Frankly, I do not know who Chief Uffot Ekaette and Mr. Godwin Orubebe wants to impress. This editorial touches on the very sensitive issues which any good thinking leader must recognize. Why would a job creation symposium targeting the highly educated masses of the Niger Delta, or even the not so educated population of this restive region who need an encouragement to develop entrepreneurial skills be held at Abuja out of the reach of those who badly need help?

This is not only a slap in the face of the entire Niger Delta citizens, but a blatant abrogation of the very indices of the so-called "Olive Branch" which the President had purported to show the Governors and the militants of the area, assuring them of his determinations to make peace in the region. This total disregard to the sensitivities of the Niger Deltans it appears, is written in the unofficial policy of Ya'Adua's Administration, to continue to pay lip-services and to maintain a symbolism or an appearance of the Federal Government's willingness to listen to their concerns yet, dish out as much unpleasantness as is inhumanely possible to them. It was not surprising that the Petroleum Minister inadvertently revealled the Administration's Official Policy which Chief Ekaette and Mr. Orubebe now seem to be enforcing.

Many of the highly qualified and yet, unemployed youths of the Niger Delta are so down and out financially, that they could hardly afford the cost of transportation to Abuja, let alone being able to foot accomodation costs at the unreasonably high priced shacks found in Abuja. The editorial asked a very poignant question which should cause even the Administration a major embarrassment which is: Are you telling the world that of the 9-States or so, which make up the Niger Delta States, there is not a single one of its Capital cities capable of hosting a job fair for the Oil and Gas Industry? If the President's Administration answers "Yes" to this question, then, the irony is that the entire restiveness in the region were masterfully planned by the previous administrations, knowing full well that future foreign and domestic employers of labor for the region would want to relocate their administrative offices to areas other than the Oil Producing Communities. Therefore, it would make perfect sense for Chief Ufot Ekaette and Mr. Godwin Orubebe (the stooges) to do the bidding for the Administration. These two individuals are like Ministers without Portfolio. These are what we call the "Yes Men". It apparently means that they have been paid off, and to shut the hell up and not to make a sound. In other words, they are to be seen and not heard from.

Therefore, given the above scenario, it would appear to me that the Niger Delta Ministry is a farce. These two representative clowns are what is described in the world of maffiosa as "Bag Men". I truly would agree with the views of the rtd. Air Marshall Ukponwan that the federal government has no intentions of helping to solve the problems in the Niger Delta, but would continue to pay lip-services to these gullible leaders in the region whose selfish interests have always seemed to take precedence over the interest of the entire population whom they say they are governing.

One of the solutions I would proffer for the restive region and their communities is that each city enclave should be incorporated as businesses. This would give each of these communities an ability to elect its own mayors, city council members, and have their own administrative offices. The cities, through their elected local representatives would have the ability to develop local ordinances, in keeping with the Federal Constitution. Under those ordinances, they would be able to exercise their eminent domain rights, and should be able to take Corporations like Shell, Agip, Chevron, Elf, Total and any other corporate entity operating within their jurisdiction to court to address any breaches to their ordinance laws, and be able to seek appropriate compensations for abuses meted out to their environments. It does not seem that the concerns of the Niger Delta citizens is of any importance to the federal government. With city ordinances, even blatant acts of abuses by the federal government can also be challenged in court.

But, with the current dispensation whereby so many clusters of communities fall under a County Government control, whereby funds earmarked for these communities are seldom used for the purposes they are meant to address; local accountabilities for these funds would rest squarely on the elected city officials who would check-mate the use of these funds set out for their community development. Right now, these funds merely go into the pockets of local chiefs or thieves. This is all the more reason why becoming a local chief has become a cottage industry. Whereas the federal government thinks that funds it send out for use in these communities would be used for developmental projects, nothing gets done year in and year out. These thieves use their position to silence anyone who opposed them. The solution to this problem is to have these cities incorporate so that there would be accountability for all the funds received from the federal government for developmental purposes.

Furthermore, an incorporated city has the same power as the State or the Federal Government, and can challenge any assertions made by either the State or the Federal Government in court. As a living "entity", they can legally challenge the federal government in court, especially in the case of the Niger Delta on their use and abuse of their resources. Legally, there are limits to State rights and the rights of the Federal Government. Each community would have the right to challenge the federal government, or the oil companies on the extent and degree of compensation they receive and the amount of royalties accorded them. Under the current program, the Governors and local chiefs (thieves) can decide to allocate any and all funds to themselves, and may choose to give little amount to the State for development, while the bulk of their loot are siphoned away to foreign accounts. No one should have such power or right over a growing population where the bulk of the country's survival depends. Since the president is unwilling to address these issues, and rather than take up weapons to seek redress, the best way out of this malaise is to use the existing legal system to fight this culture of corruption. And frankly, there are legal corporations in the United States and the United Kingdom who are so conscious of the environmental abuses in the Niger Delta that they are just waiting to be invited to challenge the status quo. Please, Niger Deltans, wake up.