Economic Confidential, August, 2009

FEATURES

I Am Militant too, Mr. President

By Victor Segun Olomola

victorolomola@yahoo.com

Can somebody help me to convey my plight to Nigeria’s president to grant me Amnesty that could afford me special monetary allowances, free meals and courtesy call to the Presidential Villa in Abuja to shake hands with power-that-be?

Please I need amnesty. I read about youth gangs coming out from their hideouts with highly sophisticated guns to enjoy the largesse of the amnesty.

Unfortunately I have no guns to surrender but have my skinny body frame to prove that I and my family are in dire need of government urgent relief.

I wish the amnesty would extend to provision of generating plants for my households who have been in total darkness courtesy of Power Holding Company of Nigeria that never generate any so-called megawatt for enough electricity for minimum comforts.

I have searched and searched for any available jobs but all I receive in return is boldly written NO VACANCY at premises of even recruiting agencies. Please, I need this unconditional amnesty that I learn would keep confessed criminal militants some respite through training and loans to enable them set up a business.

I am a militant who has been in the struggle since I was born even when militancy was yet unborn in the Niger Delta. Poverty stared many families in the face that sending the children to public schools that churn out certified illiterates, is a luxury.

I know that the differences between criminality of Niger Delta militants and that of armed robbers is purely of nomenclature because they operate at the same level and for the same purpose of extortion through the use of weapons to intimidate, maim, kill and destroy all for worldly gains. In addition to these similar attributes, I am aware Niger Delta militants are more daring in the destruction of economic lifelines of the nation by the vandalisation of oil pipelines and kidnapping of innocent victims for ransoms while engaging in oil bunkering to deprive the nation of oil revenue.

Should I be forced to surrender any arms to benefit from the amnesty, I may only resort to the danegun inherited from my father for rat hunting which has been source of meat for the family or in the alternatives present old  kitchen knife we use to butcher bush meat for sale as a mean of livelihood.

I was not opportune to benefit from the inducements of some politicians and public officers who encourage the jobless youths to take arms for the purpose of rigging election through the intimidation and destruction of perceived political opponents.

Had I known that those sophisticated weapons procured by the politicians and given to the youths would in future appreciate like landed properties in monetary values through exchange with government, I would live all my life in the Niger Delta

I am still lamenting… regretting the fact that some self-confessed criminal militants would be beneficiaries of enticing packages of special training, allowances, salaries, loans and presidential handshake, while other citizens after their educational qualifications and even working experiences are still roaming the street looking for packages for survivals.

Please, can we all be militants so that government can deploy the revenue in the federation account to help us from joblessness and improve other social services for the citizenry?

Kindly convey my message to the President: that I am also a militant, who must declare so to enable me survive the hard time.

I am indeed jealous… very jealous to see known leaders of militants who were pardoned by the previous administration living in luxurious mansions, and riding exotic cars with body guards in our streets just for daring to be proud and confessed criminals.

Victor Segun Olomola is in the Editorial Team of Economic Confidential