Peace can be sad to be the father of prosperity., this a cliché that all of us can relate to. For the sake of posterity, peace is being sought after for prosperity in the marshes and swamplands of River Niger Delta. A region notorious for many things and oil pipeline vandalism and bombing is one of them.

Searching for peace has been one thing that the present administration has been trying to do in the Niger Delta region. A region that can be said to be “fowl that lays the golden egg. ” Just like a needle in a haystack so has finding peace in the Niger Delta region become. Not only the administration of Buhari, Goodluck Jonathan the former president of Nigeria and a son of the Niger delta couldn’t find this peace, but he “bought”the peace with amnesty and we all know that whatever type of peace that is bought will not last and this is where the country is. Having said this, Nigeria as a country is back to square zero… a chit chat with the Niger delta region, trying to find a way to free the country’s scrotum from the tight grip of the militants, what some might call armed environmentalist. Buhari, has waved the white flag with right hand and holding the olive branch in the other. It is no more “operation crocodile tears” or even alligator smile. It is a dialogue.

The dialogue they had and concession made. Abuja saw an army of Niger Delta “representative” those that Nigeria are so used to for this meeting and having held such this few day in Abuja, Nigeria, capital, the meeting parades the crème de la crème in the Niger Delta region consisting of 9 States namely Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo, Cross Rivers, Imo, Akwa Ibom and Abia. Niger Delta included Chief Edwin Clarke, His Royal Majesty, Chief Diette Spiff, former governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, former governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Atta, Ankio Briggs, Alabo Graham Douglas, Timi Alaibe, Mr. Nduka Ogbegbena and a whole lot of people such as Service Chiefs and Assemblymen. The question on the lips of watchers is, are these bunch of people the true representatives of the region? Can these people call the shots and the militants will obey? These are the underlining questions that need to be answered before the government can further engage these people.


Niger Delta, yes, it’s a region that gives the country oil and petrol dollar. Yes, it is also a fact that the region has been messed up economically, environmentally and now psychologically. But , lest we forget, Niger Delta can be said to be an over the pampered child that grew up to adulthood and doesn’t understand the realities of life. Niger Delta region can be categorized like that. A region billions of dollars have been pumped into by the Government through intervention actions like OMPADEC, ISOPADEC, NDDC,13 percent derivation funding, Budgetary allocations to oil producing states, the Niger Delta Commission, over the years they have been producing petroleum ministry or NNPC DG either of the two and now they even have their own Ministry. This runs in trillion and this is also to the amazement of other Nigerian regions, yet like Oliver Twist, they keep asking for more. Yet, they always cut their nose to spite their face by bombing pipelines to curry favor. This is the Niger Delta that billions have been pumped into.


Within the period of ten years, over $40 billion have been spent only in this region. Such colossal amount of money has been given to the region out of the goodwill of Nigeria as a form of their entitlements, yet the youths from Niger Delta creeks, marshlands and swampland will not find it logical to know that the country have spent more for them. The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu has disclosed that various government entities as well as oil companies in the Niger Delta region have spent over 40 billion dollars without any meaningful development in the last 10 years.

Dr Ibe Kachikwu words: “The amount of money that has been put into the Niger Delta development over the last 10 years is over $40billion. This comes from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), derivation fund and investments by the oil companies. As I go to the creeks, I see no infrastructure that justifies the result of the massive investments. What this means is that the Niger Delta must begin to do soul-searching by asking themselves where the moneys go? Who took them? What were they applied to? What were the roles of our own people and other people as well in examining how the money was spent? Unless we solve the governance and transparency issues surrounding how the money was spent, it does not matter how much money is put into the place, we will be heading to square one.”


He challenged the traditional rulers and other leaders of the Niger Delta to embark on a fact-finding on how $40billion spent within 10 years failed to engender development of the area.

He said: “The first fundamental question we need to ask is how the institutions run and what roles are our traditional leaders play in the decision-making process on how projects are cited and executed. We must also put a sense of responsibility on delivering on infrastructural imperatives.”

A region that has developed so much dependency that majority, youths of the region have either refused to engage in normal life pattern which is getting an education or learn a trade and be successful, but believing in loafing about under the guise of “our oil” mentality and refusing the principles of dignity of labour.

A region that has an impressive history of allegedly government prodigality from then Ibori of Delta to Alamyesia of Bayelsa to Lucky of Edo state and so many more. When you place Niger Delta region side by side to their immediate cousins ad Neighbours , the South East region and place the money allocated to the regions side by side. You will conclude that the Niger Delta region has failed and has done so woefully. The youths should ask the so called “leaders” questions and not bombing pipelines.

Kachikwu continued : “The amount of money that has been put into the Niger Delta development over the last 10 years is over $40billion. This comes from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), derivation fund and investments by the oil companies. As I go into the creeks, I see no infrastructure that justifies the result of the massive investments. What this means is that the Niger Delta must begin to do soul-searching by asking themselves where the moneys go? Who took them? What were they applied to? What were the roles of our own people and other people as well in examining how the money was spent? Unless we solve the governance and transparency issues surrounding how the money was spent, it does not matter how much money is put into the place, we will be heading to square one.”

https://etimesafrica./2016/11/02/buhari-finding-peace-and-prosperity-in-the-marshlands-swamps-and-creeks/

nwa nnaa obi adiro gi nmaoooo.