[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n the past ten days, the Niger Delta Avengers and a couple of other militant groups in the Niger Delta have blown up three major pipelines and still counting.
This is despite the presence of the Nigerian Navy and soldiers in the creeks.
When this problem first reared its head a couple of months in President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure, I warned that the president should just ignore the Niger Delta and concentrate on his programmes for the country. I warned that those advising him to go after Tompolo are myopic and would run away when the fallouts of that ill-advised move begin.
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Isn’t it happening now? Where is Festus Keyamo, today? It was he who screaming the loudest that Tompolo must be arrested, more out of a perceived private score to settle with the former warlord than for any patriotic gains.
Those militants are fighting an economic war. The assumption that they are degrading their own land by these explosions is laughable. Have you visited the creeks? It’s a zone of over 50 years of neglect and environmental degradation. The people there are already living in degraded spaces. You think more oil spills would kill them more than they have been dying these years?
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This government cannot fight wars on all fronts in the next three years of its life. Certainly not an economic war with the militants.
The government would do well to dialogue with the militants. It’s obvious those guys know the nook and crannies of the creeks and know every location where the pipelines are laid. This is an ill wind which will blow no one no good.
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Their threat to grind Nigeria to its knees economically must be taken seriously and before we lose everything, it’s best to call them for a roundtable to discuss. Already, from 2.4 million barrels per day, the action of the militants have reduced our daily production to 1.4 million barrels. And they keep blowing more and more pipelines.
95% of our budget is predicated on oil revenue. If we don’t handle this issue with minimal force and sensibility, we may not even have a budget next year!
The country is haemorrhaging enough as it is.
Charles Novia is an award-winning filmmaker. He is founder of November Productions and November Records. Connect with him on Facebook.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author.
