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sokorecollins@yahoo.com Warri, Nigeria

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KIDNAP OF FOREIGN OIL WORKERS IN NIGERIA:
THE BITTER TRUTH

t is instructive to understand the socio-political mix of Nigeria to gain better insight into the lingering Niger Delta crises. Though the multinational oil companies have their blames, the federal government of Nigeria and his licentiates midwifed this monstrous social upheaval.

The cause of the crisis is the calculated effort by the central government to perpetually dominate the people of the oil-bearing communities of Nigeria. To achieve this, the Land use decree that makes the government the sole owner of petroleum resources was formulated.

Like I have written in several articles, the Niger delta people who used to be very docile are presently agitated because of the growing level of frustration, poverty and deprivation that manifest in the society. According to Orson Pratt, '' an inequality of property is the root and foundation of innumerable evils''.

While efforts are made to develop other regions in the country, none is being made to develop the Niger Delta despite the enormous amount of wealth siphoned from the region. At present the only federal highway that cuts across the core Niger Delta states is in a deplorable condition.

Even quality primary and secondary institutions are non -existent such that most youths who reside in the communities can barely pass the Junior School Certificate examination. How then do we expect them to learn the norms of the society?

Before the recent establishment of the Niger Delta University, it is on record that there was no tertiary institution in the whole riverine communities of the Niger delta. What do we expect from such youths who do not posses the basic skills to pursue future career.

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Without exaggeration, it would be correct to state that the riverine communities of the Niger Delta does not have any semblance of public institutions like police post, courts, prisons, recreation parks, broadcasting houses, stadiums etc. Personally, I believe that these are the reasons why a group of political thugs would kidnap innocent foreigners and claim to be freedom fighters.

As was observed when Hurricane Katrina made landfall, American citizens went berserk. They looted, raped and robbed. That clearly describes the non-existent of public institutions in a society. Any compassionate individual would squirm and weep at the level of deprivation that exists in the oil-bearing communities.

Due to the riverine nature of the communities, the only means of transportation is by canoe. Speedboats are luxury. The people no longer depend on fishing because the water is polluted. They drink the polluted water on which they shit, urinate and bath. In short the water way is the only dumpsite.

Again, most of the riverine communities are not connected to the national grid and as such there is no access to electricity supply all year round except for the few scattered communities that are connected to the power grid of some oil and gas companies.

The average Niger Delta youth nay Ijaw youth cannot afford an ordinary AK47 rifle not to mention the sophisticated pump actions displayed by the kidnappers. A closer look at the hostage situation confirms the first biblical experience of advanced free fraud locally called 419 in Nigeria.

It is certainly ''the hand of Jacob but the voice of Esau''. I want to opine that the sponsors of these wicked acts are the same people that recruited the youths to rig elections and intimidate opposition politicians.

Another critical angle to the crisis is the involvement of the Nigerian military personnel. How alert and prepared is the military? It is a shame that despite the huge amount of resources provided by the government and multinational oil and gas companies to secure oil installations, a band of untrained militants could hold the whole nation to ransom.

My candid opinion is that the demand for the release of the self acclaimed mujaheed Asari Dokubo and Alamieyeseigha by the kidnappers is indicative of the political undercurrent in the issue. Sample the Ijaw communities from Delta to Rivers state and it will be obvious that both are not the mythical figures the press is painting. Why must the rest of Nigeria ascribe the leadership of the Ijaw nation to the failures in the land?

More worrisome is the social and moral abuse unleashed by the invading band of well-paid oil workers and security personnel. Due to the endemic poverty in the region, young girls and even adults easily indulge in prostitution to satisfy the lust of these high paying special visitors.

Expectedly, the allure of ' oil money' makes wives to abandon their matrimonial homes for sleazy favours. This inadvertently completes the cycle of abuse and exploitation in the region.

It is not surprising that some of the youths are the offsrings of such unholy affairs. What do we expect from such youths whose fathers absconded after loading their mothers? Without sounding prosaic, I want to state that if military attack is approved the soldiers may end up killing their wives, children or children of oil workers they want to secure.

To forestall the reoccurrence of the kidnap, destruction and killing in the oil rich Niger Delta, a lot of efforts must be channeled to resolve the issues that led to the creation of young able-bodied men with inexpendable boundless energy.

The kidnap of oil workers and destruction of oil installations must be condemned in its entirety while a conducive atmosphere is created by the government to enhance the genuine struggle by the people of the region to be stakeholders in the exploitation of their natural resources.

The ultimate solution is the rapid and massive development of the oil- bearing riverine communities. Difficult terrain is not an excuse. The people of the area want to see dual carriages, high rise buildings, hospitals, educational institutions etc. It is only the presence of the above that can genuinely assuage ill feeling and dejection.

The multinational oil companies should strategically move their operations to the oil-bearing communities and genuinely make the people stakeholders. It is obvious that the youths want to be real players and not spectators. The policy of red-tapism associated with scholarships and career jobs should be abandoned, as it has proved counter-productive.

The policy of ''crumbs for the children'' must be discarded. Skill acquisition programme must be designed such that the beneficiaries can be gainfully employed in the oil and gas sector. Monetary settlement of the avant-garde is a catalyst for more crises.

The much needed value reorientation in the Niger Delta, particularly in the Ijaw speaking area can only materialize if the government and companies sincerely provide jobs for the army of unemployed graduates who presently patronize the restive youths for employment slots in the companies. The present system breeds hooliganism, thuggery and kidnapping.

A valid learning point from the kidnapping episode is the dexterity and sophistication of the kidnappers. It is mind boggling that with its arsenal of weapons and training, the youths could make the whole Nigeria security apparatus helpless. This leads to the million-dollar question.

Why did we not recruit the boys into the Navy or army? If merit and performance are not secondary to the ethnocentric federal character and malicious state boundaries, they ought to be key players in securing the coastline of the country. Imagine how we have turned talent to waste?

As a people, the Ijaws must look inward and chart a course for the development of the entire area. Clannish barriers must be removed while a common agenda is pursued.

According to Samuel Johnson, an 18th century English writer '' to be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.

Sokore Collins Erebi is of founder Scholars Without Borders