The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Ease of doing business ranking excites Bayelsa

    Bayelsa is the first among states in the South-South on the ease of doing business index. The state is also the second among all the states in Southern Nigeria. The ranking is recent.

    It was released by the World Banks’s 2018 Sub-National Doing Business in Nigeria report on October 21, 2018. In fact, the state Governor, Seriake Dickson, and his economic team are celebrating the recent ranking.

    Stakeholders believe that the ranking is a testament that the government has laid a solid foundation that will encourage more investors to come into the state for business.

    The Director-General of the Bayelsa State Investment Promotion Agency (BIPA), Patience Ranami-Abah described the state as the most attractive investment destination in the South-South region.

    She attributed  the ranking to the kind of leardership Governor Seriake Dickson had displayed over the last six years. She explained that the government demonstrated its commitment to providing a business friendly environment to investors, through BIPA adding that BIPA provides one-stop services to investors.

    According to her, the commitment of the government to the ease of doing business earned excellent dividends, as evidenced by recent and significant indices ranking Bayelsa very highly, not just in the South-South, but in the entire country.

    She said: “Other key indices include figures released by the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) showing that there is high Investor Commitment towards projects in Bayelsa State.

    “The NIPC figures place Bayelsa State as the 2nd highest beneficiary (with 26% commitment in favour of the state) out of $45.74 bil worth of investment commitments made for 42 projects in nine states and the FCT, within the first 6 months of 2018.

    “In the same vein, Bayelsa is placed 3rd on the fiscal sustainability index ranking for Nigeria, as indicated in the BudgIT ‘State of States Report 2018’, which looked at the ability of states to meet their recurrent expenditure obligations and their ability to sustainably manage their debt profiles.

    “All of these, in addition to Bayelsa’s low crime rate, make us the most attractive investment destination in the South -South today. Data from the National Bureau of Statistics ranks Bayelsa as one of the safest states in the entire country, as it accounts for only 1.23% of total reported crime cases”.

    The DG of BIPA expressed satisfaction with the ratings. She said over the last few years under the present administration, more businesses opened up. She said the development further stimulated the local economy, created jobs and increased the revenue profile of the state.

    She pointed out that big brand like Golden Tulip now operates an international standard restaurant with local and international cuisines at the Creek Haven resort in Onopa.

    “It is exciting to know that we have two functional cinemas that provides families the opportunity to go and see movies in a relaxed environment. This was never there. More hotels, eateries have all surfaced and you can say that the good times are here.

    “The revolution we are seeing in our economic space is just a tip of the iceberg. Once our airport kicks off, you will see a new Bayelsa with its full economic potential. More businesses will come up, big ticket investments that will attract more global attention to our state.

    “We thank and commend His Excellency, for given us the opportunity to do what we are doing. For us, we are not relenting, we will continue to work hard to achieve the vision and dream of Gov. Dickson. This is our sacred commitment” she said.

     

  • Akwa Ibom and payment of 10 years pension arrears, gratuities

    The Accountant General of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Uwem Andrew- Essien, recently made known the fact that the state government had paid pension and gratuity arrears spanning 10 years for the state’s civil servants. According to him, the arrears have been cleared till 2015, thus leaving outstanding payment to be that of civil servants that retired in 2016 alone. He further explained that the payment is being done in batches because of the huge sums of money involved.

    Available records in the state show that this year alone, a total of 7,780 retirees have collected either outstanding gratuities or pension as the case may be.  The accountant general said such payment would continue to remain a priority of the Governor Udom Emmanuel led administration as a demonstration of its commitment to the well-being of the people of the state.

    Right now, the state government has commenced the compilation of names of civil servants who retired in 2016, so that they could also get their retirement benefits.

    Ordinarily, payment of workers’ gratuities and pensions should not be celebrated as it is being done these days. After all, workers according to the Holy Books surely deserve their wages. But that has been far from the experience of workers in Nigeria these days. Only the fortunate ones get theirs probably six times in a year. For the most unfortunate ones among them, they can be owed theirs for a whole year.  Some state governments owe workers as many as 36 months’ salaries. Some local governments have not even paid their workers for more than three years.

    One then begins to wonder the kind of productivity any employer could demand from workers that are denied even the most basic incentive for going to work. Unfortunately, this aberration is fast becoming a norm in the country. The other day, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, and Governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz  Yari, shamelessly declared  that governors were not elected only to pay salaries of civil servants. Justifying non-payment of workers’ salaries by state governments, he contended that there was no way the governors could perform magic if there were no funds to pay workers.

    Such is the level of arrogance often displayed by some of our leaders when it comes to discharging their basic responsibility to their workers, especially seeing to the welfare of civil servants. What is generally accepted as the norm in employer-worker relationship especially in a capitalist society like Nigeria’s is that employers provide work for their employees and pay them in return for the services they render.   That is why an employer thinks it through before committing to the responsibility of hiring extra hands knowing that such action has implication in terms of financial input. Simply put, no sane employer hires just for the fun of it, but they do so to maximise their returns. But sadly, some Nigerian workers have been reduced to begging for what is legitimately theirs. Some even go into  a frenzy of excitement  when they are  paid four months out of probably 36 months’ salary arrears owed them by some of their governors.

    In fact, salary payment has become such an issue in today’s Nigeria  that states that pay workers on regular basis now count it as a major achievement. Despite the release of the London and Paris Club refunds to states to offset outstanding salaries, many states still owe their workers today.

    The foregoing are some of the reasons why the decision of Governor Udom Emmanuel to pay pension arrears of Akwa Ibom retirees is not only a big deal but an uncommon feat. To start with,  the gratuities and pensions arrears  cleared have been  there for over 10 years. He got elected less than four years ago, meaning he inherited these debts.  They were a liability on both the state and him at a time when everybody is complaining of  dwindling financial resources. Granted   that government is a continuum, a realisation that perhaps might have prompted the state government to offset the huge burden of salaries owed pensioners by previous administrations, it has not   removed the fact that it takes a responsible government in touch with the plight of the common man to take such a bold step. No doubt, a lot of efforts must have gone into planning and generating the revenue required to meet this obligation. This is more so especially in an era when allocations from the Federal Government have continued to reduce. It must have taken a rare and deep commitment to the welfare of the people of Akwa Ibom State for the governor to have taken this step. So, it is commendable.

    It is out of place for civil servants that have worked for years to be denied their gratuities or pensions. There are even stories of pensioners dying due to lack of  money to treat themselves when they were sick or others dying in the queue as they awaited the  so-called  benefit that is even too small to accomplish anything reasonable.  The local governments appear to be the worst culprits when it comes to owing workers.  Fortunately for them, the public rarely put them on the spot.  Although Nigeria runs a three- tier of government, many people only talk about the state and federal government, thus making it appear as if the local governments don’t have any responsibilities. Yet they collect allocations from the Federation Account every month as the state.

    It won’t come as a surprise if some of the workers being settled by the   Akwa Ibom State government worked for the local government. To a lot of people, every worker is being owed by the state. So, when there are issues of workers being owed gratuities or pensions, the state government naturally bears the brunt.

    But beyond the payment of pensions and arrears by the Akwa Ibom State government, it is high time state governments all over the country began to work on finding a permanent solution to the problem of non- payment of salaries and allowances of civil servants in the country.  No doubt, a lot of state civil services are over-bloated. There are many people in the civil service that have no business being there. There is problem with efficiency as sometimes ten people could be on ground to do the work meant for just three people. To many state governments, employment in the civil service is merely political- a sort of party patronage. That is why they over-employ and also find it difficult to pay salaries.

    But, while it may be difficult to advocate an outright reduction of staff strength in a country struggling in and out of recession like Nigeria’s, states should know that the onus is on them to make their workers productive.

    There are too many under-utilised people in the civil service. This has to change.  Civil servants can offer Nigeria a better deal than we are currently getting, but that can only happen in an environment where everyone is on their toes to add to the quality of lives of the citizenry. Britain, Nigeria’s colonial masters, who bequeathed the civil service system to Nigeria, still operates one till date and it works for them.  There is enough work for civil servants to do even in Nigeria. For instance, there is a Works ministry in every state, yet there are potholes everywhere. We have agric ministries that did not have any farm plantation.  The era of lazy civil service should be gone and the earlier our governments at all levels realised this, the better it will be for everyone.

    • Ekanem Anthony writes in from Lagos

     

  • Bayelsa govt and Atala oil field

    In the twilight of the emergence of the present administration in Bayelsa State, led by HS Dickson, the economic prosperity of the nation was in its best of forms. Oil prizes were on the rise, trading at about 90 dollars per barrel. The result of this was that the Nation received huge foreign exchange, which translated into huge allocations to states. And for an oil producing state such as Bayelsa state, the allocation received, is estimated to be between the ranges of 13 billion to 20 billion monthly.

    However, as welcomed and enviable as this economic boost was, the Governor knew that this prosperity would not last forever. He knew that there was the need to source or creates alternative sources of income to support or cushion the federal allocation giving the characteristic fluctuations that generally occur with oil prices.

    As it was to be expected, towards the second term of the administration, oil prices began to experience a downward spiral which ultimately impacted upon state allocations, causing panic among state governments. Nevertheless, the HS Dickson led administration which had previously predicted this outcome, took several steps to counteract and arrest the effects of the new economic and financial realities. Particularly to ensure that the state continued to meet its financial and economic obligations. Most notably series of consultations were embarked upon, with a view to increase the Internally Generated funds of the State. The cumulative result of these efforts was that the state began to experience a tremendous increase in internally generated revenue (IGR) which was reported to be well over nine hundred million naira from the previous four hundred million naira-an impressive 100% increase. ]

    In an admirable display of his economic shrewdness and rare passion for good governance, the governor HS Dickson still identified the need for more to be done and this led to the overhauling of the state owned oil company-the BAYELSA OIL COMPANY LIMITED (BOC Ltd). This was done with the aim of capitalising on the vast potentials created by the ability of the state to own an oil block.

    While the block was awarded to the state government in 2003, the state had entered into a tripartite joint venture agreement with Century oil production and Hardy oil for the management and exploration of the marginal field it. Nevertheless, it was yet to begin full production. This was as result of non-commitment on the part of the state, even though century oil production has expended over a hundred million dollars into this venture as part of its technical and financial obligations.

    Overall, what was needed was for the management of the state oil company cooperates with Century and its technical partners who have 30 percent of the share capital.

    Therefore, the governor himself (HS Dickson) had to step in and a new management was appointed under the leadership of Ebi Dorgu with the clear task to work effectively and efficiently towards the maximisation of the ATALA field to benefit the state. On her part, Century oil did what it had to do and within record time, the field began its first production.  This was largely applauded by the government of the state as it was a veritable vehicle towards the increase of the state resources which was in dire need of a boost and buffer, given the aggressive development agenda of the state Governor.

    While Century had proven its capacity to manage the block successfully, it was now the place of the state oil company to also play its desired role and ensure continued production and exploration to offset the huge capital already invested, and ultimately make profits, which is the cardinal objective.  Unfortunately, this has not been the case.

    While there are indeed a few other factors which have all contributed to this unwanted situation, such as technical and management issues which require attention, the management has not been very effective in her duties and the present reality is the resultant effect. Some have argued that the management has a different motive; one which only profits them and not the State. This argument is clearly supported by the fact that recorded technical and management issues were long begging for management attention only became worse as a result of blatant negligence.

    Over this period, it is on record that the present management has taken several steps to frustrate the entire project which is in clear contradiction to their principal-the Governor’s intentions and plan.  Firstly, they began by making unnecessary demands from its technical partners. Not satisfied with their responses, which of course, were not within their mandate, the management accused them of not having the capacity to meet their contractual obligation knowing that this was not a part of their mandate under the joint venture.

    Consequently, while efforts were being put in place to facilitate the smooth and continued operations of the exploration by Century, the Bayelsa oil company and its managing director started making sinister efforts to negotiate a new joint venture agreement with potential clients. The motive behind such efforts remains very unclear and leaves many to make their own conclusions.

    As part of such efforts to scouting new partners, advertorials were placed on business blogs and papers to attract prospective clients while also speaking with top notch oil giants with a view to push Century out of an otherwise legally binding contract.

    While some organisations showed interest, with rumours of financial incentives already exchanging hands, most of these companies appear to appreciate the complexities of such business opportunities, and savvy enough to understand the importance of due diligence, thus making adequate enquiry.  Subsequent investigations revealed the existing contractual concerns which ultimately discouraged these potential business partners.

    Clearly, these conceited efforts to form new partnerships rather than working closely with Century are not designed to benefit anybody but themselves and runs afoul against the cardinal objective of the government and the state oil company.

    Given the huge resources already invested by Century, the company is on record to have taken steps to intimate the state oil company of its willingness to resort to legal options if the state oil company management refuses to adhere strictly to the terms of the joint venture agreement.

    Pursuant to this line of action, a notice was posted on all business communication platform to discourage ignorant potential investors. Nevertheless, the managing director, in partnership with certain elements within the state government continues to search uncontrollably for potential investors. A move which has now pushed Century to completely halt production.

    As it stands, the much expected resources from the proceeds of the marginal field may afterall become a mirage. This is owing to the unscrupulous activities of the managing director and this will indeed rob the state of great potentials which could have boosted the developmental aspirations of the current Governor who has left no one in doubt over his aggressive and unprecedented drive towards leaving a legacy of change and restoration in terms of infrastructures.

    What is now required is for the state Governor to quickly take a decisive action and arrest the situation before the potentials of the full exploration of ATALA FIELD quickly fades into outer space, leaving stakeholders with an unwanted reality and a PAINFUL IMAGINATION OF WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN and should be.

    The Governor must not shy away from the responsibility of taking that decision for the greater objective of changing the fortunes of the state and cementing his ever flourishing legacy. This is a rare opportunity for the state to create industries, and record increased success on the twin issues of unemployment and crime in the state. Two major aspects of the Governor’s agenda.

    Responsibility beckons and Governor Dickson must once again show that he is the great eagle and rise to the occasion. He must now demonstration that characteristic capacity to take timely decisions and save the state from such unnecessary bickering which are clearly unhealthy in such a time where all hands must be on deck to improve the fortunes of the state. Such display of leadership is necessary for future investments and development and curtails the state’s age long issues of inadequate resources.

    A stitch in time saves nine.

     

    • Atoukudu writes from the creek of Agge in Bayelsa State.

     

  • Philanthropist seeks support for Bayelsa flood victims

    A philanthropist from Bayelsa State, Chief Reuben Okoya, has lamented the flood disaster in the state. Okoya was perplexed when he recently toured camps built for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the state.

    The displacement was unprecedented and the suffering caused by the flood was unimaginable.  The IDP camps he visited in Ogbia, Amassoma, Boro Town in Kaiama and Igbogone were occupied by helpless victims, who cried and yearned for help.

    Okoya, who was a frontline gubernatorial aspirant in the last election in the state, was moved to donate N1million to the flood victims. Instead of buying relief materials such as mattresses and tissue papers, he decided to give cash to the victims.

    He reasoned that since the flood was receding, the victims, who came from far-flung riverine communities, would need money to fund their transportation back home. Therefore, the cash donation was seen as a proactive measure to lift the transport burden of the displaced persons.

    He said: “We have observed that the flood water is gradually receding. The next stage is how these internally-displaced people will go back home and be able to sustain themselves until they get back on their feet.

    “In flood matters, there are pre-flood issues and post flood issues. I think we have come to the point where we are dealing with post flood activities. How do these people go back to their homes that were flooded?  If they go back and fall sick, how do they respond? The private sector needs to come in and help them sort out all these”.

    At Ogbia IDP camp, Okoya saw that six pregnant women were delivered of babies. He felicitated with the women and promised to do his best to contribute to their up-keep. He observed that some children and elderly persons were sick. He immediately sponsored the infirm to a nearby hospital for treatments.

    Okoya said it was time for privilege indigenes of Bayelsa within and outside the country to come to the aide of the victims. He asked them to make contributions to alleviate the plight of the flood victims.

    “I am beckoning on all well-meaning Bayelsans both in Nigeria and in the diaspora to help Bayelsans in distress by donating relief materials and other forms of comfort. Their continuation will help the victims.

    “Particularly, it will help to ameliorate the post flood issues that will arise after the current flood disaster in Bayelsa. Government alone cannot shoulder the responsibility”, he said.

    Okoya further commended the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) for coordinating the different camps in the state effectively. He enjoined medical professionals and other relevant professionals in the state to give the people free services.

    He said: “I will try and see if I can meet some doctors and other medical professionals privately who can visit these camps with some medications and medical services. I am going to organize that with SEMA to ensure that as we go into post flood activities, everybody will be properly settled and return home safely without diseases.

    “I want to specifically thank SEMA. They have done excellently well. Today I have taken time to go to Bayelsa East, Bayelsa West and Bayelsa Central as a private individual to see what is happening.

    “It is tough when you see people suffering. In Ogbia we saw babies being born in the IDP camp. Two were born today. But it is gladdening to see that government is doing something”.

    On a permanent solution to the flooding in the state,  Okoya, who is an architect, called for a holistic approach involving scientific studies. He experts would also be needed to brainstorm and proffer solutions.

    Okoye noted that all drainages must be cleared and kept neat while all natural waterways should be identified and made to flow uninhibited.

     

  • Candidate to pay Ovia students bursary from salaries, allowances

    The candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the Ovia Federal constituency seat in the House of Representatives, Mr. Dennis Idahosa, has promised to pay students bursary from his salaries and allowances.

    Idahosa said he used his salary as a Commissioner of Investment under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to pay indigent students tuition fees and provide soft loan to market women in Ovia.

    He made the promise while having interactive session with students from drawn from the University of Benin, Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State Polytechnic, Usen. Tayo Akpata University of Education, College of Agriculture, Iguoriakhi and the National Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN).

    All the institutions are located in Ovia North East and Ovia South West local government areas.

    Idahosa said he would not renege on his promises to effectively represent their interest as a Federal lawmaker.

    He stated that a certain family placed Ovia constituency in its pocket without any meaningful development.

    The APC candidate said he would collate a data base of the unemployed and match same with job opportunities that may arise.

    According to him, “I will do things differently. I will work for the youths and the students. I was not born into a rich family and the condition I grew up made me commit myself to helping the poor.

    “I will not change my attitude towards the poor. I will give grants to students and assist them with bursary. I will work with the State and federal government to attract development to all parts of the constituency.

    “I am not here to tell you stories, I have been told by God to come liberate my people. I am not contesting for an executive position, but mine is to work with the three tiers of Government to impact on the lives of the people of the constituency.

    “Some certain family have placed the federal constituency in their pockets and have failed to impact meaningfully to the development of the area. I, with your support, have come to liberate the constituency from this family,” he said.

    The students said they have made up their mind to vote out Barr. Omosede Igbinedion over what they termed “failure to effectively represent their interest” as a lawmaker.

    They said Omosede elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) neglected her constituents since her election in 2015, and failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the students and youths of her constituent.

    Spokesman for the students, Oviafabor Armstrong, said the decision to work, mobilise and vote for Idahosa was borne out of the fact that he has been consistent with support for the students’ and youths, even without being a lawmaker.

    “Being a youths herself and her background, we thought she understands our plight, but we were wrong as she went to sleep soon after her election.

    “She did not only failed to impact in the development of the Federal Constituency by way of attracting people oriented projects to the area, she has also failed to represent our yearnings and aspirations as student’s’ and youths.

    “As you may be aware, the constituency probably has the largest concentration of Higher Institutions in Nigeria, with no fewer than five higher institutions, we have the number to decide who our representative is,” he stated.

     

  • Smiles as 300 amputees get free prosthetic limbs

    Osamudiamen Omoruyi was all smiles as he walked around the hall without the aid of crutches. It was the first time he could do so without using crutches since 1999 when his right leg was amputated after an accident. At the beginning, he had difficulty walking with the new prosthetic limb given to him by the Edo State First Lady, Mrs. Betsy Obaseki in collaboration with the ISHK Limb Centre, and St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Benin City.

    Omoruyi said he only responded to announcement he heard on radio that the office of the First Lady had made arrangement to provide free limbs to persons whose legs were amputated and was surprised that he was given a free limb.

    He said he could not raise between N250,000 and N1m to buy artificial limb which was why he has been using crutches since 1999.

    According to him, “I had an accident in 1999 and my leg was cut off. That was how it happened. I thank the First Lady for the kind gesture to help us to walk again. God will bless her. I appeal to other rich individuals to also assist those in need of such things. This is my first time of having artificial limb since 1999. Some are sold for as much as N1m. It is difficult for people to raise such money to buy it.”

    Omoruyi was among 300 amputees who were provided with free prosthetic limb by Mrs. Obaseki. The amputees came with wheel chair and crutches but walked away without any assistance.

    Another beneficiary, Mr. Bright Osaigbovo, whose leg was amputated last year, said he couldn’t afford an artificial limb because it was expensive.

    “They told me to look for N240,000. I was thinking of how to get the money when I got information that Governor Obaseki want to help us. I went to St Theresa Catholic Church and got registered. Today I have received my limb. I can walk around very well.”

    Addressing the beneficiaries, Mrs. Obaseki said it was donated free by a foundation, the Toloram Group, whose aim is to help the poor around the world.

    Mrs. Obaseki expressed optimism that the prosthetic limp would uplift their lives as they would no longer depend on others for movement.

    She said the state government was ready to provide succor to physically challenged persons to enable them move from one place to another to cater for themselves and help integrate them back to the society.

    Branch coordinator of ISHk Limb Centre, Mr. Bidlan Jaiprakasy, said the essence of the donation was to make the physically challenged persons move about and engage in something meaningful in the society.

    Representative of St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Augustina Odenore, thanked the Edo state government for their support and told the beneficiaries that more training on how to how to use the limbs and other tools to walk would start January 2019.

    Ufuchukwu Samuel who spoke on behalf of the beneficiaries said Mrs. Obaseki has removed tears from their eyes as it was difficult walking about with crutches.

    Samuel said he refused to ask for the price of artificial limbs because he didn’t want to add to his pains.

  • Ex-agitator: why I won’t back Buhari in 2019

    Eshanekpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro, leader of National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators (NCNDE-A) was prominent among ex-militant generals, who backed Muhammadu Buhari for President in 2015. He established his loyalty further by helping to cripple operations of the destructive Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). But today, the Urhobo-born ex-agitator has alleged his group was abandoned after working for the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) administration. In this interview, he puts this and others into perspective.

    My name is Eshanekpe Israel a.k.a Akpodoro. I am an Urhobo man from Gbaregolor in Ughelli South Local Government Area, Delta State. I am an ex-militant leader with over 17,000 followership in the Niger Delta. During the disarmament of militants, I played a major role in that process, and we achieved results. The generation of the military echelon at that time can testify to this.

    How has the Amnesty Programme been?

    So far so good, the administrators of the Amnesty Office are the major impediments to the success of the programme owing to their love for aquisition of wealth occasioned by massive looting and lack of focus. Therefore, it will be plausible to say the programme is neither here nor there.

    How do you assess the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration?

    President Buhari’s administration is difficult to assess. Nigerians are frowning more than before. Nigerians are hungry. Any leadership that spreads hunger in the country is a failure. So, the APC government has failed.

    Are you part of the failure?

    No, I am not. Since the President decided to abandon those of us who worked for him by empowering those who opposed him, I had to withdraw my support for his re-election.

    Why?

    It is seemingly not in the character of the President to reward loyalty, particularly those who are not from his place or religion. Remember, I was the only ex-militant leader, who declared support for Buhari in 2014 even though it wasn’t fashionable then. I was used to work against my people for Buhari to rule. My life and that of my family were put on the line for Buhari to be President. Today, I have nothing to show for my loyalty to him.

     Do you regret being instrumental to President Buhari’s success story in the fragile security in Niger Delta?

    I don’t regret pivoting the process that brought renewed militancy to a halt in the Delta region. That region is our home, and we have no other place to call ours. Buhari’s interest in the region is political, while mine is regional and national solidarity. Therefore, I’ve no regret. My only regret was that I worked for President Buhari against my people to become President, after which he neglected me and my followership. I led my group of over 17,000 members to work for Buhari’s victory.

    When did you decide to withdraw your support for the President?

    My decision to withdraw my support for Buhari’s re-election was taken when it became obvious that he would not reward loyalty. When he called the bluff of those who were instrumental to his ascension to power, I took my decision. When the President decided to empower members of the opposition against those of us who almost lost our lives for his cause, I decided to leave him.

    Really?

    Yes. I left Buhari when he patronised notable members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against who we fought to bring All Progressives Party (APC) to the Niger Delta, I took my decision to dump him. When I was asked to bring $100,000 by Aso Rock ‘profiteers’ to have audience with the man I worked for – President Buhari, I decided to withdraw my support for the President.

     What necessitated the demand for $100,000 in Aso Rock?

    There was a growing need to see the President at the time.

     What need?

    I was privy towards the end of 2015 to the plan by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) to resume hostilities in January 2016. Several letters about that plan was sent by me to the security chiefs but they didn’t act until the January 2016 strike by the Avengers. Repeated strikes by the Avengers caused the security authority to call me in July that year. Of course, between January and July 2016, you will recall how many times bombs went off in the Delta region.

    I met with a handful of ministers too after the strike in January, explaining the enormity of the plan by the Avengers to wreck havoc on our national patrimony in the region, but was tossed here and there. At a point, I made moves demanding to see the President, but his handlers demanded $100,000 from me to see the man who told me to stabilise the Niger Delta region.

    Also, I needed to see the President over the neglect of my group – the National Coalition of Niger Delta Ex-Agitators, NCNDE-A, and its affiliates by the administration, and possibly engage him on the need for patronage. But $100,000 was a major impediment.

     So, what happened thereafter?

    I was eventually engaged by the Army to cripple the operations of the NDA and we succeeded, and eventually we were further abandoned.

    What do you make of the tardiness of the security chiefs as they failed to act swiftly on your information?

    They are lackadaisical and carefree. They don’t act when needed. They allow evildoers strike severally before they half-heartedly rise to the occasion and that’s the more reason we have killings everywhere in the country. For me, overhauling the security architecture of the country is overdue but unfortunately, the President is not in touch with the reality on ground; he is caged by the racketeers, who I call Jankolikos, in Aso Villa.

    Who are we?

    Members of the NCNDE-A and its affiliates, led by me.

    So, why didn’t you approach the party leaders?

    I did, but I was rebuffed by the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu-led Reconciliation Committee after I was told to submit all documents as mentioned by me to the politician’s aide in his Abuja home following a rally by members of my group. If I may mention this, Asiwaju, prior to the election hosted me in his Lagos home at Bourdillon. He was very happy seeing me that day and he gave me the title: No. 1 APC ex-militant leader …

    He did much better  compared to the deception of Rotimi Amaechi who tricked me into making declaration in the creek for Buhari only to renege in all his promises.

    Incidentally, and as customary of politicians in our clime, Asiwaju became inaccessible after the victory till date.

    How did that affect you?

    My group members, till date thought I’d been settled, and they became hostile but for the fact that they knew how honest I was, the group would have been in extinction today.

    What’s your next line of action?

    For 2019 election, I am still in discussion with powerful forces, which have all it takes to defeat President Buhari. I’m in talks with those forces, which have the capacity to fulfil promises to the nation and individuals.  My coalition is discussing with those who can overrun APC candidate at the poll. We need a more visionary and energetic leader, who can redeem Nigerians from poverty and despondency.

    President Buhari has tried his best; he has fought corruption in the media, let someone else come fight hunger and starvation.

    What do you have to tell Nigerians?

    Stay out of trouble; pursue your dreams diligently and participate more in deciding who your leaders should be. Be patriotic, show solidarity to the Nigerian state. Most importantly, get your PVC and vote out this regime of hunger and starvation.

     

  • How PIND is changing capacity building in Niger Delta

    Diyen Friday’s life changed six years ago when he met the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND). After undergoing two-week training held at the PIND’s Economic Development Centre in Egbokodo, Warri, Delta State he acquired skills as an Aquaculture Service Provider (ASP) — a vocation he initially knew nothing about.

    By teaching fish farmers in the region on best practices and latest techniques, his earnings have soared, he is able to buy more properties, and he has become better positioned to train his children and feed his extended family.

    “My co-farmers were now seeking my advice because of the techniques and some other things we put in place that was not normal with what we were practising before. I became a kind of assistant. I discovered that when I bring a solution to a problem, somebody will start paying me N2, 000, N3, 000. That was how I discovered I can make money from it, as well as through many other workshops.”

    “Many times, PIND will organize workshops and these fish feed companies will come,” Friday recalls. “From there, we knew ourselves and started relating. That is where the relationship started from. They will give feed to us, we demonstrate and they give us about 50% of whatever we do’’.

    The unique and sustainable approach of PIND has not only led to wealth creation in the Niger Delta through introducing people like Friday to new means of generating income, it has also assisted farmers and small businesses to scale up their business through knowledge sharing, various levels of collaboration and access to markets.

    Esonde Bakare, a mother of three, is the owner of IceQueen Food and Beverages, a major toilet tissue distributing company in Warri, Delta State. This, however, became her story only after her encounter with PIND. Bakare was a small-time retailer with her shop “at the back of the market” before she was referred to Ayodele Bamidele, a PIND-trained business service provider (BSP).

    Through Bamidele’s guidance, she standardised her record-keeping and account book-keeping methods. This ensured not only that she blocked leakages but also made her eligible for a N16 million grant that turned things around for her business. She got a perfect office location, Toyota Hiace distribution van, an accounting software as well as life and vehicle insurance.

    “This new place can take three trucks of 4,000 bundles of tissue conveniently and that is the capacity we wanted to be at with the injection of these funds. They call my place the beautiful tissue house,” Bakare says. Now she hopes to give back to society by empowering young people and taking them permanently off the streets.

    There are numerous other success stories spread across the nine states of Niger Delta with credit going to human capacity and peace-building models pioneered by PIND — from Veronica Njoku alongside her peers who are able to upgrade from subsistence to commercial farming to the restoration of peace to Delta’s Igbidi and Okpolo-Enweh communities after a bloody, fifty-year-old boundary dispute.

    Having struck gold with its newfound innovative methods, PIND decided to share them with other stakeholders at the just-concluded 24th Nigerian Economic Summit held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja. The session had in attendance key players from government, private sector, and civil society. It is indeed a two-hour period of brainstorming and eye-opening revelations.

    While giving an insight on how the model works, Dr Dara Akala, the organisation’s Executive Director, explains that it essentially involves three processes: understanding the issues through a pre-intervention assessment, finding partners with similar interests to work with, especially in the private sector, and empowering people with relevant knowledge and skills, ensuring to guide them in the post-training period.

    “It is evidence-driven, not a one-off process that requires time. It is systemic rather than piecemeal and is a bouquet of mutually supporting interventions,” he clarifies.

    “Our unique approach ensures that economic gains occur in a systemic and an inclusive manner, which advances the population, especially youth and women and prevent a workforce and civil society that continues to experience joblessness and fails to advance aims targeted at strengthening institutions and tackling poverty.”

    During the event’s panel discussion, Bose Eitokpah, PIND’s Capacity Building Program Manager, informs the audience that the Foundation’s model, which is either called the Market Systems Approach or M4P (Making Market Work for the Poor), is better than other direct, short-term models because it is sustainable and efficient.

    “Our capacity building objective is to increase the capacity of communities, civil society organisations and institutions in order to achieve socio-economic growth and community prosperity,” she explains.

    “We develop modules that are mutually reinforcing for example of financial management, proposal development, ICT and social media, and so on. We monitored our progress, held trainings and helped organisations with resource mobilisation.

    ”In addition to this, we realised we needed coaches and mentors to help them apply some of the acquired skills effectively. We realised also that we needed to provide some grants and equipment support so that we may all achieve our objectives. So, as I said, it is total package.”

    Furthermore, one of the panellists, Mr. Emeka Ile, who is the Project Manager of the Youth Empowerment pathways Project for The Niger Delta (NDYEP), alluded that youth unemployment can be curbed through holistic measures to PIND’s innovative approach on systemic human capacity development and wealth creation, citing agriculture, construction and ICT as some of the ways in bringing about job creation and sustainable development to the Niger Delta.

    Also on the panel was James Elekwachi, PIND’s Market Development Projects Manager. According to him, the Foundation’s model involves identifying and working with sectors that have growth potentials and are highly scalable. Partners are considered, he says, based on level of willingness, commercial interest and then skills, which is measured using organisational capacity assessment.

    Responding to a question from the audience, Elekwachi provides sector by sector figures to underscore the effectiveness of the Foundation’s unique approach.

    “In aquaculture for example, the market is about 4 million metric tonnes,” he notes. “When we started our intervention to improve the efficiency of agricultural production, we found that average profit was about five percent. When we completed the demonstration with them, average profit moved to about 22 percent.”

    Also according to him, PIND’s method has ensured an increase in the average yield of cassava production from 10 tonnes per hectare to 25 tonnes per hectare; and in oil palm production average yield equally rose from four tonnes to between eight and 12 tonnes.

    In his contribution to the conversation, Tunji Idowu, Deputy Executive Director at PIND, says many stakeholders stick to old models sometimes because of a sheer unwillingness to change, scepticism, or due to the lack of technical know-how.

    “In the development world, there are various approaches that people use,” he observes. “Perhaps more popular would be the direct interventionist approach. More folks are using that. They may get you seemingly quicker results, but they are not sustainable in the long term, especially once the interventionist exits.”

    He adds: “Our own approach is still relatively new in the development space but more and more people are adopting it because, though it takes time, the results are more sustainable. For us as a Foundation, we have to continue creating awareness about this approach and make sure we can recommend it to other players.”

    Towards the end of his closing statement, the Deputy Executive Director remarks that PIND’s approach is not only guaranteed to work in the Niger Delta region but can be applied effectively elsewhere. “It is a journey,” he continues. “It is a process. It takes time. We know we are making progress but we also admit that there is a lot still to be done.”

    As various groups represented at the session, including Amnesty International and the National Budget Office, commit to study PIND’s unique model and partner with the Foundation to replicate it in their activities, it is clear that Nigeria has just taken a great leap in the direction of peace-building, human development and economic prosperity. Lessons from the Niger Delta can finally lay a solid foundation for improved standards of living in all of the country’s regions.

     

  • Initiative to end militancy in Niger Delta

    The Rivers State Commissioner for Education, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja, does not want militancy to continue in the oil Niger Delta. Speaking at the Port Harcourt office of Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) during its Book Reading/Open Day, with the theme: “Hidden In The Books,” Gogo-Jaja proferred solutions to the menace.

    The book reading was for Senior Secondary students in Rivers state, with ten students from 15 schools, consisting of ten public and five private schools selected, with the aim of embracing a reading culture by students, while many resource persons also presented papers on the colourful occasion.

    Gogo-Jaja, a former Majority Leader of Rivers House of Assembly, who hails from Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area of Rivers state, the hometown of the famous King Jaja, in his goodwill message, stated that it was very important for the youths to always read good and high quality books of different genre, saying knowledge is power and stressed that while he was growing up, television sets were very few, unlike nowadays with television sets, mobile phones and social media distracting the students, who mostly read to pass examinations, thereby engaging in examination malpractices.

    He said: “Many workers now read for promotion. You will see somebody with First Class degree, which he/she will not be able to defend, leading to loss of confidence. A lot of things are hidden in the books. The man who opens the gate of a school, closes the gate of the prison. Reading is one of the tools to address militancy in the Niger Delta. Persons who are well educated and still spare time to read will not want to waste their time and life in militancy.

    “All the things you need to be great are hidden in your books. When you close your books, you age early. You should be reading books until the day you will die at old age. You cannot learn how to read when you are old. You must start now. You must read every day. Form the habit of reading a chapter of a book every day, which will boost your confidence, give you courage and ensure positive thinking. Reading involves problem solving and it will prepare you for the challenges ahead. To be future leaders, you must be committed to your studies.”

    Rivers commissioner for education also urged the oil giant (Total) to ensure regular overseas scholarship awards to deserving and brilliant, but indigent students and to provide employment opportunities for the beneficiaries, upon their return to Nigeria from the overseas studies, declaring that there is no short cut to success and greatness, while adding that there would be no greatness outside Jesus Christ.

    The mother of the day, Mrs. Modupe Bandele, who is the wife of Total’s Executive Director, Port Harcourt District, Mr. Victor Bandele, in her remarks, before reading chapter 20 of the 89-page story book, titled: “The Last Days at Forcados High School,” by A.H. Mohammed, published by Cassava Republic Press (2013) in Abuja, stated that reading must be beyond the classrooms.

    She cautioned parents and guardians to stop doing home-works for their children and wards, but to simply be guiding them, stressing that life is not just about passing examinations.

    Mrs. Bandele gave some of the advantages of reading as mental stimulation, stress reduction, acquisition of knowledge, vocabulary expansion, memory improvement, enhancing focus and concentration, while pointing out that reading would help the readers to stay out of trouble and have a more organised lifestyle, thereby aiming for the top.

    The role model for the day, 52-year-old Mrs. Ifeoma Ifejika, an author, who survived sickle cell disorder through reading, which she said opened her eyes to disregard negative things, thereby giving her a positive attitude and a grateful heart to face the world of sickle cell disorder, stated in her pep talk that she never referred to herself as a sickler.

    Ifejika said: “Reading helps you to be the best you, you were created to be. All of us are uniquely endowed to be the best we can be. Reading helps you to search deep down. If you do not read, you will become an educated illiterate. Always visit bookshops, for your libraries to be full. That is the way to live.

    “Despite the pains of the crisis of sickle cell disorder, I survived through reading. Reading will equip you to face trials. Through self-development by reading, you can overcome vices like drug addiction and cultism. Reading improves your integrity and character. Reading opens the door of friendship. There are discoveries you can make in books.”

    The role model also admonished the youths, especially students, to be prayerful, humble, grateful and hardworking, in order to excel and go far in life.

    One of the benefiting students, Master Woyengileomogha Daabo-Offurugbo, a Senior Secondary 3 student of Community Secondary School, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, described the book reading as educative, timely and inspiring, stressing that it would go a long way to motivate him to always read books.

    Another student, Miss Eziomume Rosary Chukwuneke, of Bishop Okoye Spiritan Secondary School, Miriwanyi-Oyigbo, Rivers State, said: “The programme is very enlightening. I have learnt a lot. I am grateful to Total Oil Company for giving us the opportunity.”

    The Deputy Managing Director, Port Harcourt District of Total, Mr. Francois Le-Cocq, in his welcome address, disclosed that the book reading was part of the company’s commitment to youth service education and inclusion, in order to encourage the development of the youths, to enable them to grow into responsible citizens of Nigeria.

    Le-Cocq said: “All the things that can make you successful in life are hidden inside of books and you can find them through the habit of reading and use them to guide yourselves through life. To read and study are the most important things for you today, as they will lay the foundation of your future.

    “Just as breathing air sustains life, effective reading habits sustain and enhance the intellectual capacity of the human being. It will ensure the creation of a well-rounded, intelligent, knowledgeable and confident human being.

    “There is never too much information and the more information you have the better prepared you will be, to face life. I cannot imagine how you can grow into a person of importance, without reading books about what and who you wish to become.”

    The deputy managing director also told the benefiting students that they could become whatsoever they wished to become in life, only by developing and practising the habit of disciplined and constant reading.

    Since reading is the oxygen required to grow and become both relevant and respected in the society, as reading will increase the readers’ knowledge, give them confidence, improve both their written and spoken language (s), widen their perspective in life and give them a good edge to succeed in life, reading must then be taken more seriously, especially by the students.

  • As govt awaits approval, disappointments trail Cross River superhighway

    It a time, it brought hope and excitement, but today it seems to serve as a reminder of destruction and loss for some communities in Cross River State.

    The superhighway project proposed by the Ben Ayade administration, was supposed to be an almost 300km road that will link up the entire state, running from Bakassi to Obudu.

    For the Clan Head of Nsan Community in Akamkpa Local Government Area, Ntufam Saviour Ndifon Edem, their joy knew no bounds when they heard such a project was going to pass through their own backyard. Such was their joy that they did not even mind if some of their farmland had to be sacrificed for the realisation of such a project that would bring plenty of benefits to their community.

    The Nsan people, who now doubt the sincerity of the government over the project, lamented that after the destruction of their farms and crops, they were just left hanging with no more talk of the project going on or compensation for what they had lost.

    Ndifon, who spoke through a village council member, Ernest Ndifon, said: “Since the flag off the superhighway in 2015 by the President Muhammadu Buhari, along with our governor, Prof Ben Ayade, the bulldozers came in and bulldozed all our crops, both economic crops and till date, we have not heard anything from them again. The caterpillars they used to bulldozed, they came and picked them up and nobody hears about the superhighway any longer. All the crops have been destroyed. Like myself, part of my farm was gone, a palm plot of over five hectares of farm. And they came back again for another extension, which they shifted and said they were coming to extend and bulldozed again. As I speak with you people are still shedding tears because of the destruction of crops and nothing has come forth. We have been hearing on the radio that superhighway would come in and look election is fast approaching and there is nothing. So we don’t know our fate about the superhighway.

    “They did not come with any agreement, rather we started asking whether as they are bulldozing, if they would pay for the crops being damaged? They told us that they would see about the damaged crops and economic trees. And we were thinking that after the bulldozing they would still come back and tell us how they would pay for the damaged crops. But till now as I speak with you, nothing has been done.

    “But it is a very good dream if it came to pass really. For the good dream, we were even prepared to allow the farm goes. Everyone believed that more benefits would come from the superhighway. That was our mind about the project, but as I speak to you now, people are still shedding tears till today.

    “We have people in the institutions that used to get their fees from the farms, now they are at home, because they are unable to pay fees again. Even normal feeding is a problem. About 95 per cent of our people have been affected by this problem.”

    A youth from the Nsan Community, Mr Valentine Ofoebi, also complained: “The government has done very bad. They have destroyed our crops and kept the community in hunger because the crops that were there, our late fathers were using them to train us, but since this has happened, it has really affected all of us. Like my father died because of the shock of destruction of all our farms. In other places, when things like this happen, the government takes statistics of each person, whatever you have, they evaluate it and at the tail end, the government would pay compensation, but this government did not do that, so let them look into it.

    “Last year a team of people came here and said we should write names of people what own the land, but up till now, we have not heard anything from anybody. That has been done but we have not heard anything from them.

    “We cannot farm on the land they have bulldozed again. They have removed the topsoil and the land is barren. So government should look into it and come and pay us our compensation. That is what we are after.”

    Also the Village Head of Okokori, another community the project was expected to traverse, Chief James Ayimobi, said since three years ago, when statistics of people to be affected was taken, no one had come back to tell them anything.

    Ayimobi, who also spoke through a member of his palace, Ogar Francis Imoh, said: “They came to take the statistics of people that would be affected by the highway and since then we have not heard from them again. They said they we would hear from them after a one-week interval, but since then, we have not seen then.”

    According to Ayimobi, from the start, they were not comfortable with the idea of entering their forests and farms to begin bulldozing for the project. He said what was more important to them was a proper assess road into the community which they lacked.

    “Then we told them that if they must come, let him start from the corridor to give us access and since then we have not seen anything and since then, we are still on it. You have seen the corridor yourself while coming in. it is in poor state. Instead of the superhighway, let us have our corridor maintained first,” he said.

    The woman leader of Okokori, Mrs. Emilia Joseph, said: “We want our lands return to us. The Federal Ministry of Environment has directed the state government to do the right thing but we are yet to see any action from the state level and we are inpatient because that is our heritage, our pride as forest owners. We want our forest back.”

    Also sharing his feeling over the project, Mr Cosmas Ogar, from New Ekuri, Akamkpa, also a community affected by the projects said they had protected their forests for ages and it was with surprise that they saw bulldozers tearing down their trees three years ago.

    According to Ogar, it seemed the intention was just to log timber from the forest, which the people had so carefully preserved over the years.

    Ogar said: “It was on a very good day that we saw a bulldozer on our roads, a road that we in the community did through our own efforts, it was not a government assisted road. So we saw a bulldozer and by our investigation, we were made to understand that they were coming for superhighway, so we told them to go back and tell whosoever sent them that except and MOU is being laid on the ground, before the activity of the superhighway can be done. Since that day three years ago, in fact they had been a battle between the Ekuri people and the government. Ekuri community has been a conservative community in Cross River State and in Nigeria and the world. We are known. We are strictly on conservation and sustainable management. We were surprised why the government of the day wanted to break through our forests, the only forest sustaining the world, in the name of superhighway. So we had rejected it.

    “We noticed that in some areas, like our brother community of Nsan in Akamkpa, were part of the bulldozing. After a while we discovered that all the timbers that were bulldozed were carted away. It was from there, we knew their interest was logging not just to do the superhighway.

    A community leader in Etara community of Etung local government area, which was also bulldozed three years ago because of the project, Prince Simon Ifere, said: “From the time the whole clearing was done up till now, the area which was cleared has become bush again. The irony in the whole exercise so far was when it was immediately cleared we saw some foreign persons coming into exploiting our timber with nothing as compensation to the community. There was destruction farms, economic trees, the forest, the eco system was tampered with. In fact, the situation was too ugly. The whole system is so ugly.  In fact you cannot deceive people in the name of development and in the end the reverse is the case. The entire area with economic trees has been destroyed.

    “We cannot quantify the timber brought down from initial clearing and we cannot stop the exploitation because the forest has been opened up.

    “We don’t have a representative to talk for us in government. We are by the way side and we don’t know what to do. Our road is very bad. During the rainy season the only way is on bikes, and even the bike will sink to engine level, government should come in and do the roads to enable us carry out our goods and farm produces.”

    For Ayade, the blame should be taken by the Federal Government, which he urged last week to fast track the commencement of work on the project.

    Ayade, who received the Chairman and members of the Bakassi Deep Seaport Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee in company of the project Transaction Financial Advisor, begged the Federal Government “to please give us the necessary approvals to fast track the execution of these dream projects that will not only enhance our economic status but also attract foreign earnings for the country because as a matter of fact, what we face today was orchestrated by them, occasioned by the ceding of Bakassi to Cameroun and they must support us to fine our bearing,  given our comparative advantage as a coastal state.

    “I plead with you to rescue the state from these economic woes by taking the assignment as a service to humanity and God.  Please use your expertise to do the needful for the actualization of the projects. It was clear to me that as a maritime state, the only way forward was to create a sustainable economy, knowing the international trading history that Nigeria is the eleventh trading partner with China and as estimated by 2025 to 2030 Nigeria will be the top three trading partner with China. The implication is that, imports into the country will go up as Nigeria industrialises. Obviously, this country cannot afford to operate only one maritime gateway, which is Lagos. As we continue our desperate search for an alternative to Bakassi and subsequent loss oil wells, we came to this crystallized position that with the deep seaport and 275 kilometers superhighway as an evacuation corridor to northern part of Nigeria, we would have an anchor solution.”

    For now, the people have lost their land and there is no superhighway to show for it.