Written by:
Norris Benedict
London

The Atlas Cove Jetty Attack; Where Lies The Wisdom ?

I have always maintained unapologetically that MEND literarily recognized as the Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta is a criminal band of despicable hooligans who are bent on exploiting the popular Niger Delta agitation to make negative ends.
For the past three years we have seen at its best a group claiming to freedom fight for the deprived but in equal proportion having attributes and mentalities traceable to the same system of governance they claim to oppose. There is nothing that differentiates the poor wisdom traits exuded by MEND from that of Babangida, Abacha, Obasanjo or Yar’adua in governance; with the actions of MEND we have seen attributes of deception, fraud, blood thirstiness, reckless disregard for human life and so on. They have displayed that their ‘mission’ is mindless, mischievous, unprincipled and of ulterior motive and goal.

The current rave of kidnapping for money ravaging Nigeria was pioneered by these faceless goons who are clearly emboldened by faceless fifth columnists who wish the country ill. Lacking in wisdom and foresight like the governments they claim to oppose their actions have reduced the country to a white washed painted sepulcher; their actions is very similar to that of an offended fool who instead of standing up and fighting his offender frontally prefers to turn around and destroy surrounding property and equipment protest. Has MEND ever considered that in a system like Nigeria, what they are doing would never yield any positive return except for more devastating oil spillage, environmental and health hazards? It beats me that a group that has anti oil spillage as one of its goals would now blow up pipelines passing through and underneath poor fishing communities. These guys are simply buffoons.Things have gotten extremely more difficult and costly with the near unavailability of petroleum products – a consequence of indiscriminate destruction of the already comatose oil installations by these rascals.

Understanding the Nigerian mindset remains a mystery to me despite my being a full blood; I have being actively going through blogs for the past one week and it is shocking to note that at least 68% are in support of these dregs. Does it mean these blind and ill informed MEND protagonists are unaware of their criminal and ulterior motives? It is easy to see through.
How do you explain the towering blog texts claiming support of these rascals despite the proven effect of their actions on the poverty stricken people? But, a friend of mine a cyber security consultant recently chipped in that those in support of MEND must either be based out of the country and hence out of touch with reality or agents of an evolving grand cyber war fare aimed at giving an international impression MEND is popular. He recently sent me a link to a blog text in radical support of MEND by someone claiming to bare the name Dahiru Mustapha in which he even regrets being a northerner – how can you reconcile this lie knowing what the stand of the typical northerner on the current debacle is, so this guys are good, I give it to them and they are consciously willing and working towards giving the impression they have a Pan Nigerian support base.

MEND recently named Rochas Okorocha as their agent in negotiation with the Federal Government, which is besides their belated endorsement of Ndutimi Alaibe as the Special Adviser emeritus to the government. It tells you a lot about these characters, if they could openly endorse these above mentioned men who have played prominent roles is the debasement of the Delta then it gives a clear picture of their own antecedents and behind the scene activities.

The attack on the 50 million litre Atlas Cove Jetty was unfortunate, unprovoked and youthfully exuberant. It was idiotic to say the least and it is alarming to see someone of the height and intellect of Prof Tam David West justify the attack as ‘a strategic one aimed at pushing the agitation to new frontiers and not aimed at the inhabitants of the area’ which happens to be the Yoruba’s. I reckon David West seemed at the moment to be deluded by his occasional fits of senility. I watched Governor Raji Fashola of Lagos visit and commiserate with innocent victims of the jetty attack while David West justified it on the flip side of the divide. There was weeping, sorrow and moaning. Babatunde Fashola and other symphatisers obviously moved by the scale of destruction and pain caused wondered aloud “were lies the wisdom in attacking and inflicting pain on a people who host and share your popular call for a redress”. It can’t be justified; the attack was simply heartless and malicious. Having turned their territory to a no go area for development they decided to carry over their devilish but destructive spree to a state were the government is fighting tooth and nail to upgrade and better the socio infrastructural life of the inhabitants.

Ethnicity and reprisals is becoming a new dimension, The Odua People Congress, OPC led by Dr Frederick Fasheun is threatening an equal and effective response if such cowardly attacks are brought to the south west states again, he was reported to have asked MEND to place boundaries and limits to its ‘suspicious agitation’.

I am happy, Nigerians especially those based in Lagos have seen through this latest show of stupidity. In their droves they have continued to condemn the attack as reprehensible and provocative. So many claimed MEND has lost its good will and erstwhile sympathy and in the view of many they are a selfish band of scoundrels who are self destructing naively. Last month, Asari Dokubo an insider man dismissed MEND which he knows pretty well as faceless criminals who hypocritically hold on to the freedom fight toga for selfish pecuniary ends. They have exploited the boom in ICT to spread mired tissues of lies, deception and falsehood and Nigerians must not be hoodwinked. Our popular call for a change and redress in the way we are governed shouldn’t be predicated on arrant criminality, deliberate misconceptions or distortion of facts.

An agitation or fight for emancipation does not afflict or further deprave the downtrodden; it is defined with targets; it is guided by principles within the ambits of harnessed intellect and ideology. It is not faceless nor rash neither is it self centered or deceitful. It is guided by upright and mentally healthy minds against those championed by drugs, vice, lucre and charms.
 MEND is what it is; a faceless criminal group affiliated deceptively to the south south governments of the day the later who are willing collaborators in the willful annihilation of the Delta. The earlier we stop getting deceived the better.

N. Benedict,
London
fsixteens@gmail.com

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