and Martin Luther King and go ouuh and aahh, we just a lazy, greedy foolish pack of dumb people and the smart ones have figured us out and are keeping us how they want us. Dont blame CNN cos u choose to be exploited and they are reporting it maan. Its even dumber than doing nothing about where we are as a country.

To those who say western media only report the horrible things about Africa, I say thats because the horrible things are news worthy, everything else outside a cultural perspective is stuff that they take for granted in their own countries, hence, not news to people. They report their own bullshit, to the point that a man's extramarital affairs is world news for God's sake, they report their own political criminals and scandals, but when they report ours, they're "painting Africa Black". Is Africa not black in more ways than complexion? These people are doing their jobs, we should be more interested in making our leaders do theirs.