One Nigeria: To Be Or Not To Be? (5)

Third, during the civil war, Britain was ‘solidly’ behind the north, and watched with ‘pleasure’ how the north massacred 3 million Ndigbos and other ethnic groups in the south south. Issues concerning human rights, right to self-determination or self-rule were never raised neither by the British nor the United Nations. Fourth, At a point during the war, when the heat was getting too much for Gowon and wanted to succumb to the independence agitation of the Biafrans, the British put so much pressure on him that eventually he had to change his mind. This compells us to ask another legitimate question. Why was Britain, our former (?) colonial master, so keen in keeping Nigeria one? After October 1st 1960, why was Britain bent on keeping the Ndigbos and other ethnic groups in the sout south within the artificial boundries or lines that she drew as far back as 1884? Did Britain support the north in her persecution of the Ndigbos, Ijaws, Ibiobios, Ogonis and others out of love for Niggerians, most especially the Biafrans or because of the north’s and her own selfish economic interests? Definitely, we will be right to assume that the north was acting on the instruction of the British because ‘only’ the north and the British have a lot to gain from keeping Niggeria one.

Fifth, Despite the well documented evidence that Murtala Muhammad and other northern military officers went on a ‘killing spree’ of armless and innocent Ndigbos after the war had been declared officially over, nevertheless, neither Britain nor the United Nations raised any issue about ‘war crimes.’ It’s worth mentioning that Slobodan Milosovich, the late Serbian leader, who died in detention while on trial for crime against humanity and genocide during the bloody former Yugoslavia’s civil war, and Charles Taylor, the former Liberian dictator, presently on trial for war crimes, together did not commit a ‘fraction’ of the crimes that Murtala Muhammad, Danjuma and other northern military officers committed during the brutal civil war, all in the name of keeping Niggeria one. Instead of being apprehended and tried for crime against humanity, Murtala Muhammad, Danjuma and other northern military officers were made war heroes and decorated with medals and stars for bravery and keeping Niggeria one. An international airport in Lagos was even named after him after he was murdered by his own ‘blood thirsty’ and ‘power hungry’ brethrens! No wonder planes are always falling!

More and more evidence are unfolding to back up the claim that Britain has always been a ‘behind the curtain’ consultant, adviser or assistant to the north on strategic political, military and economic issues concerning Nigeria, most especially, on how the north can keep holding on to power.

Undoubtedly, the most convincing evidence about the secret alliance between Britain and the north is the obviously lopsided and unprecedented oil deals between Nigeria, Britain and other multinational oil companies. It’s incredible, but nevertheless true that multinational oil companies pay Nigeria just 5% for the privilege to drill oil in the Niger delta! It’s very difficult to imagine that even the most corrupt and incompetent country in the world can ever allow multinational oil companies to pay just 5% for the right to drill her oil! But, this is possible only in Nigeria, thanks to the ‘cordial, strong’ and secret relationship between the north and the British! The north has mortgaged the resources of the south to Britain and her allies in order to guarantee their support against the south in all political issues. In addition, multinational oil companies use different tax schemes, especially, offshore taxation to avoid paying Nigeria taxes that run into tens of billions of dollars every year! The north, well aware of this serious economic crime perpetuated by multinational oil companies, nevertheless, has always turned a blind eye, even till the time of writing. To add salt to injury, the scale of ecologic disaster in the Niger delta is alarming! It is unprecedented! Multinational oil companies pollute the environment at will, without any fear or repercussion from the government. Even the most despotic government in the world can not allow foreign oil companies to pollute their her environment to the extent that these multinational have done in the Niger delta. It’s only a coloniser or a government that hates her citizens, especially those that don’t belong to the same ethnic group with the ruling northern cabal can tolerate or allow pollution by multinationals to that extent. Would the north fold her hands and look another way if it was her territory that was being polluted by multinational oil companies on such a large scale? Can Britain, Canada, France, Italy, Holland or the United States allow even 10,000th of the pollution they have emitted in the Niger delta on their own territories? What would be the reaction of Britain if a foreign oil company pollutes the north sea to the extent that multinationals oil companies, British Royal Dutch have polluted the Niger delta? The answers to these questions are obvious.

Instead of the oil in the Niger delta bringing the desired prosperity to the bonafide, all it has brought is POVERTY and POLLUTION! All the numerous announcements by Yaradua to renegotiate Nigeria’s very lopsided oil contracts, fine the multinationals heavily for polluting the Niger delta and compel them to clean up the Niger delta are nothing but mere ‘noise’ meant only for public relations and deceive the country, and not a real and sincere determination on the part of Yaradua to make a redress. After exactly a year in office, absolutely nothing has been done by Yaradua as regards to oil pollution in the Niger delta and the lopsided oil contracts. Why should we even this self-imposed ruler from Katsina? After all, he has made so many statements in the past without concrete actions to back them up. How can you trust somebody who claims to believe in the rule of law but at the same time is holding the leaders of a militant group agitating for independence incommunicado and planning to conduct a secret trial? If Yaradua is sure that he has water proof evidence against the leaders of the Niger delta militant group, why not make their trial open? This is just part of the deceit that we are talking about. How can you trust a leader that says or promises one thing but turns around to do the exact opposite? With time we are getting to know the rule of law man from Katsina.

NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE!

While the Niger delta oil has made multinational oil companies to smile all the way to their respective banks, the Niger deltans live on less than one dollar a day. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! While the Niger delta oil has made multinational oil companies like Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, Eni, Elf and others the richest and capitalised companies by assets in the world, the Niger deltans continue to die like flies from curable diseases like malaria, kwashiokor and diseases related to pollution like cancer. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! While the average salary of foreigners employed by multinationals to work in the Niger delta, from top managers to cooks, is in the range of $150,000-$180,000 per annum, the bonafide owners of the oil can hardly afford one square meal, talk less of 3 nutritious square meals. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE!

Infact, the multinational oil companies are so insensitive to the plight of the locals to the extent that they even go as far as employing Malasians, Philiphines, Vietnamese, Laoses, Indians, Pakistanis, Lebanese and other foreigners as technicians, cooks, etc, despite the fact that the unemployment rate is one of the highest in the country. Multinationals outsource practically all contracts to foreign companies. The Niger deltans, the bonafide owners of the 8th largest reserve of oil in the world have to travel for thousands of kilometers through the bush in order to get to the nearest public hospital that serve more as consulting centers because there are practically no modern equipments, drugs and well trained medical personnel. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! The average life span in this region is even much shorter than the country’s average of 42.2 years. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! The Niger delta with one of the largest reserves of gas in the world live in perpetual darkness and do all their cookings with fire woods and stoves. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! While foreigners employed by the multinationals live like kings, lords and queens in palaces, the bonafide owners of the oil live like slaves in huts and dilapidated houses without basic infrastructures like water, on their own land. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! In order to survive, the young girls and women have to sell their bodies for a few dollars to foreigners employed by multinationals to drill their oil. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! Others work as slaves round the clock also for a few dollars for foreigners employed by multinationals to drill their oil in order to make ends meet. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! Instead of bringing the desired prosperity, their oil has brought nothing but poverty and diseases. Their oil has been a curse than blessing, thanks to the north, the coloniser, and the One Nigeria project that have denied them access to the revenues from their own resources. The north, the coloniser, has used their money to build a ‘garden of eden’ for herself in Abuja while the Niger deltans still live like the stone age. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE! It would have been much better if they didn’t have the oil, at least their rivers, land and air will not be polluted. And they could have been doing their fishing and farming like their ancestors. Unfortunately, thanks to One Nigeria, that is no more possible. One Nigeria has taken everything from them and left them with nothing but sorrow, poverty, diseases. What a pity! Undoubtedly, it’s only a heartless, morally bankrupt and ungrateful government that can treat her citizens the way the north, our coloniser, treat the Niger deltans and the south in general.

The Niger delta and the south in general, have paid and still paying a very COSTLY PRICE for the One Nigeria project that the British and the north have roped them into.

IMAGINE IF THE NIGER DELTA WAS A SOVEREIGN COUNTRY

Now, if you don’t mind me asking you a couple of questions again; which I want you to answer sincerely? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, could they have allowed multinational oil companies to pay them just 5% for the privilege to drill their oil, as they (multinationals) do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, could they have allowed the multinational oil companies to pollute their land to such an extent and without any repercussion, as they (multinationals) do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, could they have allowed the multinationals to outsource 95% of contracts to foreign companies, as they do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, could they have allowed multinational oil companies to employ foreigners for jobs that their citizens are more than qualified to do, as they (multinationals) do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, would they be walking thousands of kilometers through the bush in order to get to the nearest badly equipped hospital, as they do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, would they have been dying like flies from curable diseases, as they do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, would they be living in huts and dilapidated houses, as they do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, would they be living in perpetual darkness, as they do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, would they be cooking with fire woods and stoves, as they do now? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, would they allow the north to have a free and unlimited access to their oil revenues, as the north has since 1960? If the Niger delta was a sovereign country, and not a colony of the north, wouldn’t they have turned their swampy land to another Qatar, Bahrein, United Arab Emirates or just a heaven on earth?! Unfortunately, the coloniser and the One Nigeria project have denied of all these! WHAT A PITY! Recently, I even read a news report that the region that sits on the 8th largest reserve of oil in the world does not even have a common theatre. NIGERIA WE HAIL THEE!

Now, please tell me what additional evidence do you need to convince you that the Niger delta and the south in general are a colony of the north? Do you understand what sovereignty is now? Do you understand what independence mean now? Do you understand now what it means to be a colony? I can understand that many people will really find it very difficult to come to terms with the fact that we are a colony of the north. But, this is just the bitter truth. Whether we like it or not, we must admit it, no matter how bitter or painful. Calling it something else will be ‘self-deceit.’ However, if you can diagnose your problem(s) correctly, you are already at least half way to solving them. And the earlier you do the correct diagnosis, the better for you.

Now, please let me ask you another question. Do you want your ethnic group to remain a colony of the north? Do you want the legalised robbery of your ethnic group by the north in the name of building One Nigeria to continue? Do you want your children, grand and great great grand children to be born into One Nigeria, a colony of the north?

Our fathers, grand fathers and great grand fathers got independence for us from the British, but the north recolonised us immediately before the British even lowered the Union Jack. Therefore, the battle for our independence is far from being over. It’s now our turn to get our independence from the north, the 21st century coloniser. Tomorrow may be too late!

TO BE CONTINUED…