Accordingly to Issac Newton, "To every action(force applied) there is an equal but opposite reaction (equal force applied in the opposite direction)". Ever since oil was discovered in the Niger Delta in commercial quantity, a case of the armed forces of Nigeria gunning down or being gunned down in the Niger Delta region has never really escaped being inked down on the pages of our newspapers. To whom do we point the finger of " who triggered it all" to? Some will throw it in the direction of the government without a second thought why some believe the Niger Delta people are to blame. Who do we really blame? For now, 'Lips sealed!'.
During the Late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua regime,the government was able to persuade the rampaging Militant groups then which include; Niger Delta Volunteer Force(NDVF), Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta(MEND), Niger Delta Vigilante(NDV) , with the amnesty programme that gave repentant Militants fat pockets in place of their weapons. Cards played right by both sides,right? But who benefited from the 'Nerves Calming' agreement between the Militant and the government; The Government, The Former Militant, or the people of the Niger Delta region?
Since bombing of Oil facilities reduced to its lowest level since 2006 after the programme, the government was able to increase its Oil Exploration capability in the region and this increased the volume of oil Nigeria produce everyday which ultimately resulted into higher revenue for the government .Most will say ' good for the government' right?
The repentant Militant also got a good share of the bargain. Most of the became overnight millionaire, some of them got scholarship from the federal government to study in top class institutions inside and outside the shore of the country while some were engaged by the government to help protect the pipeline they were formally blowing up in contracts that worth Billions of Naira. This sounds like a "Happy ever after movie" too, right?
Now, the normal people of the region who were watching as the Nigerian Military and their Sons were pulling Rambo style stunt at their backyard, What did they get out of it? Their Condition remains the same; if not worse. Their environment is still as polluted as ever and a large portion of their land that could have been used gainfully is still so much covered with spilled crude oil, employment opportunity is still as scarce as ever, and their standard of living is still as it was.
Now,out of the shadows of the defunct Militant groups came new militant groups and this groups also seems to follow the same patterns followed by their predecessors; they feels the only way the government can listen to their grievances is by destroying Oil installations and facilities and crippling the economy, kidnapping or abduction of oil workers mostly foreign nationals, and also each groups having unrealistic and unsynchronized agendas.
The government also who could have nipped this in the bud by taking bold actions or embracing dialogue earlier waited until things were almost out of hand before taking meaningful actions. Now, the situation in the region is so tense that the Military have to declare ''Operation Crocodile Smile'' and the Militant as a counter measure declared ''Operation Crocodile Tears" ,and it won't be a surprise if a total war is eventually declared in the region but can't this be solved without guns being involved?
''Operatioin Crocodile Frown" is a call to the warring parties that the people are totally against bloodshed, the people are against conflict, the people are against bombing, the people are against kidnapping,that the people are against the violation of human rights, that the people are against immature way of settling disputes but we support peaceful means of resolving issues, we support peaceful protest, we support dialogue, and that we support fairness, and we support peace.
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