Nigeria Wants True Federalism

Sending the military to the Niger Delta to police oil pipelines is not the solution to the Niger Delta question. There has never been a time when the gun has conquered the genuine agitations of a people. The gun will kill the flesh but the wish of the people lives on. The wise man will look for a way to settle the issues that cause problem and not sending military to kill,maim, oppress and destroy those who genuinely agitate for their rights.

While not supporting pipeline vandalism, it is equally not the best option for Buhari to send the security forces to conquer people in their territories because of their resources which the nation has plundered for over 50 years without anything to show in the environment where such oppression has taken place.

Has Buhari set up a body to have discussions with the stakeholders and get their opinions and options to stop further damage to the nation's mainstay and the environment through pipeline vandalism?

For the man Buhari to hurry by sending troops to the Niger Delta region to harass and intimidate the innocent people of the region is a sign that he hates the people that have made sacrifices hugely to keep the country called Nigeria surviving economically and otherwise.

A wise government would have heavily used moral suasion and secret intelligent services to gather information secretly and quietly without the use of brute force and intimidation like the one Buhari and his APC government is using against the peace-loving people of the Niger Delta zone.

There are laws governing the use of the nation's security and must be followed. The deployment of troops to oppress the innocent people should be a last resort where other peaceful methods of negotiating peace fails and not the first line option as Buhari has demonstrated against the people of the Niger Delta area.

He should remember that the Niger Delta is not at war with the Nigerian state. The fact that a few misguided persons vandalise pipeline is not enough reason to militarize the zone as if there is war going on there. In fact those behind the dastardly acts should be fished out quietly and peacefully as much as possible and not in this crude militarization of the zone.

The elders and opinion leaders of the Ijaw nation are always ready to discuss, negotiate and find lasting solutions to the peaceful co-existence with the rest of the zones in the country.

More importantly, the issues of resource control should be implemented. That is how modern democracy is practiced and not the semi/artificial federalism Nigeria is practicing.

Let there be a true federalism where the states will be in total control of the resources found in their domain as is practiced in the United States and other developed economies. If that is implemented, the states will control their investments and will pay tax to the centre as would be prescribed by the constitution and the laws of the land.

Enough of this hatred of our people. We want justice and not oppression , intimidation and injustice.

Stop wasting our resources through the use of the military in a peaceful region and use the security forces to concentrate on the war against the insurgents in the North/East to save lives and property that is destroyed on a daily bases.

Dave Asei
18/02/2016