Question 2
Instruction: Read this passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
Oil theft dates back to the 1970's when Nigeria had the first oil boom. With the return to democratic governance in 1999, many big time oil thieves became political leaders and many political leaders became oil thieves. They formed cult groups in the oil producing areas from which they linked their contacts in government and the security agencies.
The younger ones became political thugs, who after the elections turned to oil thievery to arm themselves for the next election. The armed confrontations between the security forces and the militants ended on 4th October 2009 when the regime of the late Umaru Yar'Adua offered the militants, estimated at 26,000, amnesty in exchange for the unconditional surrender of their arms and return to the confines of the law. Since that deal went through, the shooting in the Niger Delta has quietened down. The upsurge in oil thievery and the proliferation of illegal refineries in the creeks of the Niger Delta have been dramatic.
The post-amnesty deal did not give adequate attention to crucial aspects of "cleaning up after the party" What other agreements did Nigeria extract from the militants, beyond the cessation of hostilities? Since they depended on illegal bunkering to procure the arms and logistics while they fought the state, what steps were taken to remove them from this lucrative activity?
Oil thieves and their illegal refineries are partly responsible for the rampant oil spills in the creeks. which worsen the environmental challenges. which many of the militants listed as one of their major reasons for embracing the armed struggle. Where is the crackdown on these economic saboteurs the President promised? What steps have been taken to arrest the problems posed by corrupt security officials who see their posting to the region as an opportunity to strike it rich?
Adopted from Vanguard editorial, 22 June, 2012.
Oil theft dates back to the 1970's when Nigeria had the first oil boom. With the return to democratic governance in 1999, many big time oil thieves became political leaders and many political leaders became oil thieves. They formed cult groups in the oil producing areas from which they linked their contacts in government and the security agencies.
The younger ones became political thugs, who after the elections turned to oil thievery to arm themselves for the next election. The armed confrontations between the security forces and the militants ended on 4th October 2009 when the regime of the late Umaru Yar'Adua offered the militants, estimated at 26,000, amnesty in exchange for the unconditional surrender of their arms and return to the confines of the law. Since that deal went through, the shooting in the Niger Delta has quietened down. The upsurge in oil thievery and the proliferation of illegal refineries in the creeks of the Niger Delta have been dramatic.
The post-amnesty deal did not give adequate attention to crucial aspects of "cleaning up after the party" What other agreements did Nigeria extract from the militants, beyond the cessation of hostilities? Since they depended on illegal bunkering to procure the arms and logistics while they fought the state, what steps were taken to remove them from this lucrative activity?
Oil thieves and their illegal refineries are partly responsible for the rampant oil spills in the creeks. which worsen the environmental challenges. which many of the militants listed as one of their major reasons for embracing the armed struggle. Where is the crackdown on these economic saboteurs the President promised? What steps have been taken to arrest the problems posed by corrupt security officials who see their posting to the region as an opportunity to strike it rich?
Adopted from Vanguard editorial, 22 June, 2012.
The central point stressed in the passage is that
Objective