I have a reservoir of respect for expertise. Be it in science, technology, art, you name it. My reason is simple; our individual gifts as humans, no matter what they may be, are given to us for the benefit of all mankind. Nevertheless, these gifts come to us  with a price of diligence, and God rewards all diligence. So who is to blame when the “real experts” drop the ball and there is such disaster that affect the lives and source of livelihood of people in an entire region? Do not think of me as the odd ball, appearing to be the first to raise a sore finger. The blame game did not start with me. It started with Adam. Remember Adam from the book of Genesis in the Bible?  Playing the blame game is probably our way of dodging issues, not accepting responsibility for our actions, or simply transferring pain to others hoping it will ease ours.

 When the news of the British Petroleum oil spill first broke out , I personally felt like the tidal waves of fate was stalking me around the globe like a jilted lover. I hail from the Niger Delta Region of West Africa. My ancestral roots run deep and stretch far and wide from the mangrove forests that grace the ocean lines of the Atlantic.  As a citizen of the world by God’s mercy and grace, I am privileged to announce that ours is land rich in “black gold”. You know? OIL! My ancestors and brethren were fishermen and owners of small- scale  cottage  industries. They lived off the wealth of the ocean until BAM! The magic wand of “the experts” came in like flashing lights upon their faces. Out came the slimy sludge called oil and their lives have never been the same since. These experts promised a better life for their families, schools and better healthcare to align their lives with the on-going developments of the world. Instead, all they got, was the pollution of the only source of their livelihood. The jubilation continued nonetheless, in anticipation that their children would one day carry the torch of enlightenment by way of education . A compensation which may never match the losses incurred for daring to welcome the expertise and institutions of change, poised to negotiate  their legitimate rights and freedom to the unequal distribution of their wealth.

I grew up sharing in the contentment and peace-loving attributes of my kinfolk who travel the creeks of the ocean line to sell their merchandise of unpolluted seafoods for the price of nothing but love. What used to be peaceful communities that graced those shores, today bear relics of devastation by community disputes and tribal wars .Today, they have exchanged their love and contentment with hate for one another. Peaceful and goal- setting community development meetings have today become venues for back-stabbing and hate crimes.  Love is on vacation and peace has taken an exit door to nowhere.

Given the numerous similar incidents that have occurred around the world, have we as human beings, not had enough time to learn that even experts can make mistakes? The Titanic was swallowed up by the ocean not because it lacked anything, but because it was full of the pride and expertise of the people who built it . Many have called upon President Obama to make BP pay for this error. Louisiana State Governor, Bobby Jindal has been asked to sue BP. Of all these voices, which one can truly claim to be qualified to make such demands, and on what grounds?  I personally would like to believe that many people can, and with legitimate reasoning too. But here is my core issue with this matter.  I am sure that BP is capable of paying whatever levy is imposed on them for this error. My  concern is the usual game played with “compensation” money. Does it ever get to the true victims in the measure that they deserve? When it is all said and done, the blame game begins all over again, and therein lies the viscous circle of our society and world. I have toiled with the idea of making my own call on so many grounds; as a “Duchess of the precious and inflicted Niger Delta”, and a dual citizen of the Kingdom of God and the world by virtue of my presence in it. The best call I have heard so far is a call to PRAYER. Only God can fix this. That is what I sincerely believe.