The Gospel According To Niger Delta Militants by Odega Shawa

Nations die. New flags rise in place of old ones. Civic responsibilities metamorphose to new political covenants. Governments crumple against the pressure of opposing forces. Political opposition itself shifts and reforms even in the middle of action. It has been so since Cain clobbered Abel to death and the ultimate seed of all political displacements was sown.

I don’t know about the truth but the facts are naked. Developing countries like Nigeria do not stand a chance of survival without strong political opposition. Yet, despite this fact, governments in Africa generally, and in Nigeria particularly, have continued to carry on as if political opposition is a cardinal sin. This should not be so. There are forms of political opposition that could sensibly be discouraged and condemned, those involving, as in the case of Cain, fratricide. Other forms of it are required for progress to be made in developing mass welfare of any kind.

This small book intends to demythologize the idea of political opposition in Nigeria in a way that will make it less despicable in our political dynamics. It is in no way an exhaustive examination of the thing. It is seminal in nature and it is intended that more could and should be done on the subject matter in the future.

Since the full spectrum of political opposition starts from the non-violent and ends in the violent it is the singular aim of this summary that the objective of every crisis must never be lost, even in the midst of the most mindless insurrection: like revolution.