From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa

Injustice in the Niger Delta region occasioned by the debilitating effects of oil exploration and oil theft in the Niger Delta has been identified as the cause of the myriad of insecurity challenges in the country.

This was the declaration of first-class monarch, King Bubaraye Dakolo, Agada IV, the Ibenanaowei  of Ekpetiama Kingdom  in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state during the launching of his book “ The Riddle of the Oil Thief”.

According to him oil has brought nothing but doom to the people of the Niger Delta region and has deepened their miseries for several decades.

Dakolo, a member of Course 38 of the Nigerian Army and  younger brother to late Captain Perebo Dakolo, one of the revolutionaries that staged the 1990 Gideon Orkar Coup lamented the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta region.

He pointed out that with the book, the liberation of the Niger Delta people has started with the consciousness of the people now sensitize.

Dakolo said the book is the story of the Ijaw man, the story of the lives of the Niger Delta people and the story of oil and gas.

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“If the injustice in the Niger Delta region had been addressed, there would have been no Boko Haram, there would have been no banditry, there would have been no kidnappings, there would have no 90 million poorest of the poor in this country.  The book is about righting the wrongs and about solving the Nigerian dilemma. Today Nigeria is in dire straits of all kinds of criminal groups all over. And of all of these stems from the injustice in the oil and gas production. So once you fix the injustice in the Niger Delta, you fix the Nigeria’s problem.”

The book reviewer, Dr Sam Amadi, Associate Professor and Director, Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts said the book has provided a window for the leadership of the country to solve the various insecurity challenges across the country by enthroning good governance.

“The book gives us a window to solve Nigeria’s crisis, whether it is unknown gunmen in South- East and banditry in the North, kidnapping everywhere, the answer is good governance.  The answer remains give people back their rights, their land and their resources and their power to manage their lives locally so that they can improve their lives and create prosperity.  And therefore there would be no need for them to come with violence to repress them”

Governor Douye Diri who was Special Guest of Honour seized the opportunity to criticise the revenue sharing formula in Nigeria describing it as unjust, inadequate and unacceptable.

He also faulted the 13 per cent derivation paid to oil producing states by the Federal Government describing it as injustice.