The ''Dying Voices of Gongs'' is the story of the people in the Niger Delta; the centre of the oil and gas rich region,of Nigeria,.For almost fifty years, the area was a victim of ill -environmental practices,unemployment for the youths,poor educational facilities and lack of infrastructural development.
While the wealth extracted from the region made others affluent,the Niger Delta people had remained impoverished.The subtle hands of exploitation gradually,compelled them to take to illegal bunkering,to have a direct unofficial part in the oil business.They also undertook pipeline vandalism,kidnappings,abductions,blow-up of oil wells and militancy.This is reshaping the political development in Nigeria.
The author, Tamunobarabi Gogo Ibulubo, through the protagonist,Isitima, in the 'Dying Voices of Gongs',explores the narrow mindedness of the government,moneyed class, the international intrigues that has helped sustain the insensitivity and exploitation.The courage and commitment of the large body of youths organised into the 'pre-party mateship' grew to be a formidable private army seeking to redress the ills the area had experienced.
The struggle, the epic battle of a sort,is fought over the control of the heart of the nations' economic.The 'Dying Voice of Gongs' It is a story of betrayal, hatred and calculated self-interest that is bound to jar the mind of the reader. But it is also a book of the failure of the Nigerian project to care for the social,educational and economic well being the People.
Opportunistic powerful politicians are graving to link with the group to use it to pitch against the government as an instrument of opposition.But 'Isitima' and his 'Pre-party' have put their lives at a risk to raise a loud cry.
The aura of the struggle, which may be reaped someday, may eventually come after a possible outbreak of endemic diseases occasioned by the several oil spills on farm land and seas which has sipped into community drinking water wells.
About the Author
Tamunobarabi Gogo Ibulubo, a keen journalist,is notable for his human interest coverages and reports in the Niger Delta.Tamunobarabi Gogo Ibulubo is an Okrika son born in Port Harcourt.He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Language and has undergone training in mass communication,journalism, information technology and management.
