This is a follow-up to my spring 2007 essay, “Niger Delta Governors: Where is our Money?” In the intervening months, nothing has changed -- at least not in a meaningful or significant manner. The President then was Olusegun Obasanjo. Today, he lives almost in isolation and has become the punching bag for almost everybody, even for fair weather friends, the ex-this and ex-that and all kinds of pretenders and wannabes.

The nation now has a new man at the helm of affairs, accompanied by a new set of Ministers, Governors and handlers. It is possible to do a critical analysis of these men and women -- especially the Governors -- but today, we shall limit ourselves to the new breed of Governors in the Niger Delta region. The Niger Delta, we already know, is the nation’s breadbasket; but because of the nature of the Nigerian economy (structurally unbalanced and as a Rentier state), many have argued that without the Delta the country will be on her knees gasping for air. But that is neither here nor there.

The Delta is an integral part of the Nigerian Nation and so the oil and gas and all other resources -- wherever they may be situated in the country -- belong to all Nigerians. The Constitution confirms this. At the heart of the current conflict is (1) the total lack of development and the absence of federal presence in the region; (2) how to equitably divide the monetary gains; (3) the ecological and environmental disasters; (4) the political and economic marginalization of the indigenous groups; and (5) the overall injustice that has come to characterize the region.

A decade or so earlier , if these problems had been solved or at least if they had been genuinely addressed, what is today referred to as the Niger Delta Crisis --  a crisis that is accompanied by Low Intensity Conflict, out-of-control oil bunkering, commercialization of crimes, ethnoregional commotion and various other sociopolitical imbalances -- would have been almost non-existent. Today, it is difficult to imagine the region returning to its once immaculate condition. The Delta will never again be the same again. The genie is out of the glass. There is blood everywhere and on everybody’s hand.

Most people, including the militants, the activists, and the NGOs and private citizens and others directs their anger and venomous arrows at the Federal Government and the Oil conglomerates. Rightly and justifiably so! A more critical analysis of the region’s palaver will also take into account the country’s historical heritage, the anarchical nature of the international political and security system. And more. What is often left out is the duplicitous and leecherous role of the elites and State Governments in the region.

Somehow -- somehow -- the elites and the State Governments in this region have managed to stay below the blame-radar. It is as if this group of leeches does not exist; it is as if they are blameless; it is as if they are not part of the problem. But they are! Simply put: the various governments and very many sections of the Niger Delta elites are also to blame for the neglect, exploitation, and underdevelopment of the region and its people. The Militants, the activists and the everyday people must take note of this uncontestable fact. They must act on this, take note of internal parasites.

As a Nigerian and as a Niger Deltan, I say to my people -- the militants, the activists, the everyday persons and to all justice-seeking groups -- the time has long gone for us to hold our various governments and elites responsible for some of the atrocities and injustices in our region. Without exception, every Niger Delta Governor from 1999 to 2007 was criminal and delinquent: James Ibori; Peter Odili; Orji Kalu, Alamieyeseigha and Goodluck Jonathan; Donald Duke; Victor Attah; Lucky Igbinedion; Segun Agagu; and Achike Udenwa.

Today, their proxies have followed suit. In the one year since coming to power, billions and billions of Naira have been allocated, yet, there is nothing on the ground, nothing that positively impacts the lives of the people in terms of real development (basic need, humanitarian development or the fundamentals of development) save for iconic and various other meaningless projects. Where is our money? Where have all the Niger Delta money gone? What follows is a snapshot of allocated and collected amount since June 2007:

Figures are quoted in billions of Naira; they are approximates and are collated from the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Finance website: http://www.fmf.gov.ng/FMF_Revenue_Alloc.aspx. Tabulation errors are mine. Where have all the money gone? Mostly stolen and mismanaged.

My ancestral home is in Bayelsa: home to some of the brightest and revered Nigerians i.e. Isaac Boro, Alfred Diete Spiff, Ebiegberi Alagoa and many others. With such a pool of great minds, how Bayelsa State came to be ruled by a succession of the third-rate is mind boggling. In the absence of the first-rate, we have the pretenders, the dream peddlers, voodoo-merchants, the sadists and the intellectually impaired.

All those who call Bayelsa home know that there is water every where, but the people have no access to clean potable water. In a literate and globalizing world, the State has no modern libraries, no clinics and laboratories and no well equipped hospitals. Most of the government primary and secondary schools are worse than colonial era shacks. And the Niger Delta University , build within the last ten years, is an eyesore.

In a world where women’s constitutional rights are being upheld and celebrated, the State has one of the highest rates of female dropouts due to pregnancy and other social ills. In a world where the young and the agile are aiming for higher standard of living, the vast majority of the young and the agile in the State are either unemployed, underemployed or unemployable. And because the private sector is almost non-existent, most people rely on the State for employment and patronage.

In exchange for government handouts, a sizeable number of the people have been cultured to forgo their human rights; therefore, dissent is highly frowned upon and discouraged. We have two men to blame for the aforesaid reality: Alamieyeseigha and Goodluck Jonathan. Sadly, Timipre Sylva is about to join their rank.

Let me say it again: The Federal Government and the Oil Companies share some of the blame for the economic, political and environmental problems that has befallen the region. No doubt about that! But the time is here for the people of the Niger Delta to hold their leaders accountable for the theft and mismanagement that are commonplace. I also think that the people of the region share in the blame for tolerating and encouraging third rate leaders: men and women who should be anything but Governors, Ministers, Commissioners and Local Government Chairs.

Sabidde@yahoo.com

Robot  Villager

# 1 This is a follow-up to my spring 2007 essay, ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 14.08.2008 22:15

Showcase  Villager

# 2 About time someone said this. A good thing it is also coming from an indigene otherwise, other meanings could have been read into it. While most people would agree there isn't sufficient attention being paid to the plight of the south south, it would also help if accountability is brought into the little they have been given. The way I see it, the day is coming when those who diverted the resources of Nigeria into personal coffers would not feel comfortable anywhere, as I understand they are running in droves to other parts of the country now for safety reasons. That will be the day we start looking for genuine panacea to our problems as a nation. I have a feeling that day will not be long now. Posted by Showcase| 14.08.2008 23:24

Agidimolaja  Villager

# 3 Sir Sabella, It is so refreshing to hear you spoken so frankly against your abominable leaders who have brought so much woes and calamities upon the people. As you have just lectured us online,hopefully you could in real life lecture the misguided militants about who and who is responsible for much of the woes in the land. You should please also admonish them to lay down their arms as well as stop all criminal activities that they are well noted for. It is of paramount importance that these thugs should direct their anger and violence against their own thieving leaders instead of innocent expertrates and the Federal Gov't. Posted by Agidimolaja| 15.08.2008 00:53

truthsayer33  Villager

# 4 this is the degree of reflection and frankness that is tranformative of self and society.I am really pleased that Nigerian discourse is beginning to show evidence of maturity.The recent discussion about the under-development of Northern states is another example of this maturity.There is dawning hope for my beloved nation. Posted by truthsayer33| 15.08.2008 03:03

Norris  Villager

# 5 Sabella, Go to elendureports dot com and read the story captioned '42 yr old senator spends more than a billion naira to build house'. The details of the expose is alarming. Go ahead and read it. That is an example of where all the money is going. No need to ask much. Leadership is the bane of the Niger delta region. Kind regards. Norris Benedict Posted by Norris| 15.08.2008 06:53

philipikita  Villager

# 6 =Norris;4295083711>Sabella, Go to elendureports dot com and read the story captioned '42 yr old senator spends more than a billion naira to build house'. The details of the expose is alarming. Go ahead and read it. That is an example of where all the money is going. No need to ask much. Leadership is the bane of the Niger delta region. Kind regards. Norris Benedict Hey Norris: I hope your statement does not take away the injustices of the federal government on the people of the Niger Delta. Is it the Niger Delta region alone that has "leadership" problems? I believe all of Nigeria has leadership problems. And it is time we stopped sparing leaders even from our own region. Sabina's a great fighter that does not entertain any sentiments. His consistent articles do not spare even his own leaders! He sees the bigger picture of the criminal exploitation of the Niger Delta people and environment, it doesn't blur him from seeing the mess amongst his own leaders. Posted by philipikita| 15.08.2008 07:24

aliyuAH  JJC

# 7 I join others in commending the frankness of this author. There is no doubt that the state and LG officials are as responsible as the FG for the situation in the Niger Delta and other parts of Nigeria. They are all "thieves of the same feather". However, in order to resolve the problem permanently, let the FG hand-over the exploiation and management of all narural resources (within the defined land of a state) whether oil, gold or cocoa to the state governments. The people of the states can then shift their attention and hold the state governments accountable for those resources. This derivation or 25%, 50% are only temporary solutions that will not stick and they are merely tearing us apart. Let every state be responsible for its own resources and development, while the FG merely tax the states and focus on federal and national functions such as security, foreign relations etc. This to my mind is the way forward. Posted by aliyuAH| 15.08.2008 11:34

aguabata  Villager

# 8 @agidimoloja your posturing suggests you have a saintly governor in your state. I will put more of the blame on the northerners and the PDP multi ethnic thieves who are running a false federal system. They blatantly influence the political outcomes of every state in Nigeria, or outrightly rig elections. One man who becomes friendly with the occupant of Aso rock becomes more powerful than his entire locality. This is why bayelsans and indeed most nigerian states have inhuman leaders. All we are complaining about is the symptoms of a rotten head Posted by aguabata| 15.08.2008 17:21

bobokite  Villager

# 9 Where Have All Our Money Gone????? To bank accounts in Cayman Islands and the Caribbean. Posted by bobokite| 15.08.2008 17:47

toksy  Villager

# 10 Norris, i took your advice meant for Sabella and what i perused therein, just convinced me more that the people (of ND) should look to their govenors for some answers. I wrote this much on another thread. Like the Port Harcourt journalist said to the Elendu reporter " “There must be something they put in the water of people who go to Abuja. How can a man who represents some of the poorest people in Nigeria build such a house without any pangs of conscience To the above statement, i say, ""how can the people, faced with such deprivations amidst plenty stand idle while one of their representatives who is supposed to be looking after their interests and who, after 9 yrs of service with absolutely nothing to show for it, as in ameliorating the people woes, build such a monstrosity and no-one bother to kidnap him and relieve him of his wealth. Hey Norris: I hope your statement does not take away the injustices of the federal government on the people of the Niger Delta. Is it the Niger Delta region alone that has "leadership" problems? I believe all of Nigeria has leadership problems. And it is time we stopped sparing leaders even from our own region. Philip, am from Ogun state and i certainly would not even consider sparing my govenor when i know he's stealing our money but the crux of the matter is, we do not have oil in Ogun state, we do not sustain the whole dumb contraption called NIGERIA with the resourses in our backyard and i do not believe Ogun state is as poor as ND nor is any of our representatives (to my knowledge, anyway) exhibiting such opulence among abject hunger and suffering. No, i think the ND should first of all, deal with their representatives which will forced these people to actually be accountable to the people. Make them do the job they were employed for which is to see to their well-being and not amassing fortunes at their (niger Deltans') expense. Posted by toksy| 15.08.2008 17:51

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