THE PAN NIGER DELTA FORUM ELDERS PARTICIPATED IN PIPELINES VANDALISM!

   ZION B-BC   NEWSLETTER.  (Looking at Nigeria's Political System from a godly Perspective).

A Publication of the Zion Faith Bible-Believing Church, Kpeyegyi, Abuja Nigeria. [VOL. 5. NO 169. 6th November, 2016.} “…ONLY The Truth, Will Set You   Free! (John.8:32).

THE PAN NIGER DELTA FORUM ELDERS PARTICIPATED IN PIPELINES VANDALISM!

The Pan Niger Delta Forum 100-man delegation which met with President Muhamadu Buhari on 1st November, 2016, neither accepted responsibility for economic sabotage against Nigeria either by default through their tacit acquiescence, nor tendered an apology on behalf of their terrorist youths who deliberately vandalized critical crude oil pipe lines in their region with demonic relish to vent anger for the loss of their kinsman at the 2015 Presidential polls! Instead, they brazenly DEMANDED, through the submission of a 16-point agenda, how peace should be restored to the oil-rich region as if no one else existed but themselves! What an effrontery, what an insult to the psyche and sensibilities of all Nigerians who had suffered untold hardships through the treasonable felony of over 18 Niger Delta Opposition terrorist groups, who for selfish demands, vandalized the collective oil wealth, and deprived the nation of its foreign exchange earnings for consecutive 13 months unabated, with the succinct support of these elders! With this kind of very pathetic development in matters of national insecurity poised through deliberate acts of sabotage through household enemies, should it not be the concern of patriotic citizens that it was time to deal with this recurring attitude of impunity by the Niger Delta region according to the RULE OF LAW instead of the carrot and stick formula?
If the elders pretended that the brutal murders and massacres of innocent citizens - including several law-enforcement operatives - by their terrorist children did not deserve penalties and punishments, then the Federal Government should draw their attention to the fact that they grossly erred during the caucus deliberations that preceded their audience with the President since no mention of lawful chastisements to be meted to the culprits was included in their selfish demands!

The first step towards sanity in the region must be for the vandals to surrender themselves and all illegal arms and ammunitions in their custody to their respective State Governments and face prosecution for vandalism and economic sabotage against the Government and people of Nigeria! The second is for a general assessment of damages to be compiled by Federal Government Engineers/Auditors, so that restitution could be made by all vandal-infested States on behalf of their recalcitrant wards; and the third is for the repairs/replacements of damaged/destroyed pipelines that clean-up of environmental pollution through burst pipes might commence! These elders were witnesses to the boastings of these criminal youths who openly declared that they would destroy all oil pipelines to deprive the ruling government of all economic gains from that region but acquiesced even though, an African adage says that the "hoary hair would not sit idly in the market place while his youths perish without protection"!

An objective study of some of the selfish demands include the resuscitation of the Presidential Amnesty Programme - inclusive of job opportunities after rehabilitation; that Federal Government should reduce military presence to avoid "human abuse", (of which the terrorists were culprits); Security surveillance and protection of  oil and gas infrastructure to be transferred to the communities headed by the elders instead of to individuals like Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias "Tompolo", who was declared wanted for economic crimes and his comrade-in-arms who became multi billionaires through pipelines protection contracts awarded to them by the Jonathan's Administration!
Is it not very glaring that these elders, instead of requesting for the employment of patriotic youths and vigilantes for pipeline protection, they had more or less solicited the transfer of the very very juicy contract to themselves as head chiefs of the communities? Can we conveniently opine that the people and elders of this "oil rich" region have begun to feel the crunch of the self-imposed economic recession on Nigeria by the riverine vandals through the principles of the LAW OF CAUSE and EFFECT; following more and more devastation and degradation of their soils through incessant oil pollution by these rebellious children?
Could it be a smart move by the Pan Niger Delta Forum Elders, to quickly strike a lucrative deal with the Buhari Change Administration before the CHAD BASIN OIL EXPLORATION COMES INTO FRUITION AND NOT TO BE ABANDONED TO SWIM AND DRINK THE MIRY AND DISEASED-INFESTED POOLS OF OIL RIVERS? How could they have pretended to have forgotten that at least THREE of their former governors (Bayelsa, Edo and Delta), were convicted for economic crimes of fraud and embezzlement of crude oil funds, at home and abroad? That the Niger Delta Development Corporation (NDDC) had always been under the searchlight of the EFCC because of incessant public complaints and petitions against alleged financial misappropriation and contract inflated figures?
Have they also easily forgotten that the South-South Geo-Political Zone comprising of all Niger Delta oil producing States collect on monthly basis, from the common wealth, 13% derivation fund to cushion the effects of environmental devastation and degradation through a continuous oil exploration and exploitation by both local and foreign companies? How could the elders so easily forget that the Ogoni People of the Niger Delta Region were mourning the 21st year anniversary of the death of KEN SARO-WIWA, a peace-loving environmental activist, who never took up arms against his country but murdered in cold blood by the Abacha Military administration while they were negotiating to reap from his sweat and blood? While government ruminates over the SELFISH DEMANDS, it is instructive for all good and very resilient citizens of Nigeria to understand that no section or region of the vast country - under the present constitutional arrangement could decide to become an island to itself. The clarion call for united nation should not be of lip -service!

TRUTH has no social, political or economic coloration! Truth is saying it as it is, doing it right according to laid down principles and in obedience to the rule of law; Truth is the opposite of lie and truth is bitter! The following truths according to God's lexicon says: "While the earth remaineth seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Whatever was the mission of the Pan Niger Delta Forum emissaries to the Aso Villa, Abuja, it is crystal clear to the poor and downtrodden masses of that region that whether their representatives were governors, pipeline vandals, or chieftain elders, they would always be SHORT-CHANGED; and this is the gospel truth!
While the governors have become super rich, the riverine terrorists/contractors have become super-duper rich, while the elders would not be sidelined from becoming the latest and emerging billionaires of the oil-rich zone; Niger Deltans and Nigerians by extension can hardly make two meals per day because of cost inflation of goods and services caused through the brazen destruction of the nation's oil pipelines by SONS OF THE SOIL! Must this trend of man's inhumanity to man continue? Because Of The Continuous 13-month Vandalization Of Pipelines Lines, the Federal Government has intensified the implementation of diversification of the economy of revenue earnings to non-oil products in the agricultural, food products, manufactured products, minerals, transport and industrial sectors, which though went through some shrinking towards the end of the second quarter, but from sources close the National Economic Council (NEC), the economic activities occasioned by the fall in productive capacities of industrialists have been reinvigorated for greater capacities through capital financing.

It is important for all patriotic Nigerians to believe that the recession challenges are temporary and would be surmounted in spite of all manner of sabotage sooner than envisaged. Advocacy in respect of the true perspective and position of the recession is being disseminated by the federal government through all its information media and orientation agencies to the grass root for patience and perseverance.  Though, we share the thoughts of some analysts who said that local and foreign investors would need further re-assurances from the Federal Government that investment in the non- oil sector would yield desired dividends, we are categorical that with all adequate measures put in place, these investors would definitely compete for placements in this last quarter in view of profitable incentives already in place! The Executive Director of the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. 'Segun Awolowo, who said that his agency was mindful of the challenges facing the non-oil sector, revealed that it has commenced its ZERO TO EXPORT INITIATIVE to support new generation of Nigerian exporters to effectively and profitably participate in the sector, adding that the Federal Government's fiscal strategy framework for the next three consecutive years was based on NON-OIL!
He attributed the initiative to recent developments on global commodities market which had triggered the wake-up call on the need for Nigeria to accelerate the diversification of its economy by moving away from an over dependence on oil as its main source of revenue. and predicted that with an effective implementation, non-oil exports would be enabled to increase the nation's foreign exchange reserves to $150billion USD within the next 10 years! We are equally optimistic that with the steady progress of the Change Agenda Economic Team, all opportunists like the Pan Niger Delta Forum elders would realize that they were no longer relevant to negotiate from oil derivation positions in their zone!
As at the time of this publication, the OGONI PEOPLE declared at a press conference that the elders did not have Niger Deltans mandate to negotiate with the Federal Government for peace agreement on the vandalization of pipelines, but that their 16-point demand mainly bordered on their selfish interests, covetousness and greed!
THE WORD OF GOD SAYS: "RIGHTEOUSNESS EXALTETH A NATION, BUT SIN IS A REPROACH TO ANY PEOPLE". (Proverbs.14:34).

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If you have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour, don’t miss this great opportunity as you pray this prayer: Lord Jesus; I confess that I am a sinner who needs to be saved through the grace of the New Testament of your Blood, shed on the Cross at Calvary; I renounce every sin in my life and accept you as my Lord and Saviour. Please forgive me and write my name in the Book of Life. Amen. If you prayed this prayer, you have been admitted into the family of sons and daughters of God, who are born-again. Congratulations.

I am, yours sincerely, Dr. David B.A. Olufon, Resident Pastor and Editor. 08130669886, 08098194390.  08080243066   g-mail- dvdolufon@gmail.com.