Like me, several people must have been shocked by the revelation that the federal government recently awarded a $56 million (about N6.72 billion) pipeline contract to a certain Tom Pollo. Tom Pollo is a militant leader who operates in the Delta State sector of the Niger Delta. He has a good working relationship with former Governor James Ibori, through whose tremendous clout in the current government he was awarded the contract.

Many indigent law-abiding citizens, especially in the Niger Delta region, who have heard this would be right to blame their station in life on their stupidity in not joining the flourishing militancy trade in the region. By this action, the government has only succeeded in making others who disagree with the option of armed militancy look stupid. The Nigerian government treats militants with honour and dignity. The militants sit in meetings with the president of the nation to discuss very serious issues, and when the government annoys them or does not meet their demands, they threaten to "pull out of talks" as they did recently. They pulled out of "talks" with the Yar'Adua government a few days ago like diplomats of countries in dispute.

A month earlier, the Yar'Adua government signed a ceasefire agreement with 12 militant groups in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital. The federal government was represented at the "ceremony" by the governor of Rivers State . I am even surprised that Yar'Adua didn't go himself. The ceasefire agreement probably collapsed because the militants found it insulting that the federal government, with whom they considered themselves equals, was represented by a mere governor and not the commander-in-chief himself. Even from the way most media houses reported it, you would know that these outlaws are quite powerful and influential. While we are treating militants with so much deference, their governors who stole their money and are therefore the cause of the agitation are elevated by the government to the status of some of the most influential people in the country.

We are certainly losing it as a nation. The activities of militants in Port Harcourt on New Year's Day drove the price of crude to $100 per barrel for the first time in the history of the world. The Bayelsa State governor on his own was proud to tell us last week that his government had entered into a pact, a kind of entente cordiale, with the militants in his state. He, in fact, considers his action as a great achievement which must be aped by other governors. And when you hear that a governor has entered into a pact with militants, what that means in plain language is that he shares his monthly allocation with them. If not, I don't see what else will appease criminals who make tons of easy money kidnapping and stealing crude unchallenged. And any government that is gullible enough to start appeasing terrorists and other criminals will have to continue doing that forever. With government actions such as these, a prognosis of the Niger Delta crisis will not be hard to figure out.

What is likely going to happen as a direct consequence of the FG's actions is that many youths in the oil-rich area will find militancy the only way out of poverty. In fact, instead of letting their children waste precious time in schools which close half of the time, some parents may start contemplating procuring guns and a few grenades for them. Who knows whether the explosion in the rate of kidnappings in recent weeks is because of the explosion of new entrants into such a respectable vocation? The militancy profession is so respectable these days that the government doesn't call its practitioners felons anymore. They are now better known by the more elegant appellation of freedom fighters in the mould of Nelson Mandela.

They even have spokesmen. A certain Mr Pere, who addressed himself as the spokesman of the Ateke Tom-led Niger Delta Vigilante (NDV) that claimed responsibility for the multiple murders on New Year's Day in Port Harcourt, even issued a statement: "Our actions are predicated on the renewed zeal of the Niger Delta people to fight against the oppression and injustices meted to our people by the Nigerian state," he said. "This has become our last resort since the government has truncated the peace accord..." He also advised all foreigners to quit the region if the government did not stop attacking their leaders. Another outlaw group known as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) has also declared its support for the action of the NDV. But these so-called freedom fighters kill their own helpless people. They rape and maim the same Niger Delta women from time to time and they move up and down seeking who to kidnap when they get broke. They must be told in clear language that they do not represent the people on whose behalf they purport to act. No freedom fighter kills his own people. They should be told clearly that they are bloody bandits and should be treated as such.

Well, before the federal government starts entering into pacts with armed robbers and election riggers, it will be important for Nigerian leaders to know that appeasing criminals has never worked anywhere in the world. Yar'Adua should check out the Angolan experience. Jonas Savimbi, who operated like today's Niger Delta warlords, was appeased for several years, and he never dropped his arms because of the large amounts of natural resources he got illegally. Until the Angolan government finally killed him in an ambush, the potentially-rich country didn't know peace. Today, Angola is considered as one of the most promising nations of the world. The economy has been growing steadily since Savimbi, the militant, was gunned down. The government must wage a full-scale war and defeat these bandits before we become a laughing stock. As it is now, the militants have not moved on to take over Abuja only because they have not made up their minds to do so. And whenever they do, it will be a walkover.

And if Yar'Adua cannot do it - which will be a great embarrassment because it will also give idea to some of our neighbours of just how weak we are - then we would have to stop the grandstanding that we do not need AFRICOM. In any case, it will be naïve to think that the powerful countries of the world who have become decidedly addicted to oil will just sit back and watch some little spoilt brats continue to push the price of their dear commodity above the $100 mark. If our governments do not act quickly and responsibly, and continue to negotiate with "terrorists", which is exactly what is happening now, a time will come in the not-too-distant future when they will not really need to seek our permission about intervention anymore. Maybe President Yar'Adua should grab a copy of President Pervez Musharaf's book, In The Line Of Fire. To finally understand why the Iraqi war was necessary, the president should also enrich himself with Alan Greenspan's book, The Age Of Turbulence. If he can't find time to read the entire book, he should quickly turn to page 463. Only a foolish president like Saddam Hussein invites war into his domain.

If I may just ask, does the government remember that it is still an offence against the Nigerian state for people to be in possession of firearms without licence? Let's start from first principles.

And if the governors are not going to really expend the 13% derivation to develop their area, we should start thinking of designing a system in which the 13% will be spent directly on the area by the federal government. The current system so far has only succeeded in benefiting Ibori, Odili, Omehia and the Alamieyeseighas of the Niger Delta, not the suffering people.

But if we continue as a nation on this road, we shall surely get to Somalia sooner than later.