A militant group with the moniker "The Niger Delta Avengers" has been blowing up oil and gas production facilities in the Niger-Delta. The group, in February, claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Forcados 48-Inch Export Terminal in Delta State. It has also claimed responsibility for last week’s attacks on the Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL’s facilities. As if it was not enough, a crude line feeding two of Nigeria’s four refineries and two gas lines that feed the power grids in Lagos and the capital Abuja were also bombed this week.

The make up of the Niger Delta Avengers is unclear but going by the history of the various militant groups in Nigeria (MEND, NDPVF, NDF, Egbesu Boys, etc....), and the pseudonym that the spokeman goes by- Col. Mudoch Agbinibo, this appears to be another Ijaw run militant group.

Bayelsa carved out of Rivers State in 1996, is dominantly an Ijaw State. It has received huge sums of allocations as an oil producing entity. It is among the top ten states that get the highest allocations in Nigeria. For example, below is data released by the then Minister of Finance Dr. Okonjo-Iweala in 2013:

What is very disturbing is that most of the Niger Delta violence are concentrated in states with Ijaw-related tribes. Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers, states that get a lion share of the FG allocation, are the states that dominate when the brand of militancy that involves sabotage is recorded.

Akwa-Ibom made up of mostly Ibibio related dialects, produce the largest volume of hydrocarbon amongst all Nigerian states but we do not see or hear about militant groups dominantly made up of the Ibibios. Ditto for other oil non-Ijaw oil producing communities of Rivers, Delta, Cross-Rivers, Edo and Imo States.

All of these communities have suffered varying degrees of neglect by previous governments, oil spill and environmental degradation (Ogoni, Ibeno, etc) just like the Ijaw dominated areas. However, the non-Ijaw communities typically resort to civil protests and advocacy rather than militancy to air their disenchantments.

A more militant approach by the Ijaws has not improved their lots better than the non-Ijaws. In my view, Akwa-Ibom, Cross-Rivers and some part of Rivers have recorded more infrastructural developments than Bayelsa, Delta and Ijaw-Rivers. because of relative peace that fosters some development. Militancy is obviously not the most beneficial way to address Niger Delta issues.

Going by the fact that an Ijaw son has ruled Nigeria for at least 5 years, have had numerous state governors as the case may be makes a case that the Ijaws need to look inward and question the true source of the issues leading to their agitations. In those years of Ijaw leadership, no environmental cleanup exercises were carried out, no real economy boosting infrastructural project was carried out and neither was the NDDC repositioned to improve the lot of the oil-producing region.

BiafranAmerican:
If you have problems with the Ijaws, why not find alternative resolution instead of labeling NDA as mostly ijaw.

NDA on their website indicate their composition, so stop your nonsense tribalism.

LRNZH:


This is a national problem we are discussing here. Is advocacy not part of a solution? Why do you think I am spending my time to discuss this issue? The FG has blatantly stated that it is open to negotiations. It extended amnesty program to year-end 2018. It has started preliminary work to commence the Ogoni spill cleanup, it has attempted to cleanup the NDDC and position it to be more effective.

Tribalism has nothing to do with pointing to a set of people (Ijaw-youths in this case), that their actions are self-harming.[/b]

OgbonnaUbani:
Fulani divide and rule failed tactics.

BiafranAmerican:


Niger Delta Avengers is composed of all ethnic nationalities within the Niger Delta region who feel obligated to bring to fore the question of Nigeria's sincerity to all ethnic group in the geographical expression (if I might use Awolowo's word).

All of a sudden, you and other people are very interested in advocacy because oil is involved. But you have not gotten involved in Fulani killings every forthnight, but when actually no life is lost in the NDA agitation, everyone is so interested, cos no one really cares about the lives of the Niger Delta people except for their crude oil.

Very shameful.

LRNZH:
[s]



Akwa Ibom (N260 billion or $1.7 billion)
Rivers (N230 billion or $1.5 billion)
Delta (N209 billion or $1.3 billion)
Bayelsa (N173 billion or $1.1 billion)
Lagos (N168 billion or $1.1 billion)
Kano (N140 billion or $0.9 billion)
Katsina (N103 billion or $0.7 billion)
Oyo (N100 billion or $0.6 billion)
Kaduna (N97 billion or $0.6 billion)
Borno (N94 billion or $0.6 billion).



The government of President Buhari has ordered a military response to the menace caused by the "Avengers". I hope we do not witness another Odi Massacre. Any battle in ijaw land will only draw-back their quest for development. The Kanuris should have learnt that from the Boko haram excapade they got involved in.

Are the Ijaw youths bombing oil facilities at their own detriment? Is this shortsightedness? I wonder.

Kindly leave comments let us analyse this issue.


cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44, Obinoscopy[/s]

uduak2016:


Why are you yorrubas losing sleep over this issue? Is your oil? It's our oil so let do what's best for us!

LRNZH:


Going by your moniker you are of Ibibio/Efik extraction. While encouraging the Ijaw-youth to carry on with sabotage, you people do not bomb oil and gas facilities in your axis. Is that fair?

uduak2016:


I'm not encouraging anybody to sobatage oil facilities. Ibibio people don't sabotage oil facilities and have no history of doing such; part of the reason could be we get lion share of the oil wealth than other producing states; though I will prefer absolute resource control. Now If Ijaws want to do this to have their voice heard and demand met, so be it...is their oil. They gave conditions to stop...is your president willing to meet their conditions? The fact that they gave conditions tells be these are genuine militants with a well founded course.

LRNZH:


Where did you see a lack of response to the herdsmen issue on my part? Here's my response to the herdsmen issue if you are genuinely interested: https://www.nairaland.com/3073327/herdsmen-full-text-buharis-order#45107701. Just like Boko Haram and the herdsmen issue, the Avengers problem is a national security failing and deserves attention.

The spokesman for the Avengers has an Ijaw name. I even showed you that most if not all militant groups in the Niger Delta are of Ijaw origin. I need proof from you that is this one is not affiliated to the Ijaws.

I can see that you are a Biafra supporter. That should not stop you from being objective.

BiafranAmerican:
I am not a Biafran supporter I am a Biafran agitator. If Niger Delta Republic is the panacea of these parasitic union so be it. At the moment we have a Nigeria to salvage so be objective about the ijaw equation. Show more concern about foolank taking lives than NDA blowing up common pipelines

LRNZH:


Agitator or supporter? They mean the same thing to me.

I do not expect you to believe this: Splintering Nigeria along sectarian lines will not solve the issues of her people. Otherwise, countries like South-Sudan and Eritrea would have become the shining beacons of why secession in Africa is the solution to her problems.
In fact, South-Sudan and Eritrea are worse off than Sudan and Ethiopia, countries that they broke-away from.

State governors and local government chairmen of the South-South and South-East regions are as corrupt as those from any other part of Nigeria. Look at the state allocations shown in the OP, yet people in these states suffer daily.

Seceding is like running away from your problem. It won't leave unless you face it head on which is working towards a better Nigeria as a collective.

LRNZH:




Akwa Ibom (N260 billion or $1.7 billion)
Rivers (N230 billion or $1.5 billion)
Delta (N209 billion or $1.3 billion)
Bayelsa (N173 billion or $1.1 billion)
Lagos (N168 billion or $1.1 billion)
Kano (N140 billion or $0.9 billion)
Katsina (N103 billion or $0.7 billion)
Oyo (N100 billion or $0.6 billion)
Kaduna (N97 billion or $0.6 billion)
Borno (N94 billion or $0.6 billion).



The government of President Buhari has ordered a military response to the menace caused by the "Avengers". I hope we do not witness another Odi Massacre. Any battle in ijaw land will only draw-back their quest for development. The Kanuris should have learnt that from the Boko haram excapade they got involved in.

Are the Ijaw youths bombing oil facilities at their own detriment? Is this shortsightedness? I wonder.

Kindly leave comments let us analyse this issue.


cc: Lalasticlala, Mynd44, Obinoscopy

oduastates:



Why you carry another person matter put for head?
As long as every maintain their lane and keep their rubbish to their side, am down with it.
There are no benefits to this diabolical union.
The question we should be asking

What are yoruba leaders doing to "de-integrate" the land from the messy union .
Starting from power( eliminate the need for gas) and going forth to building a petroleum product ( petrol, diesel etc value chain with raw crude procured from Angola, Ghana and home.
The upside for an independent yoruba country is great.

Standing5:
Stop spewing half wisdom OP . . .
The Ijaws feel trapped by the government structure force down everybodys throat by the FG. The FG being controlled by greedy parasites has decided to embrace a sharing formula that takes money/resource from the productive states n give parasitic states and the FG. This has promoted corruption from Federal level down to local govt level and in turn improverish people in the local government areas where oil is being explored. If only 50% of resources running Nigeria came from the North n West n East, then it would av help avoid this pattern of corruption whereby the local govts are neglected.

TheSonOfMark:


I am Ibibio but the oil-producing communities in Akwaibom State aren't only located in Ibibioland.
Some are Oron, Ibeno and Obolo.

My point: The three states you highlighted aren't only peopled by the Ijaws. Niger-Delta Avengers is a pot pouri of several ethnic groups so why single out the Ijaws to launch scathing attacks at?


This is a not-so-subtle anti-Ijaw campaign. An attempt to portray the Ijaws as wholly vandals.

LRNZH:


To put it simply, you are funny. If the Ijaws cannot utilise the 13% oil derivation funds that go to the states where they reside, the monies that oil companies pay to their states and communities as tax and benefits to develop their region due to corruption, how can they now rid themselves of corruption if they take over all the resources in Nigeria?

TheSonOfMark:



Chuck it up, sir. You goofed. The Ijaws are a distinct ethic group. So are the Kalabaris,the Ikwerres, the Ogonis and so on. Your attack was directed at the Ijaws but when faced with factual analysis, you tried backtracking.


You specifically blamed the NDA attacks on the Ijaws. Maybe you should edit your title and the write-up. Actually, you should.

TheSonOfMark:


My point is; since the NDA is responsible for the RECENT oil vandalism and the NDA members are made up of members from different ethnic groups with the South-South, then your logic of the Ijaws being responsible for the destruction is flawed and a not-so-subtle smear campaign against them.

See? You're the one who has comprehension problem afterall.


You're welcome.

LRNZH:


The fact that you responded to a sarcastic question meant to communicate to you that you have no point is a pointer.

Anyway, in the magnanimity of allowing you lay claim to some sense, show us an evidence of the composition of the "Avengers".

LRNZH:


Agitator or supporter? They mean the same thing to me.

I do not expect you to believe this: Splintering Nigeria along sectarian lines will not solve the issues of her people. Otherwise, countries like South-Sudan and Eritrea would have become the shining beacons of why secession in Africa is the solution to her problems.
In fact, South-Sudan and Eritrea are worse off than Sudan and Ethiopia, countries that they broke-away from.

State governors and local government chairmen of the South-South and South-East regions are as corrupt as those from any other part of Nigeria. Look at the state allocations shown in the OP, yet people in these states suffer daily.

Seceding is like running away from your problem. It won't leave unless you face it head on which is working towards a better Nigeria as a collective.

BiafranAmerican:
Allow us to worry about that. Dont cry .ore than the expectant bereaved.

LRNZH:

I disagree with you but it is a matter of opinion.
The potential of the collective Nigeria today is greater than any of its individual nation units. There are very few other countries in Africa that have the full combination of our climate, arable land mass, population ,natural resources and shoreline. The potential is immense.
I see no region in Nigeria with such unique potential. Not even and Oodua nation. That is why I will keep making a case for one-Nigeria.