AYIRI EMAMI’S 5OTH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE

AYIRI EMAMI’S 5OTH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY MESSAGE
AYIRI EMAMI URGE NIGERIANS TO SPARE THOUGHTS AND PRAY FOR CHIEF JAMES ONANEFE IBORI.
I rejoice with Nigerians from all walks of life, regardless of the ethnic configuration on the 50th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria as a nation, today, October 1, 2010.
While Nigerians celebrate and click glasses today ostensibly to mark the auspicious occasion of the independence of our great country, the leading light on the African continent, I have decided to adopt a low profile approach substantially due to the travails of my leader and mentor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, a former governor of Delta State and the icon of the nation’s political landscape and the belief that there was nothing to celebrate about the 50th anniversary of nationhood due to the pervasive poverty, hunger, deprivation and the nauseating underdevelopment ravaging all faces of our national life.
Particularly as a person from the Niger Delta, I feel very oppressed and traumatized that Chief Ibori, a leader of substance in the Niger Delta, who recorded monumental achievements during his steadwardship and operated a transparently accountable administration in Delta State for eight years , has been undeservedly forced on self exile while we are spending huge money, which ought to be earmarked for development strides, to mark the 50th Independence Anniversary.
For me as a citizen, I have not seen any reason to celebrate Nigeria at 50. Our situation could be compared to that of a 50 – year – old man who had nothing to show for his 50 years of existence. But whether he had nothing or not he has his own way of celebrating his birthday and that is what Nigeria is doing right now. Despite that Nigeria as a nation is wobbling and fumbling in the past 50 years as evident by the comatose nature of basic infrastructures needed by Nigerians to live decent lives, the power that be have decided to celebrate Nigeria at 50, apparently to afford some high profile Nigerians the opportunity to make pecuniary gains.
But I saddened by what is going on now because to see one of our leader, the man who fought for resource control in the Niger – Delta, - though there were others, like Ken Saro – Wiwa, Adako Boro, Nana of Itsekiri, Chief Alfred Rewane and others – Chief Ibori and a former Governor of Bayela State, Chief D.S.P. Alamieyeseigha, fought and brought the struggle for resources control on the front burnerof national discourse, is a national tragedy. It is regrettable to note that Chief Ibori is today suffering somewhere and nobody seems to bother. All you hear today is about personal interest as about 80 percent of our politicians are out there in pursuit of their personal interests.
To this end, as Nigerians, especially those of the Niger delta stock celebrate today, I implore them to spare a thought and pray for Chief Ibori, who rendered selfless and people – oriented programmes for Delta State in particular and Niger Delta as well as Nigeria in general in eight years, for his safe return to the country.
The travail of Chief Ibori was compelled me to support the position of the literary giant and Bobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, that all we have to celebrate as a nation in 50 years are corruption and kidnapping. To me, our respected scholar and states man should have included poverty, oppression, wickedness and so on. I totally agree with the position canvassed by Soyinka recently in Port – Harcourt.
President Goodluck Jonathan was seemingly a harbinger of hopes when he came into power but the hopes have been dashed by the development in the past five months. Those who nursed hopes about the ability of Jonathan to deliver the goods did not spare a thought that there is no difference between President Goodluck and the late despotic Gen. Sanni Abacha Administration acted a familiar script originated by the Abacha Administration apparently to dismantle and crush eminent and accomplished Nigerians Like Chief Ibori, Raymond Dokpesi and peter Odili. It is instructive to note that the same people who supported GoodluckJonathan when he was struggling to wrestle power from the late President Umaru Yar’Adua under the aegis of Reformed Group, are being hunted and persecuted today because of their new disposition and position about the political development in the country. The government has suddenly woken up from slumber and realized that they are they are tax evaders.
My advice as a Niger Delta to my brothers and sisters in the region is that they should keep to the agreement on zoning in the Peoples Democratic Party. Even the Bible FROWNS at unkempt promises and agreements. The Bible advocates that we have tobe credible. You need to develop a thoroughly researched manifesto before you could be persuaded to run for any elective office. People will not just call you to run unless you must have the intention. For instance my people in Warri Federal Constituency have called me to run for the seat of Warri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives but I have decided not run in the interest of the Itsekiri people. I cannot create more problems within the Itsekiri ethnic nationality because it was apparent that those people that want me to run have one problem or the other with the incumbent, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju, and they feel that the only way they could fight him is through me.
I have dropped my aspiration in the overall interest of my people and the nation. There is no doubt that I am eminently qualified to run against him.
Zoning or no zoning, we all know the truth, and it is causing a lot of problems in the country. People are always asking me why I am against President Goodluck Jonathan and that is for one reason. I am not impressed that the first thing he had to do when he came into office is to fight some of the leaders who spearhead the struggle for resource control and self – determination in the Niger Delta. People like Chief james Ibori were hunted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and London Metropolitan Police, in the name of corruption to desert the country in desperation to realize the self – seeking aspiration of those presently at the helm of affairs I the country.
My advice is that we should stop killing and pursuing one another and our 83 – years leaders should relocate from the boys quarter’s in Aso Rock to their country home in the Niger Delta, where they can best serve the interests of their people and serve as meaningful bridge between the people and the Presidency.
I may have sympathy with the North for the presidential slot of the people Democratic Party in the 2011 elections due to the prevailing zoning arrangement in the party but I don’t have preference for a particular aspirant from the Northern belt of the country. More importantly, former President Ibrahim Babangida, appeared to have diminished his chances by his recent comment that the Nigerian youth was not qualified to lead the country.
That make me biter in my heart. What age was he when he became the president of this country? What age was General Gowon when he became the president of this country? The youths are angry with IBB for making that statement. I am advising the NORTH to get a credible candidate to vie for the presidency on its behalf in accordance with the zoning arrangement of the PDP in the 2011 elections.
As for the chairman of the Independent National Electoral commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, he misfired from day one when he told Nigerians that if given the needed funds he would perfect and conclude all necessary arrangement to conduct afree and credible election in 2011 forgetting that the problems in INEC is hydra headed and cannot be solved even in three years time as the commission has no structure or foundation to conduct free and fair elections.
I am pained when I recall the speed with which funds where approved by the National Assembly an d approval given to same for the commission in other to make it look as if Prof. Jega can perform magic. After collecting the huge sume, he has just realized that he need more time and has requested for two months but was graciously given three months. We hope he would ask for a postponement of the entire election in due course.
My pain derive from the fact that if such speed were deployed in approving funds for the development of the long neglected Niger Delta region it would have developed beyond any body’s imagination by now. The people of oil – rich Ugborodo community that plays host to Chevron, SPDC, NNPC and so on have being crying to high heaven because the place is daily being washed away by the Atlantic the Atlantic Ocean, but the government has refuse to listen to them after so many years. It is indeed very painful.
May I therefore use this Independence anniversary message to advise Prof. Jega to embark on house cleansing exercise and weed out the bad eggs from the system. It is worrisome that Jega is presiding over INEC where somebody’ sister, who is a top official of the commission, is not fighting for the interest of the country rather she is fighting for the interest of his elder brother, insisting that the Delta State Executive Committee of the PDP must be dissolved.
As Nigerian celebrate today, I urge the government to strengthen the security. That is why I am saying that if President Goodluck Jonathan is not is not contesting he would have been a good referee. But now that he is the referee in the football match he is playing in and we are saying we need change, there is no way there could be a change because President Jonathan may not be prepared to preside over his failure in the 2011 presidential election. But I believed that Mr. President has been compromise because of his personal interest. He has no say in anything. I conclude, very sadly indeed, that we are going to be where we are today for the next 50 years

Signed:
MR. AYIRI EMAMI
NIGER DELTA YOUTH LEADER AND RIGHTS ACTIVIST
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