Poverty And Mismanagement Of Oil Wealth: Time To Heal Our Nation: A Case For Kelvin Oniarah Eziegbe And Others

There are serious agitation right now for the NIGER DELTA REPUBLIC, a development that the federal government must not ignore.

In the past few days new militant groups emerged in Delta (Ijaw and Isoko) and in Rivers State. These new agitators are recognizing the struggles of the Indigenous People of Biafria (IPOD) and at the same time demanding for the release of Mr. Kanu of IPOD, now in DSS custody for Felony.

The agitation is to the effect that over 90% of Oil Blocks in the Niger Delta region are owned and operated by Northerners and their international associate investors while the the People of Niger Delta are in punery, abject poverty and self pity.

The creeks of the Niger Delta are polluted and environmentally degraded and messed up by the activities of multinational crude oil extracting and exploration companies.

The owners of the land from where crude oil flows have become extremely poor in midst of plenty. God blessed them with resources for greatness but remained the poorest in the surface of the earth.

There are some youngman from the region languishing in jail and DSS detention camps while Fulani Herdsmen go about with AK-47 killing people at random and walking free in the streets across the country.

Mr Kelvin Oniarah Eziegbe is from Kokori Inland in Ethiope East LGA in Delta State. He is being held by federal government for various crimes since 2013, still facing trial with some of his group members.

From newspapers reports, Kelvin claims that he was forced into some of the actitivies to draw government attention to his Kokori Community in Delta State which has been producing crude oil since 1958.

Like every militant group, Kelvin and his men were alleged to have engaged in kidnapping and other crime to sustain their struggle for the economic empowerment and development of Kokori and Ethiope East communities which form part of the GOOSE that lays the GOLDEN EGGS for the nation.

Kokori was hell of a place for over two-years as military men raided the community in search of the freedom fighters. Of course, some bad eggs took advantage of the development to loot, rape and wrecked havoc on the peace loving people of Kokori Community.

The alleged crimes of Kelvin Oniarah has been surpassed today by the actities of Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen which the federal government is currently negotiating with for peace to reign in Nigeria.

Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen, like Kelvin Oniarah and his men, committed heinous crimes including Felony but are now enjoying protection and amnesty from the federal government.

It is therefore ideal in the spirit of national rebirth for all those involved in kidnapping, killing and breach of peace during struggle for socioeconomic freedom of their communities and regions to be granted unconditional Pardon or amnesty and not only to Boko Haram and Fulani Herdsmen.

I call on President Buhari to review all cases of persons in DSS detention camps including Kelvin Oniarah's case with a view to granting a wholistic amnesty and rehabilitation of affected persons for the sake of equity and good conscience.

Government should immediately set up a peace and conflict reconcialtion committee made up of patriotic and credible Nigerians from the six geopolitical zones to engage the aggrieved agitators in the Niger Delta and other regions so as to avert the pending danger of break down of law and order.

The low oil prices is not helping matters and the nation's economy may be grossly affected if these various new group of agitators merge forces with IPOD to confront military forces. If this is allowed to happen, it may lead to civil war likely to split the country into two or more Republic.

Time to heal our nation is now.
Photo attached: Mr. Kelvin Oniarah Eziegbe (in front) and a co-accused with a DSS agent at the Court Premises in Abuja.

Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe is a member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and South-South Media Director of Grassroots Mobilizers for Buhari (GMB).