Let Us Resolve by Dr Banigo

LET US RESOLVE…
By
Youpele Banigo
I think we represent the corps of emerging elites in our communities who are thoroughly disturbed by the parody of justice foisted on our communities and we are committing ourselves to advance a well coordinated process of change and improvement in our communities. The timing of this meeting is auspicious in view of the current issues in our country. History is unfolding in our time and we wish to take a stand at this period to be reckon with.
In early hours of the 9th of May I received over ten sms massages on one subject, seriously drawing my attention to read page three of the previous edition of ThisDay newspaper. I searched for the paper and after reading through it carefully I felt aggrieved, thoroughly agitated. What angered me was the approval of the about 10 billion naira for the expansion of the Lagos-Ota road but the statement of the Hon. Minister of Work, when he told the Governor of Ogun state, Otunba Gbanga Daniel, ‘if there is any federal road you feel we should do, don’t hesitate to write us and we will get the necessary approval from Mr. President to do it’. I felt raped when I read those statement but I discovered that, in the process of meeting you in putting this meeting to gather, that everyone here feel the same way or even angrier.
Gentlemen, we come from communities that have had great historical past; the strong social structures that are today under severe attack are landmarks of the great antiquity of our people. The resourcefulness, resilience and communality of the people form the bedrock of our civilization, which actually predated the coming of the Europeans from the 15th century. Prehistoric investigations demonstrate that by the 11 millennia our people had withered the very hostile environment of the Niger Delta to establish a stable and virile society. By the coming of the European in the 15th the visitors needed our patronage to survive and infect paid our taxes. The Akassa Youmi of 1895 and Igekwe of the Epie women protest in 1958 are some of the clearest signposts of the resilience of our people to ensure that they maintained their sovereignty, and determined their destiny.
Last February makes it 50 years when the first barrel of oil was exported from the oil wells of Oloibiri. And since 1956 our communities have witnessed the unprotected, brazen and unbridled exploitation of oil and gas. But what is the story of Oloibiri today?
Oloibiri is an intriguing and odd paradox. In this once green land that produced the first oil revenue for the treasury of the Nigerian state the people experience an amassing litany of existential discords. Oloibiri, the cradle of Nigeria ’s oil industry is a huge nightmare, a ghost town where man and the environment are fast losing the fight for survival. Adeyemi of The Guardian gives us this graphic description of Oloibiri, at the beginning of this present political dispensation:
Oliobiri land, once fertile, is now barren. No cultivation can take place there again. That is, only the indigenes who are mainly farmers went to neighboring communities to farm. Aquatic life is extinct because no fish can survive in the community’s water. The situation for the indigenes is pathetic and poverty is palpable, written on their faces.
Oloibiri’s problems are many. The road leading to it from Yenagoa is no longer motorable, leaving the travelers to use the waterways. Speedboats and canoes ply Oloibiri once a week because of the low human traffic to the area. Flying boats (motor powered speedboats) there are onfiltered=N=15,000.00 a day. The journey is harrowing because there are no life jackets for passengers. A speedboat moving at its maximum speed makes the trip in two hours. The only road that leads to Oloibiri has been washed off by erosion. Social amenities in the communities are virtually non-existent. There is neither electricity nor pipe borne water. People drink from the same river that runs through the community that has already been polluted by crude oil. Economic activities are at a zero level, as the whole community seems landlocked because of the bad roads.

Gentlemen, what is the situation of Oloibiri after seven years of democracy?
Indeed, Oloibiri is the foretaste of our common destiny. From Oluasiri to Akassa and from Gharan to Otuasiga our landmark represents one of the extreme situations of poverty, underdevelopment and crisis. Our entire communities have become plagued by a plethora of crises. Our environment has been looted, our social system dislocated, and our future raped. Gentlemen, we are a dying people.
I have some posers here. How many of us here feel nostalgic about home. How many of us here are expectedly looking forward to spend our next holiday in our various communities? How many of us here are missing that refreshing bath in our creek and rivers? How many of us here send our children home to spend their vacations? Twenty years ago one could be considered insane to raise these questions. In the next twenty years, if this trend persists, we shall all be refugees in Nigeria.
Gentlemen, what do we do in this case? Do we, parodying Cicero Ige and Achebe phrases respectively, sit don look, or take a stick and break someone’s head. To be indifferent to the plight of our communities is a demonstration of irresponsibility and self-death. On the other hand, to take the law into oneself to right a wrong is considered illegal by our laws. This gathering shall not adopt either of these extreme positions but we shall resolve to employ our skills, intellect, and energy to initiate and attain good life for our people. We shall resolve use our voice, logic, pen and heart to serve our land. Gentlemen, of what strategic value is our skill if we cannot puse a moment to deeply reflect on our root, after all that is where we all come from and that is where we shall all return. Let us resolve today to build partnerships that is based on firm commitment, ideology and amakiri teme. Let us resolve to close ranks, dispel our differences and instead enlarge our communality. My acquaintance with you tells me that we have one article in large quantum and that is our level of indignation. Let us resolve today to galvanize our aggravate rage and appropriately channel it toward a positive community service. Let us therefore strive to be committed to this endeavor; because we fail, neglect and ignore to perform this community service then other people will speak for us and of course their opinion about us will be not authentic, comprehensive and reflective of our genuine situation.
Gentlemen, our task is a challenging one. Our opinion and actions therefore must be meticulous, engaging and robust. We must not be afraid of misunderstanding, misinterpretation and opposition. Nothing will trouble us if we are inclined to strong ideological deposition.
Dr. Banigo teaches at the Niger Delta University

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For more info on Nembe, please click this link: http://search.yahoo.com/search?ei=utf-8&fr=slv8-fp&p=nembe

More Banigo article: http://www.unitedijawstates.com/boro.htm

The Way Forward For The Niger Delta

It is very sad that Niger Delta is slowly becoming the most dangerous place to do oil business in Nigeria. We all read about hostage taking in Iraq, Labanon and other places, little did I know that our people would borrow such horrendious methods to solve a political problem. Whenever a society gets frustrated enough to start taking hostages for political gains that society is doomed for instability and severe economic depressions. Niger Delta do not need to be the Iraq of Nigeria, no matter how frustrating and hopeless the situation may be.

Yes, we live in the most poluted environment in the world. If 25% of the oil spillage in Niger Delta were to occur in the United States, these oil companies would have spent billions of dollars to clean the environment. The citizens of Niger Delta are fishermen and fisherwomen, but due to oil spillage, we are unable to fish anymore. Now we must depend on some government job for employment, which we are not trained for. Oil pipelines run right infront of our homes, with eminent danger of these lines blowing up any day and killing us all. We have gas flares in the middle of our towns, a disaster waiting to happen. No civilized community would allow such atrocities in their community to be commited by another civilized community. To allow such things happen to us says alot about who we are. Yet we are the poorest community in the nation. Why???? What for!?

Nevertheless, I have come to understand that one violence will always start another bigger violence. Therefore, if Niger Delta is to survive as a society, we must abhore voilence and find other ways to solve our economic and political problems. I think this approach will work: first, in the absence of federal economic distribution based on derivation, then all Niger Delta States need to pass laws to abolish oil and gas spillage in their States and impose heavy fines on companies (including banning the companyfrom doing business in Neger Delta)that violate such laws; second, all Niger Delta States must pass laws to mandate all oil-related companies operating in their states to invest 10% of their gross annual income in building local schools, hospitals, scholarship programs, housing, roads, bridges, communications and high-tech job like commercialized fishing, oil refinery, ship and car building. Such monies must not be given to the States, rather such monies must be tied to specific project implementations with possible international NGOs and State supervisions. This amount (10% of anual gross company income) must be tax deductible from the Nigerian federal government. This is the only way to bring stability to the Niger Delta and ensure economic prosperity for both the oil companies and the citizens of the Niger Delta. Fighting the Federal Government has not worked. Hostages taking has only brought us bad media and disgrace. It is time to change course. The Niger Delta problem is a political problem which requires an urgent solution. This is our only way forward.

For more information on the Way forward, please check out the folowing site:
http://www.unitedijawstates.com/our_voices2.htm

Please check out the following sites for more info on oil spillage:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-28,RNWE:en&q=oil+spillage+in+niger+delta

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-28,RNWE:en&q=pipelines+in+Niger+delta

Dallas All Niger Delta Conference

1st ALL NIGER DELTA PEOPLES’ CONFERENCE 2006

1st ANDPC 2006

Conference Website:
http://andpc2006.sspa-na.org


South-South Peoples’ Assembly - North America (SSPA-NA) cordially invites you to the
1st All Niger Delta Peoples’ Conference 2006 taking place in Dallas, Texas, USA


DATE:
AUGUST 24 – 27, 2006

THEME:
Democracy, Federalism and the Niger Delta

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Professor Itse Sagay, SAN

VENUE:
Grand Hyatt DFW
2337 South International Parkway,
DFW Airport, Texas, USA 75261-9045Tel: 972-973-1234 Fax: 972-973-1299
CALL FOR PAPERS AND MEMORANDA
You are invited to submit papers and memoranda related to the following:
o Youth Empowerment and the Niger Delta.
o Economic Development of the Niger Delta.
o Federalism and the Niger Delta.
o The Environment and Sustainable Development.
Abstracts of papers and copies of memoranda must reach the Planning Committee by July 15, 2006.

Please, send electronic copies (PDF or Microsoft Word format only) to: conference@sspa-na.org


SOUTH-SOUTH PEOPLES’ ASSEMBLY (North America, Europe & Nigeria)
Planning Committee: Chairman, Alaboso Joejim

Join us to buid a data base for Nembe Day

If you are intersted in the Nembe (Ibe) Day idea, then please contact me at idumange@yahoo.com or contact Aye Omuso in New Jersey and Dan Dede in New York. Please include your contact addresses (including emails)and phone #s. Please also indicate when and how you would like to be contacted. Indicate in what capacity you would like to volunteer or just indicate that you are not interested in volunteering at this time but would attend the celebrations. It is important that we know how many people will attend the Nembe Day celebrations and also where to hold our first Nembe Day Celebrations. I am thinking New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles or Washingston DC. More city suggestions are highly welcomed. Suggestions on how best to implement Nembe day is highly welcomed. So please, keep your comments coming and contact every Nembe person you know (from Akassa to Oluasiri) to visit this site and make comments or suggestions and send me, Dan or Aye your info. Please do not limit yourselves to only the Nembe people in the United States. We want to see people from all over the world. We want to make a big splash of fun and ideas. We also welcome suggestions on ideas to be discussed. Also feel free to contact me, if you have problems posting your ideas. Thanks a million... O Nua-o nua-oo! Wanna hear some Nembe music? Try this site and once in, click on the letters in blue; http://www.amadanyo.com/mangrove.html

What about a Nembe Day?

Salome Alagoa of Washington DC suggested that all Nembe people need to meet and discuss Nembe issues at least once a year. Such conference would allow people to not only network, but also to celebrate the Nembe culture. Such an event could rotate to different cities in the United States and other countries. Just like Isaac Boro Day, we could call our day, the Diete Spiff Day or Nembe Day and invite alot of high ranking Nigerian officials to celebrate the Diete Spiff Legacy and find ways to carry on his legacy. Do you know that Diete Spiff hired an architect to draw a master plan for all major cities in the Nembe community, including Nembe? Without Diete Spiff Scholarship program, most of us would not have been here. A Nembe Day can be simultaneously celebrated in Nembe and all over the globe. It would be like a Nembe Christmas to celebrate Nembe's accomplishments in history. What do you think?

How about Nembe Political Lobbying Group?

Not long ago, everyone was proud to be called a Nembe citizen. Everyone was learning to speak and write Nembe. Radio and TV broadcasts were also in Nembe. Unfortunately, in the past decade, Nembe has been marginalized. While Nembe communities were embroiled in fighting one another, other communities have moved on. Nembe is a distant past of its old glory. Question is: what can we do to regain our glory? I suggest forming some political action committee (PAC)called the City-State Group which will lobby for developments in Nembe as well as positioning Nembe people in both State and Federal Governments to fund developmental activities in the Nembe communities ( from Oluasiri to Akassa). For more info about Nembe, please click this link: http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-28,RNWE:en&q=Nembe%2C+Nigeria What do you think?

Latest Nigerian News Links

For the latest news on Nigeria:
ThisDay: http://www.thisdayonline.com/
The Nigerian Tide: http://www.thetidenews.com/index.aspx?qrDate=06/23/2006&qrColumn=FRONT%20PAGE
The Guardian Newspaper: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/
Vanguard Newspaper: http://www.vanguardngr.com/
John Idumange: http://www.democracynigeria2007.org/state_national1
US National Public Radio (NPR): http://www.npr.org/
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/
CBS: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/home/main100.shtml
ABC: http://abcnews.go.com/
NBC: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/
BET: http://www.bet.com/
Start Stock Market Investment: http://www.sharebuilder.com/sharebuilder/Index.asp
Niger Delta TV: http://www.nigerdeltatv.com/

How to end the Nembe Crisis

Is it too much to ask from your (Nigerian) government or companies responsible for destroying your livelihood to build hospitals to treat the injured and sick; to build fishing and ship building industries to uplift the economic depression and create jobs; to build schools and universities to educate the populace to meet the manpower needs; to build refineries and oil related industries to create jobs and clean up the environment; to build power and water plants to meet civilian and industrial needs; to build interstate roads to sustain the economic growth and tourism; to build a security force to protect everyone and all companies from harm?

Prior to the oil exploration in the Nembe area, Nembe was a very peaceful place to raise children to become productive, obedient, responsible and very hardworking adults. Bravery, intelligence, wisdom, craftmanship and hardworks were the hallmarks for celebrations. Crime was almost nonexistent, and locks were not needed on doors. Everyone hepled each other in all aspects of life. People got together to build houses free of charge, cleared farms free of charge, made palm oil free of charge. Everyone looked forward to Friday to go shopping and selling at Tereke Market. Tereke Market was the Nembe Mall. From the shores of Akassa to the hinterlands of Oluasiri, everyone simply considered themselves as a Nembe person. When something happened to any member of the Nembe community, every Nembe community got involved. For example, when the British empire became too intrusive to the Nembe people in 1895, the whole community rose up and fought the British Navy. It was not just the Akassa people or Twon people or Okpoma people or Oluasiri people, rather it was everyone in the Nembe community that rose up and fought the Akassa War.

It is very disheartening today, to see Ogbolomabiri and Bassambiri fighting, Okpoma and Iwokiri or Twon fighting, Akassa and Eguema fighting. Like Chinua Achebe once wrote, "Things fall apart, the center cannot hold" and Nembe is falling apart very fast with no center to hold us together. It seems like everyone is to themselves, and whoever gets the most money from the oil companies and the biggest guns rules. There is no central voice to address the total destruction of the Nembe community. Greed has become more important than the future survival of our children and our society.

Even as we fight each other, our environment is continuously being poluted with major oil spillage, killing off the environment including the fish we used to depend upon and puluting the water we depend upon for survival. All kinds of diseases are slowly spreading in the community with no hospitals or doctors to treat them. Fishing is almost a thing of the past because of massive oil polution. Young people are jobless and unproductive, so, instead of picking up books to study to survive, they are picking up arms to fight. Gone are the days when parents used to teach their children; "The pen is mightier than the sword and education always conquer all." Seeing all these cultural and economic destructions taking place in Nembe, my mother and father must be turning over in their graves today.

I am very happy, even in the mist of the dying Nembe society, that we have great Nembe people like Senator Inatimi Rufus, John Amabebe, Gboribiogha Jonah, Aye Omusu, and Dr Daukoru (the current OPEC President) who believes that oil investments in Nigeria must be tied to industrialization of the nation, especially the oil producing communities. Dr Daukoru believes in diversifying the economic base of Nigeria, while we can. When the world no longer needs oil in years to come, places like the Nembe community may cease to exist on any map due to gas flares and oil polutions. Sometimes I wonder if any anyone understands what Dr Daukoru is saying? What good is greed if you cannot live in your home? What does killing one another accomplish other than more killings and economic backwardness? Violence never resolves problems, but deplomacy always does. The question is: when are we going to stop this free fall to total destruction and start addressing ways to build the Nembe community as an economic power house for the benefit of our children? For more info on oil spills in Nembe, please click here: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=RNWE,RNWE:2005-28,RNWE:en&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=oil+spills+in+Nembe&spell=1