By Victor Ahiuma-Young
NATIONAL Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), weekend, said reports that the detained leader of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Mr. Henry Okah, had accepted the government’s amnesty and that President Umaru Yar’Adua had ordered his release, was a good omen for peace in the restive Niger Delta region.
NUPENG President, Mr. Peter Akpatason, told Vanguard in Sagamu, Ogun State, at the just-concluded Lagos zonal delegates conference of NUPENG that with the MEND leader accepting the amnesty, he would be in a better position to influence members of the group to follow his lead and renounce violence and accept the amnesty’s offer.
Akpatason, who had earlier told Vanguard that the increasing attacks on oil installations in the Niger Delta by the militants was the greatest threat to the nation’s economy and called on the militants to take full advantage of the amnesty and join in the efforts to develop the Niger Delta region in particular and Nigeria in particular.
According to him: “The reports that Henry Okah has accepted government amnesty and that President Yar’Adua has ordered his release is a welcome development.
“It is a good omen for peace that has eluded the Niger Delta region for a long time.
“I am convinced that when he eventually regains his freedom, which obviously will be a matter of days if the reports of President Yar’Adua’s order for his release is anything go by, he will be in a better position to talk to and influence other members of MEND to abandon violence and amnesty for the general good of all.
“It is definitely a good thing. We hope leaders and members of other militant groups in the region will toe the line of Okah, to restore peace in the region,” he added.
Akpatason, also the National Trustee of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), had earlier at the conference, argued that if the destruction of oil facilities in the region was not checked, the nation’s economy that depended almost 90 per cent on oil would be heading for total collapse.
He called on all well- meaning individuals and groups in the region to give the amnesty plan their total support. He, however, advised government not to politicise the amnesty issue to reduce the tension in the area.
He posited that though those that were sabotaging the oil facilities could not be said to be genuinely fighting for the betterment of the region, but government should ensure that it reached everybody or group to ensure that the nation was saved from the violent militancy in the region.
The NUPENG President lamented that on daily basis, both the nation’s economy, lives and property of oil workers and other innocent people were being put at risk because of the attacks and violent militancy in the region.
Speaking on the efforts of government in the zone, especially the Lagos state government to sanitise road transportation in the state, Comrade Akpatason appealed to members of Tanker Drivers branch of the union to cooperate with the government in its effort at making the road traffic free and less stressful for users.
He however called on the government to curtail the excesses of members of the State Transport Management Agency because of they do not see the tanker drivers as normal human beings, stressing that Tanker drivers were reasonable human beings who also appreciated the works the government was doing to ensure better living condition for residents.
Amnesty as it is packaged by the AGF, acting for the corrupt and indicted governors, will FAIL and deserves to fail. What this has done is to reward criminals, fronting for the corrupt and indicted governors and their collaborators. This amnesty has by extention given amnesty to these indicted and corrupt governors and their collaborators and has rewarded them for their crime against nigerians and humanity. These same indicted and corrupt governors and their collaborators names, featured promininently, in the lists of backers of the criminals recorvered in camp 5, bt the security forces. The amnesty is not only bad and disgraceful, but was dishonestly negotiated and the corrupt and indicted and currupt governors are at the very centre of it. These bad people, who should hang their heads in permanent shame, are trying to get away with murder. If this shinanigan of an amnesty, is allowed to be put in place, then the President does not deserve the support of Nigerians and especially the military. The later he sent to the Niger Delta, as their Commander In Chief and they were slaughtered in cold blood by the criminals.
The President should realise that, the real agitators in the Niger Delta are not talking of amnesty. All they want and deserve is that, the people of the Niger Delta should be treated with fairness justice and the fear of God. The President should know that, this sham of an amnesty is a sign of great weakness and it is not worth the paper on which it is written. Mr. President if you know, you are sincere with the people of the Niger Delta, you should start without delay and as a down payment to the people of the Niger Delta, develope the Niger Delta, with the same speed and alacrity that was used in developing Abuja. Abuja was geveloped in a jiffy, do the same with the Niger Delta. You have just awarded contracts for 10 lane road for Abuja International airport worth over 300 billion naira, yet you find it immposible to link all the state capitals in the Niger Delta with the rest of the country. Mr. President this is double standards and the people of the Niger Delta will not be fooled. Mr. President read and listen to the report of amnesty International on the Niger Delta. Amnesty International is a very respectable body all over the world and they should know better. Mr. President use the part of money, Nigeria is making in the Niger Delta to immediately develope the Niger Delta and ecconomically empower the people of the Niger Deita now. Mr. President stop using the money that was realised from the Niger Delta, to develope Abuja and other places and ecconomically empowering people, from other parts of nigeria, at the expence of the Niger Delta and her people. Mr. President it is time, you should stop patronising the people of the Niger Delta, like your predicessors. Mr. President bribing a few shameless, so called leaders of the Niger Delta is not the solution. This tactics will fail woefully as they have failed in the past. If it is this chinanigan of an amnesty, that the real agitators of the Niger Delta want, Adaka Boro, Ken Saro Wiwa and others could not have sacrificed their lives, fighting for justice and fairness for the people of the Niger Delta. The Bible and The Coran say DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WISH THEY DO UNTO YOU. If you obey this law and rule you will please the people of the Niger Delta and The Almighty God. Mr. President all the so called billioners in Nigeria today, made their money from the cude oil and associate industries linked to crude oil, and these products were got from The Niger Delta, Mr. President show me one of these billioners, who is from the Niger Delta. Mr. Ptrsident is this not shameful and disgraceful? Mr. President Nigeria has 63 billion dollars in foriegn reserves and all are made from curde oil, from The Niger Delta, yet the Niger Delta is wallowing in abject and abysmal porverty. Mr. President is this just and fair? Mr. President why do you and your predicessors and all governments of all shades, treat the people of the Niger Delta so shabilly? Are the people of the neger delta crused because, we produce the crude oil and gas, which the whole of Nigeria depens on? MR. PRESIDENT TELL ME! MR. PRESIDENT TELL THE PEOPLE OF THE NIGER DELTA!! MR. PRESIDENT TELL NIGERIANS!!! MR. PRESIDENT TELL THE WORLD!!!!
Mr. Victor Ahiuma-Young, I urge u to do some investigative reporting instead of publishing lousy assumptions and conclusions. Your article began with the wrong premise. U don’t understand the core issues in ND region. Mr. Henry Okah is an individual being released by the FG. But have u or ur fellow journalists inquired about the fate of hundreds of ND Youth the military/MOPOL/JTF/Police arrested and detained locally and outside ND region? What happened to these boys JTF arrested and detained since the creation of JTF? How many detained ND Youths has JTF released since the FG/Yara Adua/PDP amnesty announcement? Do u know? Yes? tell us cos their loved ones want to know. Also, i was wondering if u ever visited Eleme community (Eleme Refinery location) in Rivers State to investigate the environment degredation, MOPOL brutality, Oil tankers pollution and the poverty impact on the people. Eleme is an area where all the Northern oil tankers assemble to lift refined petroleum products without paying taxes to the community. You talk about tanker drivers, please visit Eleme, Rivers State and look at federal roads leading to Eleme Refinery and its impact on the community over the years. Oh! nothing is free and freedom is not free either. MEND has a better strategy. keep blasting the oil pipelines! Remember, core issues must be addressed, Period!