Crisis is a time of great danger, difficulties, uncertainty, a period when
problems must be solved, important decisions must be taken, failure to which there is trouble, open conflicts. Crisis leads to a break down in communication. Crisis leads to a break down in dialogue.
Crisis is the climax of misunderstanding between two opposing camps. Crisis surfaces where dialogue has been ignored. Crisis occurs when wisdom has been avoided. Crisis can also be a baby of revenge. Crisis generates confusion, mayhem, destruction of lives and property. It leads to sorrow, pain, anguish, even death and human melancholy. Victims of crisis whether religious, political intertribal, ethnic or social would have been spared the agony’ of the consequences of misplaced judgment by both parties involved had wisdom prevailed.
If the politicians of the First Republic had not been caught in greed, corruption, avarice, the then democratic government would not have been truncated by the first coup of 1966 and the subsequent one of 19th July, 1966 which saw the enthronement of then Lt Col Yakubu Gowon, now retired General and a former head of state. As the 1966 crisis mismanagement continued among the top military brass, a break down in constitutional talk at Abury January, 1967, saw Nigerian path to a civil war that lasted for thirty months.
In modern times, the Nigerian state has again been bedeviled by different religious riots that would have been avoided had both Christian and Islamic faith or tenets being adhered to by some over zealous followers and leaders of both religion.
Non of the religion preaches violence and destruction of lives and property but rather both preach love, peace and harmony as prerequisite for eternal life. If .religious leaders and followers maintain good, rapport, understanding, and love for one another, which is the summation for God’s creed, then, peace would continue to reign.
Also, intertribal conflicts and communal clashes would be avoided if there is harmony and concord among traditional rulers and their followers. Again ancient boundries among communities as maintained by forefathers when adhered to, could reduce tension and constant communal clashes and inter tribal wars.
Among various communities, there are processes of ascending the traditional stool or throneship whether at the village, clanship, kingship, emirate level or authority. Where laid down tenet or procedures have been up turned, then the judiciary as the final arbitrator should not delay justice for justice delayed is justice denied. Situation where litigations are delayed over a decade or more in resolving chieftaincy or traditional enthronement, could lead to destruction of lives and property, where the judiciary has been able to arbitrate adequately in such obvious cases, then, the government of the day should without political undertone, implement the final judgment without fear or favour.
Again, if previous Nigerian leaders have been touched by the misery, poverty and hardship of the people of the Niger Delta Region, then, the current region’s imbroglio would not have surfaced. If there have been a marshal plan of action as earlier advocated for the region to ameliorate the plight of the people and ensure infrastructural development, then, today’s militancy would not have been born in the region. If the constitutional bodies and agencies, the Federal, State, Local governments and N.D.D.C e.t.c had all performed their statutory obligations, then, the current show down between the military and the militants would not have perchanced.
And if the Niger Delta leaders have been patriotic enough to listen to the agony of their own people, the governors, chairmen, legislators and other political leaders who had been in control of the various allocations and resources from the Federal Government, then the present crisis, the suffering and hardship encountered now by the innocent women, children, the aged would have been avoided. If the Niger Delta leaders and politicians would have a second thought and re-channel available resources to touch the lives of the people of the region, may be, God would touch the hearts of the militants to lay down their arms and seek for a dialogue and then, an amnesty for them.
Politicians and leaders of the Delta Region should drop the cloak of self and immediate family alone; greediness. They should rise up and face the challenges of the moment. The governors and chairmen, of the region should emulate politicians like Governor Fashola of Lagos State and Governor Rotimi Ameachi of the River State.
The people of the Niger Delta Region need education, health service, gainful employment for the youths, regular electricity supply, good source of water, and better living environment rather than shanty towns or villages. Build megacities for the people of the region. Improve the economy of the region.
The people need practical implementation of policies and programmes that would touch their lives not semantics or rhetorics.
For now, we appeal to the president, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to please halt the present military expedition in the region so as to reduce human suffering, hard ship and agony of the innocent children, women and the aged in the region. When two elephants fight, the grasses suffer. As the military and the militants are encountering a show down in Warri South and other areas, the innocent are being displaced and subjected to agony. There should be a better military approach to deal with the militants than subjecting the innocent people to punishment and offences to which they have not committed.
Government at both Federal, State and Local levels and other developmental agencies should provide relief materials to the displaced people. We hope that governments and leaders of this region would live up to .• expectation and put a stop to the present crises in the region so that it does not escalate further to other regions· in Nigeria; as kidnapping which is an off shoot from the region, is being spread to other areas in Nigeria, today. We pray that political leaders and elites in the region rethink and be concerned with the suffering of the masses of the Niger Delta Region today and not self aggrandisement alone. To whom much is given, much is expected.
God help us all, Amen.
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