THE DEPLOYMENT OF SOLDIERS TO THE NIGER-DELTA TO

WHAT END?

The PDP led government and president Obasanjo should realize that deployment of soldiers to the Niger Delta has never been the solution to any problem in recent times. The problem of leadership often made by past and present Government is their blind believe that the use of force will always elicit the required result which over the years has not worked in any situation. Historically at every time they deplore their soldiers to the Niger Delta more crisis is eventually created. A typical example is the Kaiama declaration in which an oppressed people asserted her right  be heard and call for the cleansing of her polluted environment and the federal Government responded with ferocity. But what happened, only the lucky ones who lived to tell the sour story will tell one better. Why hasn’t the government learnt from the past mistakes and learn accordingly. Once again in the middle of a fair demonstration of her right to be heard the president is toeing the same path his predecessors took and could not achieve any thing. The president must remove this toga of military dictatorship from himself for the good of himself and all the Nigerian people who he rules. He should remember that not long ago when situations arouse in Odi in Bayelsa state and he applied this Bush mechanism it failed completely.   

He must wake up from his inability to learn from history. The ideal thing to do is not to deploy soldiers or to coarse people because a people who believes that their hope for   tomorrow are no longer feasible will in no wise resist with all they got. This is what  President Obasanjo  should  endeavor to know. Perhaps one should remind him how   constructive dialogue  saved the day in  Rivers state not too long ago.

The invitation of Alhaji Muhajid Asari Dokubo if in the last light then kudos to Mr. president

 but if  its to once again use state resources and forces to oppress the ijaws  once again only

 those who will survive the storm will leave to tell the gory details to others. Mr. President

 and his team of advisers should appreciate the posture of the NIGER DELTA people. This is

 a people who have never seen  justice at work in their whole history for they are treated like

 “ewers of wood and fetchers of waters”. This is even more worrisome when the same wealth

 is used for the beautification and eventual  development of other areas who at their time of

 resources generation refused to treat the Niger Delta  as their brothers but expressed

 uttermost greediness in the exploration of her resources.  Despite the  fact that in their

 magnanimity they have done what no other ethnic nationality has done for Nigeria, a

 nation in which she never gave her consent to be part of. A nation they exist only in its

 geographical  contraption. Let Obasanjo and the Nigerian nation treat the ijaws of the nation

 with reverence for her  fair mindedness and endurance over the years.

Eradiri Udengs

 An Ijaw man