RESOLVING THE NIGER DELTA REGION CRIMINALITY by Nelson Ekujumi

Lately the issue of criminality through the bombing and vandalization of oil and gas pipelines in the Niger Delta region has been on the front burner of public discourse in the Nigerian political space because of its attendant effect on national security and wellbeing of the people.


One is saddened by the fact that these criminality by unscrupulous elements is daily taking its toll on the government in the discharge of its responsibility to the Nigerian people and on the people themselves through epileptic power supple, increase in price of domestic cooking gas, hike in price of kerosine and worsening financial status of government culminating in the non payment of salaries of workers for months, etc. its really unfortunate.

However, one has watched as the Federal government in being responsible to its oath of office seems to be pursuing civilized means of engagement to flush out these criminal elements who are masquerading as freedom fighters but whose modus operandi is a pointer to the conspiracy of disgruntled political elements who have decided that Nigerians will not know peace for exercising their democratic rights as constitutionally guaranteed at the 2015 polls against threats of violence and war.

Unfortunately, true to their words before the general elections, we have seen a manifestation of the threats of violence being carried out by elements from a particular ethnic nation within the Niger Delta region who are claiming sole ownership of Nigeria's oil which we all know is endowed by God in the region peopled by over 100 ethnic nationalities and so, one doesnt need to go far or use a microscope to decipher the agenda for this destruction of national assets and threat to the peace of innocent nationals of the region in particular and Nigerians in general other than that it is political.

For the records, one needs to make it very clear to discerning minds that the Niger Delta region of Nigeria where oil exploration takes place is made up of 9 states namely; Ondo, Bayelsa, Abia, Edo, Delta, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Imo states. These states are made of so many ethnic nationalities and you want to ask, where and when did the peace loving people of the region come together and gave the mandate of the fighting for their rights to the Niger Delta Avengers