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A MESSAGE TO THE NIGER DELTA PEOPLE: TO OUR TENT WE GO By
It is now evening of Sunday, April 13, 2003. The preliminary results of the first leg of Nigerian elections has confirmed the suspicion of one of the authors after witnessing candidate Obasanjo’s "campaign rally" in Uyo in Akwa Ibom State a few weeks ago. That suspicion is this: This election’s outcome has been determined in advance even before the people have had a chance to vote. In other words, it has been rigged. Simply noting that not once did candidate Obasanjo ask the people in the stadium that day for their vote arrived at this conclusion. Instead, he proceeded arrogantly to insult the people and would not stop even after the Chiefs left en masse during his speech. One would have expected a well traveled man like Obasanjo (he spent one out of his four years outside the country) to be aware that the American elections of 2000 had one lesson for all aspirants to political office – every vote counts and you are not a winner until after the votes have been counted.
Even God’s seemingly infinite patience does have its limit. He did destroy the first world by the flood when the people paid no heed to the warnings the prophets were giving them. Nigerian ruling elites are behaving just like the people in the days of Noah. Globalization as well as the Internet is here – with all their attendant consequences. Yet these people are behaving as if the rest off the world will wait for Nigeria to catch up. A new world order is in place. These elite have yet to realize that they have squandered 40 years and the things they could have developed in that time such that it could not be taken away from them is no longer being tolerated by the new world order. India and Pakistan utilized their 40 years in a way that has earned them respect. Malaysia has earned economic respect. In contrast, Nigeria which had greater potential than any of these countries in 1960, has been relegated the status of a permanent third world country. Biafra could have done better.
Let us take a look at the candidates fielded for the office of the presidency. One party, ANPP, is fielding a fellow who had committed HIGH TREASON and paired him with a convicted FELON for vice president. In most countries the former would be dead or in prison and the latter definitely in jail. If either of this pair were to win the "election", would anyone be surprised if the rest of the world does not respect such a country? You can kid yourself but look at the requirements of the new world order and see if this fits. Another party, APGA is fielding another candidate with his country’s blood on his hands – much like Oliver Cromwell in England. He has not apologized to the country for the misadventure that consumed over a million lives. The ruling party is trying to perpetuate itself despite its dismal record in the last four years. Are there no civilian Nigerians such that we always have to recycle these ex-military lootocrats? Is there anyone out there that believes that any Nigerian civilian could do worse than this present administration?
It is decision time for the people of the Niger Delta. This is the Lord’s year for the liberation of the Niger Delta and oppressed minorities of Nigeria.
It is clear from unofficial results of last Saturday’s elections into the Nigeria Legislative houses that political affiliations and voting trends are along ethnic lines. Only the Niger Deltans (South-South) have no presidential candidate. We of the Niger Delta must finally awaken to realities of the times and count our losses from the failing nation-state called Nigeria. Nigeria politics has established as the scramble for ethnic relevance: an ethnocracy for the emasculation of minority peoples, where politicians are without heart or careless for the collective good of all citizens.
We must neither pretend that the trend is temporary nor be repeatedly lied to that the majority ethnic groups are remotely interested in our progress or in the overall progress of Nigeria for that matter. Only a fool does the same thing over and over again but expects a different result. Current inordinate quest for ethnocracy has been so vicious and graphic, leaving no one in doubt that what each majority group is striving for is nothing but political power for the economic control and continued stealing of resources from the Niger Delta region. In the process, they have totally forgotten (maybe willfully) that every section of the country possesses solid mineral resources that could equal crude oil of the Delta in the economic stimulus it provides to the country. We, therefore, must accept the imperative of "to-thy-tent-oh-Israel" as the only clean-cut solution, implementing arrangements whereby we may obtain that solution for peaceful and respectable living while having our fundamental human rights and values intact – definitely not in the rat race of Nigeria greed and immense corruption.
As much as we know, Nigeria has trudged tortuously to the end of the road. Either she is dismembered henceforth or must submit to immediate precision-guided surgery in all national institutions, sectors and in inter-ethnic relationships. What we now need is a soft-landing onto a modest path of nationhood to escape the impending meltdown. Pray for the peace of Niger-Delta region and her escape!
For this reason, we of the Niger-Delta must then wise-up and radically change strategy because of urgent necessity: In a situation where the Hausa/Fulani people of Northern Nigeria gravitate toward the ANPP for Muhammad Buhari’s sake; the Yoruba people of South-Western Nigeria toward the PDP for Olusegun Obasanjo’s sake; and the Igbo people of South-Eastern Nigeria toward APGA for Emeka Ojukwu’s sake, the South-South has emerged without a leader, a future nor relevance in the Nigeria scheme of things. We have become a prey of easy target, an orphan destined for obscene abuses and to be discarded after being stripped of all wealth.
We must understand that the three-headed serpent with forked tongues, the Nigeria ethnocracy best represented by current Presidential candidates and emerging voting pattern, can never be friendly. It must be chopped into uncountable pieces and scattered with the wind for God and Nigeria’s glory. And God shall do quickly for the salvation of the downtrodden poor and hapless. Let’s make no mistakes about it: Neither in Muhammad Buhari, Olusegun Obasanjo nor Emeka Ojukwu is there a partner, friend or savior. All are blood stained and unrepentant men who have contributed tangibly in your misery, helplessness and hopelessness. Not one of them has our interests for equity and justice in mind! Yet, all will come in next one week to campaign vigorously for your votes – knowing that you have suddenly become the beautiful bride for Election 2003. Both of two things you may consider, and we write to you now for the sake of posterity: Prepare a written agenda for the South-South interests and secure their signatures for implementation albeit dealing with ignoble men of no integrity. Do not vote for any of them (or their parties) in the Presidential Election.
For the corrupt and troublesome ones among us, do not accept or give bribes that buy curses upon self and generations. You and your descendants will remain poor (financially, bodily, morally and spiritually) for generations to come. Do not lift a finger to maim or draw blood from your kinsman on behalf of enemies that have laid siege against you – enemies whose hearts are after looting your endowed resources and denying you justice. It is not in our collective interest for intransigent positions between our peoples – for example, between Ijaws and Urhobos – to stand in way of a strong accord needed to frontally deal with persisting and vexing iniquities of the Nigeria state. Do not disrupt their Election 2003 processes – but be confident that your Godly redemption is near. If you may, go out peacefully and vote for your hearts choice for the governor of your respective state.
Notwithstanding a relatively violence-free election day in most parts of the country, that exercise merely paid a lip service to principles of democracy but hearts of Nigeria politicians and Election 2003 organizers are far from being fair. Whoever thought of and designed a ballot paper without names of contestants but with names or symbols of political parties is mentally debased, to say the least. Talk about a 419! No faceless political party should represent our peoples: our representatives must be living, walking, talking humans who can be physically identified and held accountable for mandates given them. If the Nigerian ruling elite spent half the effort they spend on devising schemes to defraud the people on ways to improve the country, Nigeria would have become a world power equal to any in the UN Security Council with permanent veto power. Do you remember that in 1999, some governors declared houses in Washington DC they did not yet possess as theirs so that when they later bought property overseas, they could argue that they already declared such properties? Only Nigerians are capable of such evil deviousness.
Nigeria has had four years to plan for this Election 2003 and INEC has once again demonstrated the bane of government inefficiencies forced upon Nigerians. There are no excuses for late arrival of ballot materials in polling places; there are no excuses for controversial and notorious electoral laws; there is no excuse why any Nigerian must vote for the PDP or ANPP or any of other myriad parties as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
For these reasons, we strongly condemn current Election 2003 that is founded upon, careless jokes, mediocrity, unfairness, lack of organization and subtle designs that rig elections by default against acceptable democratic practices and electoral standards.
It is time to peacefully dismantle this contraption of evil, this geographical expression.
For those in the Delta who are tempted to buy into the false propaganda of our enemies, we cite concrete examples to refute every false argument they would bring to dissuade you from reaching for and attaining your freedom. Those who want to perpetually exploit you will tell you that we will have the same problems in the Niger Delta Republic as in Nigeria. This is false. Remember that even before the rest of the country even thought about how to run the country effectively, we had advocated for a federation of autonomous states. It took them over 30 years and a stalemate situation before they came around to bastardize the idea.
Compare and contrast what we suggested in 1938 with what this current regime does. This regime concentrates power in one person’s hand. We had our ancestral practice, which ensured that authority was not concentrated in the hands of one individual. This regime swore they would fight corruption but recently stated that their fight against corruption does not translate to jailing big people! Our ancestral laws were enforced to the letter and punishment was promptly inflicted to deter others. In fact, we listed 12 reasons why bribery must be eliminated. We believe that it is a useful exercise to list these reasons as educational material for this outgoing regime: It retards the progress of a people. It derogates the reputation of a people. It distorts the cause of justice. It dulls the sense of right. It stupefies and deadens the conscience. It impoverishes the giver, and the receiver is never satisfied; therefore – It causes untold suffering and misery. It is universally acknowledged as evil, therefore – It is never approved of by societies. It is unclean and unrighteous. It is a criminal practice, hence – Law prohibits it.
One would have thought that our born-again Christian presidential candidate would have known these but we guess he has not read Ibibio Magazine compiled by in "Ibibio Pioneers in Modern Nigerian History" by Monday Noah. Had he read it, he would have seen other strategies for democratic self-governance enumerated when he was a child by a people he recently called lazy. Understand that our people do not work as hard as Abacha’s son. That is why we do not deserve $100 million each of our oil money. Come to think of it, we should work as hard as this candidate per his example. Upon being driven for two hours from Calabar to Uyo on a federal road he has refused to repair and maintain, a journey that should take about forty minutes, this candidate needed to rest before showing up at the rally in Uyo at 2 PM when the whole event was supposed to have ended at 11:30 AM. After that he had had enough of the roads and had to take a helicopter out of Uyo.
We repeat for emphasis, our recommendation to Niger Delta Region: a. Prepare a written agenda for the South-South interests and secure their signatures for implementation albeit dealing with ignoble men of no integrity. b. Do not vote for any of them (or their parties) in the Presidential Election. c. Avoid killing one another and all kinds of violence. Your oppressors are the ultimate beneficiaries of such actions.
Niger Deltans, do not listen to the nay Sayers, neither be afraid of their army. Pharaoh’s army could not stop the liberation of the children of Israel. Nigeria’s army will not be able to stop the liberation of the Niger Delta. They will go the way of Pharaoh’s army. With a unified voice, let us pray our heavenly Father to actualize the Niger Delta Christian Republic in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. May God’s will be done. And we all said Amen!
N.H. Ibanga (Nigerian Publius) & Clement Ikpatt
April 2003
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