What happened to Nigeria on October 1, 2010, is not what I would even wish for my worst enemy. To be given a birthday present of bombs that killed over 11 of your children and left several others injured. The terrorist bombings on the very 50th Independence Anniversary of Nigeria was roundly condemned and denounced by every sensible Nigerian and other people in the world. President Goodluck Jonathan , formers heads of state, prominent leaders, invited leaders of other countries, other important dignitaries and thousands of others at the Eagle Square, venue of the Golden Jubilee celebrations were shocked and embarrassed by the horrifying and terrifying bomb blasts.
I was in Lagos reporting the 50th Independence day parade as I was watching the live broadcast on TV when I received the bad news. TheMovement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta claimed responsibility for the terrorist bombings. The foreign news media as usual reported the tragedy before our own local news media and I got the first pictures of the incident from the websites of the Vancouver Sun and other foreign news channels.
What happened was bad and those who did it were bad as they made Nigerians sad.
Nigeria is not Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Lebanon and other parts of the world where terrorist bombings were common. Nigeria is not a terrorist state. We don’t blow up ourselves. No, this not our way. We are better and wiser than that. We do not breed suicide bombers. So, what MEND and those responsible for these horrible bombings have done is against our beliefs, customs and traditions. Dialogue would solve more problems than killing innocent people. MEND will account for the blood of the innocent people who were killed by the bomb blasts on October 1, 2010.
According to the BBC:
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (Mend) is a loose web of armed groups in Nigeria’s oil-producing Niger Delta region.
These gangs have spent years kidnapping oil workers, attacking oil fields, blowing up pipelines and fighting Nigeria’s army.
Niger Delta politicians originally created the gangs – by arming young men to use as their private armies and to rig elections.
But later, the young men began to turn the guns on the government, and oil companies, organising into a militant movement, under the banner Mend.
Formed out of previous militant groups in 2006 Send regular e-mails to media Split into several factions Most leaders accepted amnesty 1 October attack first in Abuja Based in creeks of Niger Delta Want oil wealth to remain in Delta Preaching non-violence to militants The day Nigeria hit oil ‘Blood oil’ dripping from Nigeria They demand that the Delta receive more benefits from its oil, with a fairer share of the wealth invested in roads, schools, hospitals, clean water and power supply.
~ Caroline Duffield of BBC News, Lagos
President Goodluck Jonathan doubts if MEND would commit such a horrible crime of terrorism. Many reporters said MEND warned that bombs would be exploded in cars and trash bins in Abuja on the 50th Independence Anniversary and the bombs exploded as MEND warned. And MEND did not deny that it was responsible for the terrorist attack. Kidnappers, armed robbers, bloody militants and other lunatic fringe elements are enemies of progress and the sooner we track them down and round them up, the better and safer we would be.
President Goodluck Jonathan is being challenged to preside over the 2011 elections and such acts of terrorism do not augur well for his administration. In fact, he does not need such bloody distractions. He promised President Barack Obama that the 2011 elections will be free and fair and his hands are already full and anyone who believes in the Nigerian Dream of a new dawn of peace, prosperity and unity should support him to keep his promise for the nation building of a New Nigeria in the leadership of Africa among the comity of nations.
God save Nigeria.
~ By Ekenyerengozi Michael Chima, author of Barack Obama and the American Dream.
