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| Nigeria's late President Yar'Adua |
There is no question that the "injustice" of decades past led to the subsequent birth of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta ("MEND").
MEND is one of the largest (if not the largest) militant groups in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
The organization (essentially a terrorist organization) came into existence in the course of the last two decades, hinging its supposed "legitimacy" on the "exploitation and oppression" of the people of the Niger Delta region.
While it is true that untold devastation had been wrought on the natural environment in that region, MEND's position, as well as that of adjacent groups, would seem to suggest that the leadership of that region (Niger Delta) was not itself complicit in the culture of corruption, that basically ensured that the Federal Government turned a blind eye to the excesses of the foreign oil firms.
While one would not reasonably argue with the facts as they obtain, in relation to the lack of opportunities and economic underdevelopment prevalent in the Niger Delta, that should not give credence to the existence and activities of an organization such as MEND, that resorted to acts of terrorism in its perverted quest for justice.
The fact is that the Nigerian Government of the day struggled to contain MEND much like it is struggling to contain the dreaded Boko Haram Islamic militants.
The truth is that Boko Haram is not really an Islamic sect looking to force Islam on the people of Nigeria. On the contrary, this terrorist group is essentially the military wing of the Kaduna Mafia (now the Arewa Consultative Forum) with the main objective of reclaiming the leadership stake of the core North, in the Nigerian political theater.
According to unimpeachable intelligence sources, those behind Boko Haram are highly placed political figures (including former heads of state of Nigeria).
The problem though is that the monster they (the core Northern leaders) created, has taken on a life of its own.
Although these "usual suspects" have lost control of the group, they are secretly the top cheer leaders for the acts of terrorism and senseless violence the group continues to inflict on the Nigerian people.
President Jonathan knows who these people are and he said as much recently (although he is still technically lying through his teeth). They are essentially the pillars of his rogue administration who feel left out of the current political equation and are out to settle the score.
These "usual suspects" (mostly of Northern extraction) believe that the "Northern mandate" was stolen in the last elections (following the death of the late president Umar Musa Yar' Adua).
In Jonathan, they (the Northern leaders) see a man who was thrust on the people of Nigeria by the barrel of the gun.
As far as they are concerned, if it is okay to assuage for the perceived wrong deeds done to a certain section of the country, then they are more than justified to engage in the same acts of terrorism through a surrogate military wing, with the sole intent of having power shifted back to the core North.
There-in lies Mr. Jonathan's dilemma and the future of Nigeria as a single entity, hangs precariously in the balance, unless honest and well-meaning stake-holders of all ethnicity and background decide to take their country back.
The truth is that the current administration does not enjoy the support of the people that matter, the Nigerian masses.
When you couple that with the fact that there are many in the corridors of academia and influence within the Nigerian theater of operation, who see this current president as a "terrorist imposition", it remains a very tall order for this administration and maybe Nigeria, to survive.
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