It’s with great sense for the prosperity of the Niger Delta youths that I make this publication for the world to know what is going on the mind of the average oil land lord youth in
I am glad with the amnesty and disarmament programme that our president, Umar Yaradua has packaged for the militants. It would help us have the chance to hear ourselves and come to a junction where we can be able to come up with policies that would not only develop the oil producing communities, LGA’s and States but also assure the lives of the core oil land lord youths who do not have access to good education.
Through this medium I would like us to know that there would be another crisis in time to come if this issue is not properly addressed now as we can see that all the monies that got to NDDC for development were either embezzled or the projects were abandoned though not sited at the core oil land lord’s lands. Those of State Oil Producing Areas Development Commissions have still not done anything to the lands of their core land lords. Every blessed day these youths cause themselves and what made them to come from such a place that they can no longer farm, do not have access to portable drinking water, no good roads, no hospital, no school, no power when gas that could give them power is allowed to flare. These are primary responsibilities of the Government to their future leaders, whether Oil or no Oil.
We have seen how the monies for our development do not get to us in as much as we know that the Federal Government needs to increase the State oil derivation revenue percentage so that the states can now give some of the percentage to the core oil land lords directly through their chosen assurance companies.This would not only bring long lasting peace in the region but would make the core oil land lord youths ever ready to protect the oil installations as they would be happy that they are receiving something every month like their counterparts in other oil producing countries. Even the kind of big charity projects the Oil companies execute in non oil bearing communities outside
As of now my kindred do not have up to 4 people working with the Nigerian Agip Oil Company who have been drilling the seven well heads on our land for more than 40years. What is happening to implementation of all the memorandum of understanding and local content programme of our NNPC? I am saying these things because it would be better for us to be giving these developmental monies to individuals that do not have oil directly on their lands for dash than to put them in position and control of the monies we know that they would never use to the benefit of all concerned. Most times they use the monies for our development to jail or kill us. God Almighty is watching and hearing our cries, the ones in awaiting trails, the dead ones etc
These cries steered the likes of Isaac Boro and Ken Saro Wiwa to start the struggle for the emancipation of the Oil bearing communities How can God bless us and our fellow human beings would turn it to cause from the world, Federal, State and Local Governments. Nigeria is a great nation endowed with many natural resources yet we can not harness them to better ourselves everybody is interested in the Oil money without considering the people that own these lands. The world have gone computerized yet youths in our area do not have computer classes from nursery through secondary education not to talk of internet which they travel past 2-4 LGAs to only register for WAEC, JAMB, NABTEB etc. what a shame still every year billions of naira would be approved on us.
This is time to tell ourselves the truth. Why is it that they that pay the piper can not dictate tune? Is it right to starve the geese that lay the golden eggs? The best programme that I have seen for the rapid development of the oil bearing communities and land lords is that of the OMPALAN(Oil Mineral Producing Area Landlord Association of Nigeria) where every strata of the nation has it own oil revenue percentage starting from the Federal, States, LGAs, Communities and Landlord(s) with 50%, 20%, 10%, 10%, 10% respectively.
Its time for the renewal of the parts that our illiterate forefathers made for our betterment as many of aged fathers now can not be taken care of yet we can no longer cultivate on our farmland. The youths can not get more than 10 scholarships per year, 1 employment after 10 years, no Electricity, no portable drinking water, no access to health care, no roads, no developmental projects, you can see all these at Akri-afia-afo-anieze road in Oguta of Oguta LGA,
What do you expect a child that jumps in and out of the classroom as many times as he or she wants during school hours would be when he or she enters the university? That child is a potential militant, sadist, terrorist, cultist, etc because of the environment. The land that is generating oil revenue to the federal Government of Nigeria used to be our sole means of livelihood.
The packages for the training of the repented militants should also be extended to us in Imo State as it is the same oil we all producing, that we are not violent should not be a criteria to side line us of benefits for oil land lords………………………….
This is open for every Nigerian to make meaningful contribution.
Yours, could be the best solution
Cheers!
Comrade Enesha Stanley Enesha (Bldr)
