16th September, 2011
President of Ijaw Youth Council, Dr. Chris Ekiyor, is also the Founder and Chairman of Rural African Health Initiative (RAHI). The politician who ran and lost the House of Representatives seat to represent Patani in Delta State under the Action Congress of Nigeria, spoke with P.M.NEWS in Benin on the Niger Delta, the economy, corruption, Boko Haram and the need to reorganize the police.
How would you react to the bombing of the United Nations Building in Abuja by the Boko Haram sect?
The Niger Delta agitation was on the redistribution of the wealth and cleaning of the polluted environment. But the case in Northern Nigeria, which initially started with bows and arrows and has now graduated to bombing, wasting and destroying lives and properties over Western education, is nothing but deceit and a hidden agenda. Islam was never against education, instead, Islam promoted Eastern education that allows learning to read and write and to build the average man up, to make the man useful to the society.
The message the North is sending is Jihad and Jihad is about forceful conversion of people into Islam. When one refuses the religion, you are killed. Now that the North has graduated into using bombs against humanity, it is nothing but an act of terrorism. But it is clear that the terrorism is being perpetrated by actors that the government have identified but failed to apprehend. The report is that some hundreds of suspects were arrested and some governors were pleading for their release without trial, and that the Federal Government should dialogue with them, dialogue with them over what? The situation has got so bad, to the extent that international bodies are being terrorized, even when there is a sitting government. The government should sit up and act decisively.
The Northern oligarchy that feels sad over the Jonathan Presidency are likely to be behind the bombings. The shocking revelation emanating from the Committee set up over the bombing is that a former security adviser to the president must be brought back. How can such things be recommended? It is just like saying that Shehu Shagari or Ibrahim Babangida should be brought back to power. Mr. President is too careful to a fault. They have tested his patience and the President must brace up and act and send off the Boko Haram.
The National Assembly has refused to look into the matter which shows lack of patriotism .We are about 150 million in Nigeria and the Boko Haram are not up to 250,000 and nobody wants to get involved over the matter. I can understand the President for his patience over the matter; for not being ready to rock the boat; but here is a president with a focus but he is not being allowed to function.
The law must have it way. Like in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, all animals are said to be equal. All the reckless statements people are making must be checked, the UNO represents world peace. This act is not against Christians. Nigeria must look beyond Boko Haram.
The Niger Delta and the Kaima Declaration have fuelled a lot of agitation and restlessness in the Niger Delta how far has the region fared since?
Prior to Wilson Commission of 1958 that addressed the fear of the minorities in Nigeria, the country itself had the challenge of people that were not ready to live together but were forced by the colonialists. The same problem is still playing itself out today. While oil brought smiles to some Nigerians, the Ijaw and the Niger Deltans were impoverished and their environment was degraded.
Isaac Adaka Boro challenged the powers that be over the plight of the people and at the same time the civil rights in the United State of America Martin Luther King (Jnr) was also challenging the powers that be over the discrimination against the blacks. Today, the struggle has paid off. In both countries, the minorities are in power. President Obama is enjoying the struggle that started in the 1960s and President Goodluck Jonathan is also benefiting from the price of the patriotic Boro.
But before today the degradation of the environment that rendered the people jobless and hopeless, leading to death and suffering that the people could no longer tolerate, led to the agitation which was suppressed by the powers that be before the youth restfulness led to militarism. This led to the blowing up of oil pipelines and eventually the negotiation and the amnesty by the Federal Government in which over 500,000 youths from the area were disarmed. The few that are still operating today are mere criminals who are kidnapping people, not for the purpose of addressing the injustice but for selfish and personal enrichment.
It seems Nigeria may split considering the way things are going..
Yes, the American intelligence said so some years ago but we never took them serious and it appears we are going that direction, and if it happens while President Jonathan is in charge, we shall welcome him home to continue his governing in our area. We in the Niger Delta area have always supported any government in power. We supported Obasanjo, Yar’ Adua, IBB and there is no reason why they should not give Jonathan the necessary support.
What should the president do about the security arrangement in Nigeria.
The Police should be divided in line with what is obtainable abroad with each of the 774 local government areas having a police district with Assistant Police Commissioner in charge, who will in turn direct the other areas with a mobile and efficient police and well equipped men in strategic locations. They will respond to any distress call. There should be a bomb squad with an Assistant Police Commissioner in charge. Armoured vehicles should be available to counter terrorism at any point in time.