mrvitalis:
This is just the basic truth

Just add this they want to eat their cake and still have it

They want to share oil revenue among them selfs and still have good roads and other infeatructure

lacasera14:
Coming from an Igbo man I guess, ND is too big you've not traveled half of it to come to this premature assertion you call hard facts

mrnigerdelta:
Absolute rubish

chukzyblingz:
Nonsense thread fool of stupid assumption and unreasonable generalizations.

ever811:
u are very correct...iam typing from Abonima Ireland, I am surprise the way they reason,but then again the federal government has to do something if they genuinely want to help this people.let the federal government and oil company execute what ever project they intend to bring in the Niger Delta communities by them selves.they have to kill most especially the chiefs if need be to make sure this region is developed.but then again,that will have to be in the next generation when the number of exposed and educated youth will overshadow the illiterate majority of youth they have today..the most affected communities are the river lines..a typical river line youth believe that,it is the duty of the government to even provide people that will be bathing them..in Abonima here,it is the local government that pays there light bill.I over heard one of the youth just yesterday from my room,after the NEPA light went off,saying that,they should bring the money the local goverment is using to pay for the light for them to share if the light is not constant.. u can imagined that kind of mentality? instead of suggesting that the money be Chanel into a community project.I have been in this community from January to this hour for a project, so far I have a fool knowledge about what is happening in this region. there chiefs and leaders know how to keep the youth busy with little amount of money. a typical river line youth values the 1k he gets from a politician more than the 100k he earn by himself. come to Abonima during election period and see how happy and busy they get by following and hailing politicians for money.in abonima here many project has been abandon because of the demand the chiefs are making trough the youth.most kidnappings in this communities in the delta,the chiefs ate directly or indie involved. they have made there youth so useless so that they can easily use them for there selfish activities.what the chiefs in this areas does,is to sponsor politicians into different offices in return for settlement with contract in there communities that they will abandon and embezzle the money..no body can question them because they sponsored the man with the responsibility to question them to where he is..I am tired of typing,if not if I tell u all I acknowledge from this people within this short period of time,u will know that 99.9 % of the Niger Delta problem is the Niger Delta it self..

artmostfair:
HARD FACTS:

1) Niger Deltan leaders (governors, local govt chairmen, traditional rulers, high chiefs etc) actively contributed- and still contribute- to the underdevelopment of the region.

2) Their leaders collect "oil monies" meant for their respective communities from FG, oil companies and the states, and pocket the funds for their own enjoyment.

3) Having once lived in a major oil producing community in rivers state, I had first hand information on how several chiefs abandon projects or fail to apply community funds to appropriate public benefit.

4) The sheer mass illiteracy of the ND populace gives way to the smooth siphoning of public funds by their "chiefs and elders"... The educational lacuna is something that must be addressed urgently.

5) A lot of ND youths are unemployable because of lack of education and skills. This is the major reason why oil companies have to regularly ship in experts from other regions. You would find a lot of igbos and Yorubas in the oil fields, why? They are super qualified.

6) The ND people traditionally don't travel or explore like the other major tribes of Nigeria. This is why they had been in the dark for decades. Even the average Igbo man wants to replicate what he sees in Abuja in his own village, but you would all agree with me, most Niger Deltan "cities" are a rude disappointment and classic eyesores when juxtaposed with the resources therein.

The first day I went to the famous "Garden City" I was totally disappointed. It's a shame. These guys hardly see other places to feel challenged towards improving their environment selflessly...

7) perhaps the white man's early visit to the ND region is a curse to Niger Deltans because one major thing they learnt apart from wearing hats was how to "enjoy life to the fullest" with assorted wines, women, hotels and other luxury. They never learnt how to build even beautiful houses. I've seen Agip, Total and several other oil company staff without a befitting house, but they waste money daily on flexing...


CONCLUSION:

So my opinion: resource control or secession may not turn the region into a Dubai or some sort of paradise. On the other hand, a true fiscal federalism might actually improve their lot in the long run. But are other regions ready to practice fiscal federalism? Are they ready to take the "risky" challenge of sustaining themselves?

Kindly throw in your thoughts on this...




PS: my respect goes to those hardworking and law-abiding Niger Deltans who genuinely seek progress and development of their region. God bless you all.