Comments on: Why Yar’Adua’s amnesty is not an olive branch

By: michael chuks

michael chuks — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 23:25:10 +0000

Thanks Obi for this beautiful piece. The holy book once told us that if a seed does not die, it will not germinate to bear fruits.
In the main, Nigeria needs to die first by resolving our national question of True and Fiscal federalism. After that, if it is lucky to survive, we would help it germinate as well as bear fruits.
God bless the MEND.

By: Patrick Agbobu

Patrick Agbobu — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 21:37:24 +0000

THE REPORT OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL ON NIGER DELTA, IS THE TURTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. ANY PERSON WHO FAULTS THIS IMPECCABLE REPORT IS NOT ONLY ECCONOMICAL WITH THE TRUTH BUT IS IN ANOTHER PLANET AND IN CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND. THE NIGERIAN AUTHORITY KNOWS THAT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IS AN IMPARTIAL BODY AND THEY PERFORM THEIR DUTY WITHOUT BLEMISH. IF IT WAS POSSILE FOR NIGERIA TO INFLUENCE THEM WITH THE USAUL GHANA MUST GO BAG, TYEY COULD HAVE DONE SO. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL IS A HIGHLY RESPECTED INTERNATIONAL IMPARTIAL ORGANIZATION. NIGERIA AND THE OIL COMPANIES MUST BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES. NIGERIA SHOULD INTRODUCE A WINDFAL TAX ON THESE OIL COMPANIES TO CLAW BACK THE HUGE PROFITS THEY HAVE MADE OVER THE PERIOD. NIGERIA MUST ASK THE OIL COMPANIES TO CLEAN THE MESS THEY CREATED AND PENALISE THEM PUNITIVELY FOR THE MESS. THE MONEY FROM THE WINDFALL TAX, EXCESS CRUDE AND 30% OF OUR EXTERNAL RESERVE SHOULD BE USED IMMEDIATELY FOR THE DEVELOPEMENT OF NIGER DELTA

MR. PRESIDENT YOU ARE NOT LISTENING. YOU SHOULD USE NIGER DELTA MONEY TO DEVELOPE THE NIGER DELTA IMMEDIATELY. ABUJA AND ENVIRONS WERE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED WITH THE MONEY FROM THE NIGER DELTA. THE SAME INTEREST AND SPEED THAT WAS USED TO DEVELOPE ABUJA SHOULD BE USED TO DEVELOPE THE NIGER DELTA. THIS WILL BE A WIN WIN FOR NIGERIA. THE CRISES WILL STOP, INVESTMENTS WILL RUSH IN, THE YOUTHS WILL BE GAINFULLY EMPLOYED, NIGERIA WILL MAXIMISE HER CRUDE OIL AND GAS PRODUCTIONS,TOURISM WILL FLORISH, NIGERIAN INTELLECTUALS AND BUSINESS PEOPLE ABROAD WILL COME BACK TO NIGERIA AND CREATE A LOT OF JOBS. AS LITTLE AS 100,000.00 (ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND) POUNDS COULD ESTABLISH A SMALL COTTAGE INDUSTRY OF A SMALL FARM AND ABOUT SIX WELL PAID JOBS CAN BE CREATED. BY SIMPLE CALCULATION, ABOUT ONE MILLION NIGERIANS ABROAD CAN RAISE THIS TYPE OF MONEY. THAT IS ABOUT SIX MILLION NEW JOBS. MR. PRESIDENT LISTEN! LISTEN!! LISTEN!!! LISTEN!!!. TIME IS NOT ON OUR SIDE AND YOUR SIDE MAKE HASTE NOW!!!!!

By: Ejiro

Ejiro — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:23:46 +0000

The FG is still delaying development by distractive measures-ND confrences,Amnesty/presidential pardon and all that hullaballoo.Its high time we took this actions(seriuos bombings) to the North.Lets stir up the turbulence in the North so they would know what it takes to see uniformed men daily in ur garden,kitchen and even in ur bedroom or wont JTF restore peace there too?

By: Busuyi O

Busuyi O — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 13:25:49 +0000

Why is it difficult for Nigeria to address a simple and direct issue ogf Niger delta since 1976? I dont just get it. Before crude oil emerges is there not something that Nigeria rely on? Looking back to the past president/head of states we have had, who are majorly the Hausas, i think the best person to have resolved this is was OBJ but he failed the whole nation for his third term selfish interest.

PERE, i will continue to disagree with you on blowing of pipelines. If we said Nigeria will not break, what if it does?! Then ND will have to start from scratch, huh? Let ND find a way to seize (their) properties (oil companies), im very sure Fed govt will never ever blow the place. Let them stop the flow of oil and see if Fed govt will not soon beg for mercy. If the Nigerian soldiers refused to understand the fact that they are not to kill citizens then let ND continue to massacre them (well the soldiers are mallams so they happy to kill citizens who are denying them oil money). Let the grace of God be on ND to liberate all of us from the slavery of the north.

By: Bruce UGIOMOH

Bruce UGIOMOH — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 11:05:51 +0000

I agree with Mr? Nwakanma and hope Mr President will be magnanimous enough to reverse himself on this ill advised amnesty and address the ND crisis. In my candid opinion, refugees in the senseless annihilation of Gbaramatu and other communities by the JTF should take precedence of rehabilitation, even before the “jaw-jaw”. MEND is articulate and precise on the fundamental grievances in the ND and silly palliatives like the amnesty will only slow our plunge to the abyss. The amnesty is dubious and only criminals will accept it and not the FREEDOM FIGHTERS. Let the JTF clear out of the region wit immediate effect.

By: Bolou Oduruku

Bolou Oduruku — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:58:31 +0000

50 BILLION NAIRA TIP, TO CARPET TRUE FEDERALISM.

By: Nyekwe

Nyekwe — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:57:26 +0000

Congress for the people of Ikwerre people (COLIP) Cape Town, South Africa i calling for World International conference on Niger delta. The president Engr. Ichegbo Maxwell tol dUnited Nations office at Pretoria that the solution to Niger delta case is resoursce control.

Also, He posted a question: Was there militant before adaka, Senator Obi wali, Ken saro, etc were killed. The answer is No, the issue is that the Nigerian governement and the big three do not want the Niger delta people to enjoy their God given wealth. They can kill the messengers but the message remains. We want resource control.

Nigeria is a failed state.

Long live Niger delta.

By: Chris Nnadede

Chris Nnadede — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:05:57 +0000

Like I always said, AMNESTY is a misnomer. But it fits the tricks and the game Yar’Adua and his friends planned to play. Someone or some people in defeat may request amnesty but this time MEND is not vanquished. Amnesty is the easiest and cheapest offer from a government that is blind and deaf to the cause of ND crises. If the word “amnesty” could attract N50 billion, what will be the cost for 50 per cent derivation or the demand for the right fiscal federalism?

By: MA

MA — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:11:11 +0000

Is it all communities in the south that have oil? While is the whole south eyeing the oil in the Niger Delta. Let Nigeria break into as many oil producing communities as possible. Communities without oil should form a nation of their oqn. Dont put ur long throat on ND oil, my dear. When the time comes we shall see.

By: musa

musa — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:30:28 +0000

if they will not give us 50% derivation..and allow the practice of true federalism
so that we can control our resources..then the fate of what happen to shell in the western Niger delta,will happen soon in other Niger delta areas….especially in livers state …it will soon be zero % oil flow .. SINCE MEND is winning and extending the hands of liberation to other oppressed areas of the region..we salute and praise your efforts ..God bless MEND

By: Pere

Pere — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 02:11:16 +0000

Such a beautiful informative article. I presume our VP and some ND natives in the FG ( civil servants or political appointees) employees have become selfish and stooges to used by this farse regime to perpetuate economic colonialism. We believe in MEND. Amnesty for whom? MEND, pls blast more oil pipelines and do not relent until we an SNC and Int’l conference on ND. this is for the future of ND children.

By: Felix B. Poronen

Felix B. Poronen — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:47:14 +0000

Although I am not important enough for own view points to count, I had stated right from the first day that the amnesty was announced that unless the question of resource control is addressed, the amnesty will not make any impact and that sooner or later the government will find some excuses to revoke the amnesty and put whoever they could lay their hands on in prison, tried and hurriedly executed them as they did to Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight of his Ogoni compatriots.
Any one who is closer to the president should advise him to address the resource control issue first before trying to disarm and integrate the militants. The government is reluctant to address the resource control issue first because they lack the skill to mobilize and raise revenue from other sources to fill the 37% revenue gap the a 50% derivation will create. Why can’t the government engage experts to find ways of filling the government revenue gap and grant the 50% derivation on which the 1960 independent constitution was based to solve the problem once and for all?