For-the-progress-of-the-warri-ports-dredging-the-urgent-need-for-delta-youths-to-be-called-to-order
September 7, 2020 | News
FOR THE PROGRESS OF THE WARRI PORTS DREDGING - THE URGENT NEED FOR DELTA YOUTHS TO BE CALLED TO ORDER
We have been on the campaign for the Warri Ports to be dredged and brought back to life for the past nine years and still counting. Which is why we find it heart breaking and really annoying that our Delta youths have been the ones disturbing and slowing down the progress of the development of the said Warri Ports. And to make matters worse, our Delta leaders cannot call their youths to order, as some of them are even part of the problem. This is the same Warri Ports that has the potential to transform the economic fortunes of our people in Delta State. Why then, would anyone in their right minds, be doing anything that will delay/disrupt the progress of the said dredging of Warri Ports? Why are our people negligence of the adverse and rippling effects of their actions of today, and how this affects the outcome of their tomorrow and far future? Why disturb the progress of such a sensitive project because of the little ephemeral things they want to gain from the contractors executing the project, and by that action jeopardize the future of that project?
The situation is so bad that recently, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi had said a few days ago that if he was not from the Niger Delta, he would have stopped the on-going dredging of the Warri Port. This he said because of the challenges the youths are giving to the contractors. The said Minister posited that he has been working now for the last five years as Minister of Transportation, with the help of the President. In his words: "I have delivered Abuja – Kaduna Railway and it is running. By January to February, we will deliver Itakpe-Warri. The rails are ready and by the end of December, the coaches will arrive. Between January and April, we will deliver Lagos-Ibadan and by November 30th, 2019, we will start a test run of Lagos to Ibadan. But there is a problem here. We did a test run from Itakpe to Warri, but our young boys are not good. Lagos to Ibadan, nobody stopped us, no village came out or harassed us, we are nearing completion, we will be out of there by April. But Itakpe to Warri, if I was not from the South-South, I would have stopped, the project. Warri seaport was not working. We gave a dredging contract, six months we are arguing, I would have stopped it if I was not from South-South. I HAVE WARNED THEM, IF THEY DONT STOP WE WILL PULL OUT."
We find it appalling to note how our people, especially the youths and their leaders, are more concerned about what they hope to gain, reap, benefit, and consume for today, without any thought of their tomorrow or how their actions of today would affect their near and far future. That is why for years, and even till today, we see our people, both young and old, those in government and those being governed; doing things without any iota of thought of how their actions would affect others and their future.
This undesirable trait, is part of the reasons why we see political leaders in Delta State yearly stealing/misappropriating public funds meant to provide good infrastructure like roads, without considering the many accidents that would happen and take innocent lives as a result of bad roads. THIS TRAIT, IS THE REASON WHY WE SEE OUR JOBLESS YOUTHS USING THEIR VERY OWN HANDS TO DRIVE AWAY PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN THE STATE ALL BECAUSE THEY WANT TO COLLECT ‘DEVE’ AND EXTORT MONEY, WHICH THEY WILL FINISH SPENDING TODAY, WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION OF THE FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR ACTIONS AGAINST THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE. This trait, is the reason why our oil and gas host communities prefer to accommodate/allow and encourage the bursting/sabotage of oil and gas assets/pipelines just so they can gain from ‘compensations’ from oil companies and clean-up/remediation contracts, without any consideration whatsoever of the dire effects such environmental pollution would cause our human habitation and the future development of our lands. They are more concerned of what they will gain today, without any regard of how their actions would adversely affect their tomorrow and that of their children.
With their very own hands, our Delta youths are chasing away prospective investors and development in the oil city of Warri and environs and across the entire State, which would have improved the living standards of Deltans and Nigerians in the State. It is like pouring sand into one’s meals. How do you explain that! Why should any sane person jeopardize the future development of his/her State just because of what they hope to gain today? It is this same bad attitude and disposition that we see playing out in the State’s political bearings. This trait, has so blinded our people, especially the politically-conscious ones, to the point that they have continued to support, encourage and have allowed some ‘selected few’ who have made the State’s Collective Wealth/Resources their own personal wealth, to hold the entire State to ransom in the last two decades. These politically-conscious persons in Delta State, have sold their birth rights and have continued to mortgage their own future and that of their tomorrow, just because of the ‘peanuts’ they gain or hope to gain from these selected few.
Are these people under a curse or what? For how long shall we continue like this as a people, while other States, especially those in the South-West, South-East, and Northern Nigeria, are daily moving light years ahead us in terms of infrastructural development. This devious trait of: “CHOP TODAY AND FORGET TOMORROW” – has brought us to where we are as a people. And if we must move on as a people, we must take the bull by the horn and address this anomaly -starting from the top. We are therefore urging that every element, individual or group of persons that have been, in any way, obstructing/delaying the progress of the ongoing dredging of the Warri Ports, should be called to order. We cannot be struggling and advocating to draw the attention of the Federal Government and Others, towards the development of our Ports in Delta State, while some disgruntled and senseless youths will be somewhere spoiling all the efforts being made in this regard with their selfishness. The leaders in our Communities should wake up to their responsibilities, and start doing the right thing because if they don’t; all of them, and their future generations will not forgive them.
Zik Gbemre.
November 20, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes
FOR THE PROGRESS OF THE WARRI PORTS DREDGING - THE URGENT NEED FOR DELTA YOUTHS TO BE CALLED TO ORDER
We have been on the campaign for the Warri Ports to be dredged and brought back to life for the past nine years and still counting. Which is why we find it heart breaking and really annoying that our Delta youths have been the ones disturbing and slowing down the progress of the development of the said Warri Ports. And to make matters worse, our Delta leaders cannot call their youths to order, as some of them are even part of the problem. This is the same Warri Ports that has the potential to transform the economic fortunes of our people in Delta State. Why then, would anyone in their right minds, be doing anything that will delay/disrupt the progress of the said dredging of Warri Ports? Why are our people negligence of the adverse and rippling effects of their actions of today, and how this affects the outcome of their tomorrow and far future? Why disturb the progress of such a sensitive project because of the little ephemeral things they want to gain from the contractors executing the project, and by that action jeopardize the future of that project?
The situation is so bad that recently, the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi had said a few days ago that if he was not from the Niger Delta, he would have stopped the on-going dredging of the Warri Port. This he said because of the challenges the youths are giving to the contractors. The said Minister posited that he has been working now for the last five years as Minister of Transportation, with the help of the President. In his words: "I have delivered Abuja – Kaduna Railway and it is running. By January to February, we will deliver Itakpe-Warri. The rails are ready and by the end of December, the coaches will arrive. Between January and April, we will deliver Lagos-Ibadan and by November 30th, 2019, we will start a test run of Lagos to Ibadan. But there is a problem here. We did a test run from Itakpe to Warri, but our young boys are not good. Lagos to Ibadan, nobody stopped us, no village came out or harassed us, we are nearing completion, we will be out of there by April. But Itakpe to Warri, if I was not from the South-South, I would have stopped, the project. Warri seaport was not working. We gave a dredging contract, six months we are arguing, I would have stopped it if I was not from South-South. I HAVE WARNED THEM, IF THEY DONT STOP WE WILL PULL OUT."
We find it appalling to note how our people, especially the youths and their leaders, are more concerned about what they hope to gain, reap, benefit, and consume for today, without any thought of their tomorrow or how their actions of today would affect their near and far future. That is why for years, and even till today, we see our people, both young and old, those in government and those being governed; doing things without any iota of thought of how their actions would affect others and their future.
This undesirable trait, is part of the reasons why we see political leaders in Delta State yearly stealing/misappropriating public funds meant to provide good infrastructure like roads, without considering the many accidents that would happen and take innocent lives as a result of bad roads. THIS TRAIT, IS THE REASON WHY WE SEE OUR JOBLESS YOUTHS USING THEIR VERY OWN HANDS TO DRIVE AWAY PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS IN THE STATE ALL BECAUSE THEY WANT TO COLLECT ‘DEVE’ AND EXTORT MONEY, WHICH THEY WILL FINISH SPENDING TODAY, WITHOUT ANY CONSIDERATION OF THE FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF THEIR ACTIONS AGAINST THE OVERALL DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE. This trait, is the reason why our oil and gas host communities prefer to accommodate/allow and encourage the bursting/sabotage of oil and gas assets/pipelines just so they can gain from ‘compensations’ from oil companies and clean-up/remediation contracts, without any consideration whatsoever of the dire effects such environmental pollution would cause our human habitation and the future development of our lands. They are more concerned of what they will gain today, without any regard of how their actions would adversely affect their tomorrow and that of their children.
With their very own hands, our Delta youths are chasing away prospective investors and development in the oil city of Warri and environs and across the entire State, which would have improved the living standards of Deltans and Nigerians in the State. It is like pouring sand into one’s meals. How do you explain that! Why should any sane person jeopardize the future development of his/her State just because of what they hope to gain today? It is this same bad attitude and disposition that we see playing out in the State’s political bearings. This trait, has so blinded our people, especially the politically-conscious ones, to the point that they have continued to support, encourage and have allowed some ‘selected few’ who have made the State’s Collective Wealth/Resources their own personal wealth, to hold the entire State to ransom in the last two decades. These politically-conscious persons in Delta State, have sold their birth rights and have continued to mortgage their own future and that of their tomorrow, just because of the ‘peanuts’ they gain or hope to gain from these selected few.
Are these people under a curse or what? For how long shall we continue like this as a people, while other States, especially those in the South-West, South-East, and Northern Nigeria, are daily moving light years ahead us in terms of infrastructural development. This devious trait of: “CHOP TODAY AND FORGET TOMORROW” – has brought us to where we are as a people. And if we must move on as a people, we must take the bull by the horn and address this anomaly -starting from the top. We are therefore urging that every element, individual or group of persons that have been, in any way, obstructing/delaying the progress of the ongoing dredging of the Warri Ports, should be called to order. We cannot be struggling and advocating to draw the attention of the Federal Government and Others, towards the development of our Ports in Delta State, while some disgruntled and senseless youths will be somewhere spoiling all the efforts being made in this regard with their selfishness. The leaders in our Communities should wake up to their responsibilities, and start doing the right thing because if they don’t; all of them, and their future generations will not forgive them.
Zik Gbemre.
November 20, 2019
We Mobilize Others To Fight For Individual Causes As If Those Were Our Causes