Army teaches a lesson in Niger Delta again by invading villages, death toll in the fighting has risen to over 200, with about 15 persons reportedly killed. They ARE mainly innocent women and children who were killed in the invasion. This is tantamount to the Odi genocide of November 1999 in which the sadistic then president order the invasion of Odi. I dont think any so called militant was killed.
Let me run through the pages of history of Niger Delta struggle
Even before the 1967-1970 civil war there was a fruitless attempt by a group of Ijaw ethnic minority youth – the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) then led by Isaac Adaka Boro, to secede from Nigeria, by declaring the Niger Delta Republic in February 1966 in a bid to protect “Ijaw oil”Shortly before the eruption of the civil war in 1967 between Biafra led by Ojukwu in the Eastern region, the four regions of Nigeria (North, East, West and Midwest) had been abolished and replaced with twelve states, three of which were in the ethnic minority regions of the Niger Delta. From 12 states in 1967, Nigeria currently has 36.
Apart from the state-creation exercise, the method of oil revenue allocation also changed over time. The share of oil revenues allocated to the minority rich oil-producing states of the Niger Delta fell from 50 per cent in 1966 to 1.5 per cent in the mid-1990s. It then rose to 13 per cent in 1999..
Since the 1990s, the indigenous peoples or ethnic minorities of the oil-rich Niger Delta have protested against the exploitation and pollution of their lands and waters by international oil companies operating in partnership with the Nigerian state oil company – the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Notable among the social movements and ethnic minority organisations that embarked upon a national and international campaign against the state-oil partnership in the 1990s was the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), led anOgoni rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa. He was hanged on 10 November 1995 along with eight other Ogoni activists on the orders of a military-constituted tribunal that found them guilty of inciting a mob to kill four of the “pro-government” Ogoni elite, after a trial that was described internationally as unfair and ridiculous.
Nevertheless, the crisis in the Niger Delta is exemplary of how environmental and economic degradation has led to a violent response infused with cultural solidarity. Nigeria’s history is one of long running environmental, economic and cultural exploitation. Resources are essential to the Nigerian economy; oil accounting for 90% of exports and 80% of government revenue. Nigeria, today, earns about $7.09 billion annually from crude oil. Success in the oil industry has earned Nigeria the title of the 11th nation to join OPEC in 1971. But according to UNDP, although Nigeria is one of the world’s leading oil producers, it ranks 151st out of 177 of the world’s poorest countries. Nationally, 50 to 80 million people are living below the poverty line. In the Niger Delta, the foci of oil production, 72% of households live below the poverty line. A nation with such abounding resources should not be facing an economic crisis that has persisted since its liberation in 1960. The Nigerian federal government, in cohorts with oil multinationals, works collaboratively to maintain such bourgeois ideals. Meanwhile, Niger Deltans continue to economically vegetate in an evolving global corporate market. Perhaps these conditions begin to make more sense when we acknowledge that 10% of the country controls 40.8% of the country’s wealth. Indeed, the ruling hands of the elite are to blame. While some insist that oil money can be used to facilitate the launching of future development plans, the progression towards development remains stagnant. It is a shameful thing that Nigeria sells a liter of fuel higher to its citizen than any other oil producing countries. As we have seen so many times before, there is a conflict in the capitalist agenda. It is clear that the demand for fuel is about 31 million litres per day Owing to the government ineptitude,our refineries now produced 6 million litres leaving a huge gap of about 25 million litres.
To meet this lacuna,the government contracted companies in spain which is not an oil producing state to refine petroleum products for Nigerian market.The cost of refining oil is always high compare to the countries that refine their products in their countries. This is laughable.
In fact, Nigeria under the parochial leadership of political weakling Yar adua is approaching spiritual death and war. The blood is these innocent citizens is on his hand.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Aggressive conduct, if allowed to go unchecked and unchallenged, ultimately leads to war.
John F. Kennedy.
The people the government call militants are nothing but human rights activists who felt depressed and exasperated by the incessant development of the underdevelopment of their regions by successive administration. They have no other means than to subscibe or result to armed struggle.
Niger Deltans carrying arm is not new, even Nelson Mandela subscribe to arm struggle when Umkhonto we Sizwe (or MK), translated “Spear of the Nation,” was the active military wing of the African National Congress in cooperation with the South African Communist Party in their fight against the South African apartheid government. MK launched its first guerrilla attacks against government installations on 16 December 1961. It was subsequently classified as a terrorist organisation by the South African government and media, and banned. Like MEND and others are labeled as militant groups by the Nigerian government, who have chosen to be the enemies of the people and exploiters of weak.
Yar adua should face trials for violating the human rights of the people; for violating the rules of law; and for ordering a full scale military operation in a civilian domain.
I am using this medium to call on the Nigerian masses to come together under one political platform and wage a marxist revolution in which the bourgeosie, political vampires, enemies of the people shall be overthrown violently and that will mark the inauguration of socialism in Nigeria. For this time calls for revolution. With SOCIALISM, the Niger Delta and Nigerian problems will be solve.
From the blind passion of those that worship power May allah Saves Our country
Marxist Kola Edokpayi

Three or four phases can be identifies in the evolution of the Niger delta crisis: the first is the period of colonosation when the object was a different kind of oil; palm oil. The desire to control that trade and the production and extraction of that oil made the niger delta a contested terrain and a zone of conflicts.
The second phase is the discovery of crude oil and gas, and the subdequent inhuman and unconscionable exploration and production processes.
The third is the environmental degradation occassioned by oil and gas exploration activities, which destroyed the livelihoods of the peoples of the Niger delta and thus exacerbated the crisis.
The fourth is the emergence of the Niger delta resistance in its modern form. Ofcourse even in period of oil palm the peoples of the delta resisted the military expeditions to conquer them. The modern resistance can also be traced back to the 12 days revolution of Isaac Adaka Boro in 1966.
All the recent expressions of that resistance since the 1980’s have derived inspiration from that bold attempt.
It is important to note that to resolve the Niger delta crisis requires a comprehensive and integrated approach which combines economic, environmental, livelihoods, social and political initiatives.
Without an end to environmental degrading processes, without the restoration of the health of the environment through its rehabilitation; without pursuit of a process which focuses on livelihoods restoration and enhancement; without a massive publics works program which focuses on rebuilding and making available basic infrastructures and services in the Delta, targetting environmental rehabilitation, provision of affordable housing, roads, transportation, education, health services, and using direct labour of youths; without putting in place a political structure and process which deliberates encourages and ensures the adequate representation of the peoples of the delta in local and national governance; there can be no resolution of the crisis.
What this means is that the military approach will not help, it will further compound the crisis. What is called for is the development approach, the restructured state becoming leading directly the devlopment process and directly provisioning the basic needs of the people through accessible social services provision.
To achieve this requires mass organising and mobilising of a scale greater than it was in the last 2 decades of the last century.
This requires a pan niger delta organisation which will drive a pan niger delta movement for social transformation.
This pan niger delta movement should work towards establishing a pan niger delta assembly which will negotiate with the Nigerian state.
All of these calls for the Reconstitution and reformation of the Pan Niger Delta Resistsnce Movement – CHIKOKO.
This is the time to act. Once again we need to scientific, organised, conscious and massive return to the streets and creeks.
Let us mobilise the masses into the streets and let us silence the guns and reverse the militarization of the Niger Delta.
A coordinated campaign which daily expresses itself on the streets of the Niger delta, simultaneously across the region, with eachj state and ethnic nationality establishing its own assemblies for the coordination of the protests, and with each of these sending delegates to a pan niger delta assembly will win the battle for us.
I CHALLENGE EVERYONE INTERESTED IN WINNING THE BATTLE FOR RESOURCE CONTROL AND SELF DETERMINATION IN THE NIGER DELTA TO HEED THIS CALL, TO COME TOGETHER AND MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

YES WE CAN!

Encyclopedia2008