“The North Wants To Islamize Niger Delta”, Militant Group Cries Out.

A militant group, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders, NDRC, Monday, alleged that there was an Islamic agenda by northerners to conquer and enslave the people of Niger Delta because of their oil.

 

The group in a statement by the spokesperson W O I Izon-Ebi, said: “Their first step is to use few of our greedy political elites. The second plan is to frame distinguished leaders with frivolous charges. The third one is to incite crisis for the military to come into the Niger Delta with the sole purpose to kill all the vibrant and brave youths of the region that are mouth piece and leaders of tomorrow.”

 

It asserted: “To further expose their Islamic agenda to own our oil and enslave us, they have gone further to absorb more than 250,000 civilian JTF into the Nigerian Army and even boasting to absorb more into the military and paramilitary force.”

 

“As if that is not enough, they are offering the Boko Haram Amnesty with the sole aim to invade the Niger Delta in the name of fighting militants. The drafting of Special Forces to the Niger Delta is not a threat to the people Niger Delta, because before this time we have known the Islamisation plot of recruiting Saudi Mercenaries, absorbing civilian JTF, and recruiting of Boko Haram members to form a special force to invade the Niger Delta,” NDRC said.

 

It added: ”Niger Deltans have suffered in the hands of the Nigerian government through their divide and rule tactics and few criminal minded elites to impoverish the people. This is why from 1957 when oil was discovered in commercial quantity in Oloibiri till date, there is nothing to show as an oil producing region. All we see is suffering, hunger, poverty, gas flaring, and degradation.”

 

“Now, their ploy is to cause disunity in the Niger Delta in order to go on with their exploration and exploitation. All what we see now in the Niger delta is disunity, witch-hunting, tribal sentiment, poverty, which they are using in order to achieve their purpose. These things are done deliberately to disorganize the people of the Niger Delta to enable them continue with oil exploration.

 

“Even in political appointments, they try to use it to create disunity among the people. Example, in the NDDC, if truly they meant well for the region, there will not be any need for agitation, an Isoko man is from Delta state, why are the Itsekiri people protesting, in Ondo, the same thing, Akwa Ibom the same thing, Abia the same thing,” the group stated.

NDRC declared: “They are now using our resources to acquire weapons and fighters to enslave us in this 21st century. We are very sad with our brothers that use Niger Delta struggle to enrich themselves and at the same time being used by the northerners to achieve their aim of exploiting the oil.”

 

It noted: “They feel that they have settled some few charlatans and criminals that call themselves ex-militants, using them to hijack the struggle that our distinguished sons and fathers stood for. Isaac Adaka Boro never took sides against his people or enriched himself, Ken Saro-Wiwa laid his life for this same course, Government Epkomupolo aka Tompolo, the prince of Ijaw deity (Egbesu), initiated the one and only Nigerian Maritime University, NMU.”

 

Commending Ijaw elders and leaders for standing on the truth, last weekend, in Warri, the group said: “The spirit and courage, fearlessness, bravery is motivating us to put a stop to this planned Islamic agenda against the Niger Delta. Just as we are asking our fathers why did allow their age mates from the north to put Niger Delta in this pathetic condition, we shall not allow our children to ask us the same question.”

 

It said: “If the government is truly sincere about solving the Niger Delta crisis, they should discuss with our distinguished elders. The proposed release of Henry Okah, Charles Okah, and Nnamdi Kanu and others is a well come development to build the dialogue process.”

 

NDRC, however, opposed the idea of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta, MEND leading the dialogue between militants and government, saying: “MEND should stop embarrassing our distinguished leaders from the region because Niger Deltans knows that MEND has been disbanded, granted amnesty and settled with pipeline contract.”

 

“When we checked Government Tompolo, GOC, Empkomupolo is declared wanted by the EFCC, Alhaji Asari is in support of the cause, Ateke Tom is peacefully in his community with his philanthropic gesture and spirit to see the well-being of his people earning the title of a first class chief in his kingdom. Henry Okah is in jail, Charles Okah is in jail. So who is speaking for MEND now?

 

“Can they honorably unmask themselves, if they are truly fighting for the well-being of the region, or is it a ploy to connive with the federal government to eliminate our bravest youths? It said.

Who is Afraid of Muhammadu Buhari? By Anjuwon Oluwole

President Goodluck Jonathan was the toast of the Nigerian masses before the 2011 Presidential elections. As he enjoyed great amount of goodwill from Nigerians, to the extent that Parents christened their children ‘goodluck’ as a result of the perceived elements of luck which follows the President due to the fact many see him as someone who always has an easy ride to the top of any office he finds himself and believe he would make Nigeria a great nation. As a result of this goodwill he cleared the Presidential election in an atmosphere which was free and averagely fair.

From a personal research I made in October 2014, four out of five respondents who voted for President Goodluck in 2011 stated that they would not vote for him in 2015, but would rather vote for General Buhari.

Meanwhile, all the respondents who voted for General Buhari in 2011 maintained that they would still vote for him in the coming presidential election. This implies that President Jonathan has traded the goodwill he enjoyed in 2011 to General Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigerians expected more from President Goodluck than he has delivered. Any Nigerian who is truthful and patriotic without allowing the sentiments of religion, ethnicity, political alignment and greed to override his or her sense of judgment knows that the Nigeria we all crave for isn’t the one we have this day. Those who state otherwise are simply unpatriotic.

Though the Goodluck Jonathan government has made some giant strides in the areas of agriculture and road construction but has failed woefully in dealing with corruption, insecurity, erratic power supply, unnecessary religious and ethnic rivalry among Nigerians.

President Jonathan and General Buhari are unarguably the two most powerful political brands we have in Nigeria as at today. The former has sizeable wealth and an astonishing incumbency factor in his favour. While, the latter is just a poor political figure, whose anti-corruption tendency and simplicity made him the toast of the masses.

The latter, General Mohammed Buhari is the ‘one man mopol’ we use in the local parlance, as he garnered over 12 million votes during the 2011 Presidential election without the goodwill he enjoyed now. With the goodwill he now enjoys, it’s clear Nigerians would witness the first ever defeat of an incumbent president come 2015 in a free and fair contest.

General Buhari is an incorrupt leader, who is ‘poor’ in relation to the type of wealth his fellow retired colleagues in the military have in their disposal. This is his Unique Selling Point, and that is what Nigerians crave for.

Nigerians know that corruption is the biggest problem the nation is facing and are looking for someone who would end this evil. They expect President Jonathan to deal decisively with corrupt practices, but were utterly amazed when he called cases of corrupt practices mere ‘stealing’. How then does he want them to convince them that the money meant for transforming the country is not stolen?

However the corrupt few who hold us to ransom by enriching themselves with our common resources, don’t want Muhammadu Buhari as president because they want to keep milking the nation dry.

They have also being making their privilege friends within business corridor rich at the expense of the masses.

In 2011, in one of the lavish dinners which were held to celebrate the victory of the incumbent president, one of the keynote speakers, a wealthy businessman, was quoted as saying “President Goodluck Jonathan, thank God you won. We are happy you won. If you hadn’t, most of us here in this hall would have gone on exile by now.”

This shameful statement give credence to the fact that our corrupt politicians and their friends in the business community knows the fate that would befall them, when the peoples’ general becomes President, and they have vowed in their closets to do everything within their reach to stop him,

These enemies of the Nigeria nation, has therefore branded Buhari as an Islamic fanatic, who would Islamize Nigeria and force every Christian to become a Muslim. Is this possible in the 21st century? As a military commander, Buhari permits his Christian officers to rest on Sundays and would not allow fellow Muslims to enjoy the same privilege on Fridays. Does this not rubbish the ‘fanatic’ label they have placed on him?

Furthermore, they tell us he is the sponsor of the dreaded Boko Haram, but still they haven’t come out with prove to substantiate their claim. As head of state, Buhari put an end to the evil activities of an Islamic sect known as the ‘Maitatsine.’ How then would he now sponsor Boko Haram?

Nigerians are now wiser and would not believe the many lies being put forward by the enemies of Nigeria to deny us from saving our dear country. We are ready to save Nigeria with our votes by voting General Buhari our president come 2015.

Anjuwon Oluwole @tweetjuwon

Views Expressed are Solely Author’s.