Ayo Akinfe

Fuelling the Delta Fires Ayo Akinfe

Publisher Marketing: Based on the real life situation in Nigeria's Niger Delta, Fuelling the Delta Fires is an expose and action adventure novel revealing why there is turmoil in the world's sixth largest crude oil exporter. Chief Tom-George is a corrupt local politician and the governor of Western Ijaw State. To "spread his message" across the state, the Ijaw chief buys the services of Mene Bene, the leader of the largest youth militant group the Niger Delta Liberation Movement (NDLM). In exchange for cash, Bene ensures that Chief Tom-George's opponents are harassed and threatens communities that refuse to back his man's National Umbrella Party. However, once he was sworn in as governor, Chief Tom-George no longer needed Bene and the NDLM, so they have a problem. Later, the NDLM resorts to kidnapping as a means of raising funds to sustain its operations. What started off as a little bit of mischief, soon grows into a multi-million dollar industry as oil companies are willing to pay handsome sums for the return of their expatriate workers. This book also gives a real live account of the experience of Alan Ward, a kidnapped British oil worker. Alan is held on the isolated and desolate delta island of Epeleama. Fuelling the Delta Fires ends with Chief Tom-George's ambitions to run for the presidency of Nigeria in tatters. He is the front runner until at the last minute, the rug is pulled from under his feet when a litany of his corrupt deals are read out to him a day before the ruling party selects its presidential candidate. Faced with the threat of standing down or being indicted, he does the former and watches on helplessly as the prize slips from his grasp.