Editorial Comment

NigerianNews

NigerianNews
Editorial
 

Of Resource Control and Hypocrisy

Of Resource Control and Hypocrisy
NigerianNews Editorial

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The story above from South Africa is worth noting by the two opposing sides of resource control in Nigeria.

In a desire to build a strong nation, the idea of government taking over a family land when there is a resource discovery on that land smacks of injustice to the land owner and a bonanza of "reaping where you do not sow" by those who insist on sharing the wealth.

As long as the Nigerian Government insists on this Robin Hood philosophy, a stable system is far from guaranteed. It is our opinion that if the Federal Government follows the example above and let the owner decides how he or she disposes of the minerals in his background, an arrangement can be made where the taxes collected by the government can still equal what they collect now. The government of South Africa is assured of taxes from two sources, individual tax from Mr Solomon Ngondo and the international company that bought the mineral rights to his land also pay taxes

This brings us to the States which clamor for resource control. Delta State as an example will show the hypocrisy of these States. Delta State is a State of many ethnicity. The resources found in Delta State are not found in the State Government's land. These are individual private lands appropriated by the government. If the current move for resource control is achieved, it will just result in a transfer of injustice. The State Government will now take control of what used to be Federal government's duty. This will result in a beginning of a new fight for resource control by the communities which own the land. And if they win, another round of resource control will begin with the real owner of the land, which by this time is an average man from either Itsekiri, Ijaw or Urhobo land

As you can see from the expose above, the genuine desire to have a genuine resource control is neither found in the Federal government nor in the State Governments currently spearheading it.

The fault therefore is not in all of us, but in the Federal Government which cannot see why South Africa will always be ahead of us. You cannot but thank God therefore that South Africa went through White hands first, and they left a structure where the cool headed entrance of Nelson Mandela guarantees the continuity.

You can neither gain a permanent seat at the Security Council of the UN (Although well deserved, and if by conspiracy of silence the seat is denied to Nigeria, it will be a great mistake by the conspirators if Nigerian gets herself together) nor aspire to leadership until any form of insecurity is removed from the system

And remember when the Resource Control States remind you of injustice by the center in future, tell them their current plans only substitute one imperialism by another. It is time for us to tell them to bug off with their hypocrisy

"This brings us to the States which clamor for resource control. Delta State as an example will show the hypocrisy of these States. Delta State is a State of many ethnicity. The resources found in Delta State are not found in the State Government's land. These are individual private lands appropriated by the government. If the current move for resource control is achieved, it will just result in a transfer of injustice. The State Government will now take control of what used to be Federal government's duty. This will result in a beginning of a new fight for resource control by the communities which own the land. And if they win, another round of resource control will begin with the real owner of the land, which by this time is an average man from either Itsekiri, Ijaw or Urhobo land."