Niger Delta militants forgive Obasanjo and Babangida for speaking out against Buhari

SEVERAL Niger Delta militant organisations have declared that they have forgiven former president Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and one-time military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida for past misdemeanours after they openly criticised the Buhari government.

Over the 30 years or more, militants in the Niger Delta have fought successive Nigerian governments for neglecting the oil-producing area and allowing it to fall into a derelict state despite being the country's cash cow. They have been known to take up arms to further their cause and Chief Obasanjo's government in particular was involved in a violent spat with some of the militants.

Over the last few weeks, however, Chief Obasanjo wrote a 13-page open letter criticising the Buhari regime for failing to provide security and for not doing enough for the Nigerian economy. In the letter, Chief Obasanjo urged the president not to stand for a second term in 2019 and earlier this week, these thoughts were re-echoed by General Babangida.

Yesterday, speaking under the auspices of 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta, the militants rehabilitated both leaders for fearlessly telling President Buhari the truth on the state of the nation and the need to restructure the country. Their spokesman Izon Ebi, also warned the chief of army staff, Lt General Tukur Brutai, over his planned re-launching of Operation Crocodile Smile 3 and Python Dance 3 in the south-south of the country.

Mr Ebi said:  “We applaud General IBB and General OBJ for their boldness for the love of Nigeria and the youth. We urge all Nigerian youths to forgive them and take the message because they are part of the problem of Nigeria and now they have realised themselves to say the truth because they are close to the creator to answer for their mix-up.

"Their sins are forgiven for this single act of courage and boldness to speak the truth for the love of Nigeria and the future of Nigerian youth. It is now left for General Muhammadu Buhari to do the needful to restructure the country because every father will always like to give their children a future."

He urged the youths of Nigeria to wake up from their slumber and rise up to take leadership from the analogue leaders that have failed their generation, advising them that they are in a better place and well qualified to offer leadership. Mr Ebi said God is using President Buhari to expose the reason they find themselves in this primitive, barbaric and ungodly society called Nigeria.

"It is not surprising to us when Professor Umar Labdo Mohammed of the Faculty of Humanity, North-West University, Kano will be making provocative, derogatory hate speech that the Fulanis are born to rule Nigeria for a long time and Niger Delta resources are owned by the north because of their land mass and population. How do you explain and defend the fact that the allocation of Katsina State with no oil is far higher than the allocation of the six oil producing states in the Niger Delta, where oil is produced using the indices of land mass and population.

“The so-called land mass that is supposed to be used for agriculture is now a breeding ground and training camp for terrorists to be killing Nigerians on a daily basis in the name of Islamic religion and doctrine. The so-called population is now empowered with AK47 rifles and cows with the aid of mercenaries killing innocent Nigerians and hardworking Nigerian farmers that are struggling to provide food for the nation in the name of Fulani herdsmen and the federal government is trying to proffer a legal backing to justify their killing of innocent Nigerians with cattle colony," Mr Ebi added.

He added that the Niger Delta will not tolerate any military action in any guise from the unprofessional Nigerian Army headed by Tukur Brutai, which has lost its pride and glory. Mr Ebi asked how can the Nigerian Army explain that they are absorbing repentant Boko Haram members into the army and contemplating absorbing 30,000 civilian Joint Task Force men too and under their noses, foreign Fulani cattle breeders are killing innocent Nigerians and farmers on a daily basis without the arrest of any culprit.