Lament of a non-militant
I am a non militant
from the Niger Delta. Please do not ask me who I am. I won't even tell you if
you ask me because it might well mean my end!
In the Niger Delta of my birth,
brains don't talk any more. It is the guns that talk. The more guns you have,
the more you are revered. The more guns you have, the more territory you control
and boy, the more money you have too!
They tell us a war is on; tell us it
is the Niger Delta struggle; and tell us it is our war against Nigeria-the evil
empire- that is so inhumane and so unjust. They tell us it is about the battle
to draw attention to the numerous problems that plague our region and our people!.
When
it suits them, they cut oil pipelines. While some of the oily black gold snakes
into our waterways and pollutes our ecosystem, the oil finds itself in some barrels
and badges headed for export. When oil isn't enough, they simply abduct foreigners
and ask for huge ransoms in the name of the struggle that you and I support, at
least in principle. Do the proceeds come to the very people in whose names they
are doing all these? Your guess is as good as mine. Yet, on a daily basis businesses
that should feed our people, cloth our people, boost our economy and employ our
people are busy closing down because the militants that are fighting for us say
so.
I know you must be stunned by my revelations, but you haven't heard anything
yet, believe me. You are just about hearing the lament of the non-militant Niger
Deltan.
Ogbonna, our jewelry are not safe neither are our phones because we
have militants that are fighting for our liberation. These days, in parts of the
city, they go about taking what belongs to the shops of the poor. Can you beat
that my dear Editor-in-Chief?
God help you, Ogbonna, if you make the mistake
of entering into a mere argument with these gentlemen. Not even your pleas that
you did not know who they were when you spoke would save you. When they want your
girlfriend for instance, and you complain, they simply have you jump from a storey
building, or beat you so badly you regret the day you were born. A young man I
know made the mistake with one of the warlords who now roam the land and hold
the rest of us hostage. He has since been in hospital for weeks trying to recover
from the brutality of our 'founding' saviors!
Those who have heard it say
he went too far. Too far? Yes too far they say, even if he had an affair with
the bitchy lady that brought him such ill luck. Only pity is, the man who did
this to him is a so-called defender of our autonomy and our search for resource
control in our dear own native land!
Now, they are even denigrating the struggle,
taking little kids into custody for ransom. Have you ever heard of this kind of
thing? The bible that I read tells me children are next after God's heart. It
tells me children are innocent. So, what have these innocents done to be used
by child-napers as puns in their ever swelling million-dollar wallets? Is this
(taking children hostage) what the struggle is all about?
Honestly, Ogbonna
my heart bleeds. How I wish I am also a militant. Can you imagine the good life
that would be at my doorstep? At times, I really regret I voted to be a law abiding
citizen and a hard worker at that.
I curse my parents some times for having
the kind of influence they exerted on my life. They are the ones who have brought
me to this pass. Ever since I was born, I have strived to leave within my means
and within the ambit of the law, and at least I can say I have done good at that.
Every
day I go out to eke a living and believe me, what I have is not so much as to
be able to take care of my family. What did I do wrong in subordinating myself
to the law? Why is no one doing anything to reward me for being a good citizen?
As
for the police, I don't know what to think of them and the work they do. Do you
blame me for taking such a posture? The police declares our militants wanted every
time. They have never ever come close to arresting them, but when they see me-bloody
civilian- they pounce on me, humiliate me and take what I have as well.
Our
governments pay ransom for the release of hostages and deny the next day they
ever did so. Do they deceive you? Perhaps. How come they have never arrested any
kidnapper or hostage taker?
The other day, I read that the Rivers State government
under Sir Celestine Omehia is paying a million each to militants who come to its
mock peace initiative table to declare they have shunned cultism . And you would
imagine one of those given one million lost four million naira the previous day.
The same government which swore an oath to uplift my living standards does very
little. After the men in authority finish sharing our money and do very little
to create jobs, to provide facilities for us non-militants, they share the rest
with their militant friends.
When will the same government pay we who are non
violent militants? When will they answer our prayers for a better life and an
opportunity to ride in hummer jeeps as well? Dear Celestine, I thought that by
writing to Ogbonna you will hear this. I rest my case and please remember that
the non-militant Niger Deltans are more in number. God bless the king ( or is
it the governor?).
Do you have anything troubling
your mind that you want to share? Send and email to My Monday-Monday Troubles
at ogbonnanwuke@thephctelegraph.com
