The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Ayade learns rice farming in Taiwan, Thailand farms

    Ayade learns rice farming in Taiwan, Thailand farms

    In keeping with his administration’s commitment to make the state a net exporter of rice, Cross River State governor, Professor Ben Ayade recently spent about a week in Taiwan and Thailand acquring basic knowledge in the application of technology to grow rice.

    One of the farms visited by the governor in Taiwan included the Chi-Ton Rice Nursery Centre located in Hueilei Village, Huwei Township, Yulin County, Taiwan.

    Another farm that played host to the governor is the Zhao Shun Agricultural Machinery Limited.

    It would be recalled that following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the state government and Thai- African Corporation Limited,  construction work has since commenced at the Calabar Rice City project.

    Apart from the rice city, the Ayade-administration has begun the implementation of various rice schemes that will see to the cultivation of about 7000 hectres of rice.

    The schemes involves at least one hundred thousand farmers.

    Major off-takers and processors are already on the ground.

    The goverment is also on the verge of establishing a mega rice mill in Bansara, Ogoja Local Government Area.

    When completed, the Calabar Rice City, said to be the first in Africa, is expected to serve as a training institute, as well as a nursury for rice seedlings.

    Speaking on how the technology works, Ayade said: “It will focus on innovative tool through the growing of specialised seedlings  which will undergo some form of research and development.”

    The governor further disclosed that “with the improved technology which comes by way of almost full automation, it will help produce seedlings that is already germinated in 18 days, matured, properly prepared and ready for application directly to the farm.”

    Ayade hinted that three core investors will be procuring from the Rice City in Calabar, taking the specie to Bansara in the Northern Senatorial District, Abi and Obubra in the central and Odukpani in the south.

    He said a processing mill will be established in Bansara, Ogoja Local Government Area where rice will processed for export.

    Acknowledging that the project located close to the airport and the proposed deep seaport remains special, the governor added: “You have more effective use, less manual application and it is an avenue to avoid the old ways where farmers farm in vain while middle men take all the profit.”

    Worried by the huge amount spent on importation of rice into the country, Ayade said “with the technology and innovation that is coming and with the rapid production of seedlings that we are doing, we are definitely going to take up more than 50 percent of the market share of rice in the sub region.”

    On possible employment opportunities, Ayade explained that when the project, designed as a luxury with African-like architecture, motel to accommodate students on research and training on genetics of rice, while advancing knowledge on agronomy, finally takes off, it will provide between 2000 3000 jobs.

     

  • Students, workers kick against Dickson’s disposition to state varsity

    The only Bayelsa State-owned university, the Niger Delta University (NDU), is in dire straits. The institution located at the Wilberforce Island Amasoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, has been shut down since April, 2016 following the inability of the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to manage his financial obligations to the school.

    All categories of workers in the university are on strike. Dickson has been unable to pay them their salaries for about seven months. The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT),  the Non Academic Staff of Universities (NASU), have all downed tools.

    But at the receiving ends of this industrial dispute are the students whose academic activities and future aspirations have been suspended indefinitely. The devastated students were driven out of school. Many of them roam the streets while others engage in menial jobs for survival.

    The students of NDU have however, reacted to the statement credited to Dickson that the institution should seek ways of funding itself. The governor recently in a meeting told the Governing Council of the school to stop depending on the state government for its funding.

    After the meeting, a statement sent through the office of Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the governor insisted that his administration would no longer sustain the existing funding system because of the present poor financial situation of the state.

    The governor said a situation where the state government’s monthly subvention of about N480million was spent on recurrent expenditure was unsustainable. He expressed concern over the bogus wage bill of the university and the need for its  leadership to be prudent in the use of funds.

    But investigations by the Niger Delta Report indicated that the students are angry with the governor accusing him of trying to privatize the only university in the state.

    Jeremiah is a student of Biological Science Department. Following the strike, he turned to vending newspapers on the streets of Yenagoa for survival. “Since there is no job for us (students), I have to go to the streets. I am now a vendor. I hawk newspapers for ends to meet’’, he said.

    He also said it was wrong for the governor to relinquish the financial commitments of the state government to NDU. He said sending the management of the university to revenue-generating spree would make the school unaffordable and inaccessible to Bayelsans. He said such attempt would place heavy financial burdens on the students, many of whom came from poor backgrounds.

    “It is a state university. That alone means that it needs to be taken care of by its owner. It is not a private school, neither is it a federal school. Hence, by law the state should fund it.

    “NDU can generate 20% of its required resource. It can actually get funds from hostel fees. The school workshop that can also produce furniture for sales and the school football team can go out for competitions, but it would not be enough to sustain the needs of the school’’, he said.

    He further said that NDU would be extinct if the government stuck to its gun that it must fund itself. “Bayelsa is a developing state. We know the governor wants to make NDU self-sufficient but his approach is drastic and irrational.

    “We cannot start building a house from the roof. He has to share his vision, ideas, and strategies to the workers, then they can work with him”.

    To Angilia, a student of the Department of English and Literary studies, asking the school to fund itself in a state where the government has no strong Internally-Generated Revenue (IGR) base was an indirect way of keeping the school permanently closed.

    She said: “The Strike has delayed our academic calendar. By now we should have gone far. Now we sit at home with no hope of going back to school. I have therefore resorted to menial jobs. I do house-keeping for a staff’s quarter of one engineering firm.

    “it is not a good time to ask a university like NDU to fund itself considering the present economic crisis. While we were still in school, some students could not meet up with their financial demands. This new IGR drive will definitely lead to increase in fees that will consequently lead to dropouts. We appeal to the Bayelsa Governor to put himself in the shoes of the workers and students and work a way out”.

    Another student of the Department of Political Science, Gesi, said it was impossible for NDU to fund itself. He said the school required time to grow and develop to the level of catering for its financial needs.

    Gesi, who said he resorted to performing in shows for survival, added that any attempt to shift the financial burden to the school management would have adverse effects on the students, their parents and the state’s education.

    He wondered why the governor was talking about financial autonomy at a period he declared emergency in education.

    “NDU would need more time to fund itself. This new IGR drive will be a weapon to ruin the purse of parents and the destruction of the academic pursuit of the student. Fees will be increased and eventually faculties that cannot meet up financially will be scrapped.

    ‘’Within this short period, I have heard of robbery cases and also a murder case that involved the students of NDU. I therefore appeal to both parties, the school authorities and the government, to reconsider their stand”, he said.

    While Eto, a student of the Department of Computer Science asked the governor to jettison his plan, Emmanuel of the Department of History and Philosophy said: “The strike has not been anything close to positive as it has awarded me an automatic extra year in the institution.

    “We Niger Delta University will need time to generate enough funds. We appeal to the governor to do his duty by paying the workers of NDU to enable us return to school”.

    Furthermore, workers in NDU said it was hypocritical and illusory for the governor to have asked the university to fund itself when Bayelsa as a state could not generate internal revenue to sustain itself.

    The workers vowed to keep the university shut until the state Governor, Dickson, pays them four out of the about seven-month salaries he owes them.

    The aggrieved employees under the auspices of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT),  and the Non Academic Staff of Universities (NASU), took the decision in a meeting they held recently in Yenagoa.

    The angry workers also warned the government against any plan to sack any of them insisting that they would only return to work after the full payment of their four-month salaries. The chairmen of SSANU, Mr. Fakidouma Wilcox; NAAT, Mr. Dienagha Ekepet, and NASU, Mr. Kenneth Akpafegha of NASU, attended the meeting.

    The unions said: “We frown at the state governor’s decision to pay academic staff and technical workers of the university while vowing not to pay the senior and junior staff until the workforce is downsized.

    “Going by the National University Commission (NUC) employment ratio of 4:1 in the university, NDU is understaffed. Therefore, the governor should not think of downsizing as his action will be met with a brick wall.

    “We will not suspend the sit-at-home order until at least four months salaries are paid in full to our members and we will withdraw our members on essential duties after one week if the government does not comply.

    “We wonder why a government who has been boasting of declaring a state of emergency in the educational sector should allow the death of the only state university in the state which has so far turned out over 14,882 graduates since its inception thereby changing the educational fortunes of the state as an educationally-disadvantaged state.”

    But the governor said he had released funds for the payment of the workers’ January salaries and called on them to suspend their strike. Dickson who spoke through his Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Obuebite, said the government was commuted to the welfare and the development of NDU.

    He said: “The Bayelsa State Government has met its agreement of releasing 100% of the January salary to ASUU, NASU and graduate assistants as requested by the unions. So, as we speak, that payment has been made.

    “We are all aware that NDU is our pet project, as it is the only state-owned university. So, this government is committed to the welfare of the academic and non-academic staff, as well as the students community of NDU. We want our students to return to school and pursue their academics.”

  • Community seeks harmony after clash

    There were gunshots. A house was burnt down. Other structures were damaged, roofing sheets knocked down, windows smashed. There were even claims that a few people were shot, though none died.

    But in ones and twos, residents who fled in the heat of the clash have started coming back home, as some calm returned to Inyi, a riverside community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, after two of its four quarters, Obecha and Umuinyagbo, fell out bitterly at a sanitation exercise. The community leaders have been meeting to foster peace and harmony between the feuding quarters. All the destruction took place in Obecha.

    It was a needless clash, veteran journalist and community leader Mr. Mike Nwabueze told The Nation on the telephone.

    “Can you imagine that the violence started over a mere guava tree,” Nwabueze, of Umuinyagbo quarter, said.

    In the course of a sanitation exercise by the community’s youths, one of them from Umuinyagbo threatened to cut down a guava tree on the Obecha side of the border. An Obecha youth dared him to fell the tree. He did, and was hit by the Obecha youth. A fight ensued. An assault rifle went off somewhere in Obecha, The Nation was told.

    The Okpala-Ukwu, who holds the revered office of the oldest man in the four-quarter community, weighed in. He summoned the feuding quarters, blamed and fined Umuinyagbo for cutting down the guava tree. Umuinyagbo youths were said to have felt that the Okpala-Ukwu did not quite do justice to the matter, and that he glossed over an alleged belligerent attitude of Obecha people, including the initial gunshot, which Umuinyagbo youths interpreted as an intention of war.

    What happened next was horror never seen in the community, which is united in every imaginable way and separated only by the names of its four quarters: Obecha, Umuinyagbo, Isiolu and Umuagwuyam.

    Most residents fled their homes, some as far as Asaba, the state capital, and Benin City, the Edo State capital. Some ran to Kwale, headquarters of Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state, or just about anywhere they could find peace.

    The violence has subsided, thanks to the efforts of the community leaders who notified the local council leadership. Acting chairman of the council Hon Dickson Okonta led a delegation to Inyi to calm tensions. The Inyi Improvement Union, an umbrella body of the community, has also been meeting, mostly at Ashaka near Kwale, and sending peace delegations home.

    These efforts are paying off. Some who fled their homes have started returning, including some of Nwabueze’s relatives.

    Dr. Anene Nwafili, of Obecha extraction, who teaches at University of Port Harcourt, was stunned at the level of destruction in a community united by marriage, culture and tradition. His family lost a house to the clash.

    Nwabueze pointed out the foolishness in the violence, saying there is hardly any family in any of the quarters that is not tied through marriage to the next quarter. The Nwafilis, for instance, married two women from Umuinyagbo.

    The veteran journalist also told The Nation that the community leadership will concern itself to mopping up illicit weapons in the hands of Inyi residents.

  • Who owns the oil? (2)

    The oil debate can also not be divorced from the complaints by Urhobo and Isoko leaders against what they see as the one-sided negotiation on how to solve the economic sabotage by the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). These leaders believe government should treat the Avengers, which many believe are Ijaw, and others damaging the economy as criminals and not negotiate with them.

    One-time Secretary-General of the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Chief Frank Kokori said he expected those involved in the destruction of the nation’s assets to be treated as criminals.

    The Urhobo and Isoko, speaking through the chairman of OML 30 Community Development Board (CBD), Morris Idiovwa, warned the Federal Government against dialoguing with those destroying oil and gas assets. They believe doing so can degenerate into a fresh round of ethnic wars in the region.

    Sensing marginalisation, some militants who are of Urhobo stock have threatened to also destroy critical oil and gas assets if that will get them the Federal Government’s attention. The Urhobo said they are the largest ethnic group and have more critical facilities in their domains  than the Ijaw, who  they feel have blackmailed  the government to talk to them by destroying some assets.

    Idiovwa said:”What we have been seeing in Delta State is terrifying; especially in the way a single ethnic nationality is taking over the identity of the entire Niger Delta.  What is happening is outright criminality and we, as the largest ethnic group in Delta State, are not in support of this.

    “We have never been criminals and we don’t want to be criminals. We believe the best way to approach issues is dialogue. But with what we are seeing now, the intelligence we are gathering and what is in the media, a set of people decided to take up arms and disrupt the existing peace in the Niger Delta region because of their selfish interest.

    “The Federal Government has already started inciting an ethnic crisis in Delta state because as we speak now, we have been receiving series of mails, SMS and calls from different regions and groups in Urhobo and Isoko.

    “My office is responsible for ensuring safety of life and property here and if the people are aware that the same advantage they have, in terms of assets and production, is what some people in another part are using to get the federal government to come to negotiate with them, because those people have taken to arms struggle and are destroying the assets in their areas, what would you expect from those who have been law abiding, calm and watched over the facilities in their domain?

    “So you want to disregard them because they have not taken up arms. This is one move we will resist. Government should tread carefully. We are not in support of any criminality by any set of people. We have not mandated Egbesu to negotiate for us, we have not mandated the Avengers, MEND, JNDLF or IYC to negotiate for us. We have not mandated any group to negotiate for the Urhobo or Isoko.

    “We are standing on our own and we are telling the Federal Government that whatever is done for any group should be replicated across the entire Niger Delta states or host communities that are producing, otherwise the outcome will be disastrous.”

    Another interesting part of the oil debate is known as resource control. The last National Conference put in place by Jonathan showed how serious and how difficult it is to resolve the questions around oil ownership.

    The Devolution of Power Committee of the National Conference agreed to retain the 13 per cent derivation fund for the oil producing states. Resource control exponent and ex-Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Victor Attah spoke of how deliberations on derivation went.

    His words: “Some came to this Committee that dichotomy must be introduced; some insisted that payment on derivation must be reduced, while some want the states to own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the government.

    “We went through all positions and it was unanimously agreed that the last position was not achievable because it is a constitutional issue and amendment must be made before that can be achieved because as it is now all minerals belong to the Federal Government.

    “Given that understanding, those people agitating for that dropped their position and opted for 50 per cent as minimum payment on derivation. This obviously seems like irreconcilable positions. Maturity and patriotism of the members came to play at this point as we recognised that there were so many mineral resources left unexplored which is causing discontent.

    “We also recognised that the 13 per cent given to community with the resource is not enough and some still want government to reduce it because it was felt that with the 13 per cent, the people are still impoverished because it was not judiciously applied.

    “More than anything, we felt that we must try and maintain the equilibrium that we have in this country today  so that there will be no loser or winners. At the end, everyone withdrew their positions and we reached a unanimous decision that a special fund must be set up to enable the country, with the participation of the states to develop the mineral deposits within their areas.”

    We all know what has happened to the report. But, let’s even assume it is implemented, it will still not solve the oil riddle. So, it is useless in this regard.

    For me, I think the debate about which ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta has more oil should be relegated. What makes sense to me is that each oil-bearing community deserves special attention. A documentary “Poison Fire,” shows that one and a half million tons of oil had been discharged into the region’s farms, forests and rivers since oil drilling began in 1956. The documentary also shows that hundreds of kilometers of rain forest have been lost to the oil spills. The spills have also led to deaths and diseases. So, it is just fear that these people who bear the brunt should also enjoy the spoils. And not just that, efforts must be put in place to ensure the brunt they bear is reduced to the barest minimum.

    I also believe oil has overshadowed everything. It has blocked our vision and made many of us unable to see beyond our noses. Even the Federal Government is so blinded and confused by oil and things are not moving as expected.

    The Federal Government, at the moment, has too much on its hands. To say the least, many of the things the central government gets enmeshed in now, such as construction of roads, water projects and so on, should be none of its business. Its focus should be more on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

    I must point out this important facts I came across about how oil revenue sharing has changed with time.

    In 1958, oil producing states were said to have retained 67.4 per cent of mining rents and royalties. The Federal Government got 20 per cent of mining rents and royalties. Non-oil producing states got 12.6 per cent.

    Twelve years later, the Gen. Yakubu Gowon administration passed Decree No. 13. Under the decree, oil producing states kept 45 per cent of mining rents and royalties. The Federal Government got 55 per cent and non-oil states got nothing.

    In1975, the late Gen Murtala Muhammed introduced Decree 6, which reduced what the oil producing states were getting to 20 per cent of mining rents and royalties. The Federal Government got the lion share of 80 per cent. Other states got nothing.

    After Mohammed’s assassination, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, who took over from him, set up the Aboyade Technical Commission. This committee ceded all oil revenue to the Federal Government, which introduced the Consolidated Revenue Fund. The responsibility of the Fund was to share the money in the central purse to all states.

    In 1979, the Shehu Shagari administration set up the Okigbo Commission to review the sharing of oil revenues. The Commission retained the Obasanjo formula with some alterations. It introduced the use of parameters, such as population, land mass and equality in the sharing of the revenue.

    The constitution, I sincerely believe, should be amended to allow states own and operate all resources within their areas and only pay taxes to the central government. That done, all states can mine their resources and make money enough to develop their land and people. It makes little sense for all natural resources to belong to the Federal Government. Changing the status quo will in the long run reduce the do-or-die attention on the centre.

    My final take: Ijaw, Urhobo, Itsekiri,  Isoko, Ibibio, Efik and Annang need not be involved in oil ownership scrabble. Cooperative élan should be embraced by all. May be a way to start is to take to heart the injunction that the land and all therein belong to God. Since God has deemed it fit to situate them on mineral-rich enclaves, they should peacefully make the best of it. They should learn from the mistakes of the past and make the present and the future fantastic.

     

  • As Operation Pulo Shied becomes Operation Delta Force

    As Operation Pulo Shied becomes Operation Delta Force

    The flag of the Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Pulo Shield (OPS), has been lowered. It was immediately replaced with that of Operation Delta Safe (ODS). The short, brisk event conducted recently by combatant military operatives marked the end of OPS and signaled the take-off of a new military outfit in the Niger Delta region.

    It was indeed the end of an era for OPS; an era characterized by controversies, achievements, death and terror. The defunct OPS carried out massive destruction of illegal refineries; impounded various sizes of vessels used for oil theft;  hunted pipeline vandals and went after kidnappers, pirates and other maritime criminals.

    The dismantled outfit also seized cache of arms, ammunition, charms and other weapons used by arrested criminals to terrorize the region. Many soldiers died and many suspects were killed in battle during the reign of OPS. The old outfit was at different times under the oversight of various commanders who were all selected within the rank of major-generals from the Nigerian Army.

    In fact, OPS had its fair share of controversies. Most of the officers and commanders were accused of enriching themselves under the guise of shielding the country’s oil (pulo). Even till the last day of its existence, the allegation could not go away. Most of the officers and outgone commanders reportedly became stupendously rich by compromising the mandate of the outfit. They had dealings and brokered deals with oil theft syndicates and corrupt politicians.

    OPS was also a metamorphosis. It replaced Operation Restore Hope (ORH) which was scrapped in 2012 following the amnesty programme that ended militancy then. So, the OPS was created to take the fight against pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering, illegal refining, kidnapping and piracy to greater heights.

    But militancy is back. The Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) is the new face of militancy in the region. Within two months, the NDA crippled the country’s oil production causing major economic disaster. Before the ongoing negotiation between Niger Delta stakeholders and the Federal Government, everyday was a tale of pipeline bombing.

    The avengers overran the creeks of Delta and Bayelsa states. In fact, the defunct OPS seemed helpless. The OPS appeared overwhelmed by multiple attacks on oil installations in the region.

    No wonder, the Defence Headquarters scrapped it. A statement signed by the acting Director, Defence Information, Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, gave reasons for the creation of the new outfit.

    The statement said: “The OPERATION PULO SHIELD in Niger Delta has been scrapped with immediate effect and replaced with OPERATION DELTA SAFE.

    “This is in line with the Defence Headquarters initiative to restructure the Joint Task Force for better service delivery, efficiency and effectiveness in line with the vision and mission of the Chief of Defence Staff to contain the current security challenges in the Niger Delta especially protection of critical national assets and provision of security in the area.

    “Under this arrangement, the Joint Operational Areas of the new outfit have been delineated into 3 sectors and 5 Operational Bases covering the entire Niger Delta, Ondo and Akwa Ibom States.  The Headquarters of OPERATION DELTA SAFE would be in Yenagoa.

    “This development, according to Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin becomes expedient in order to inject new tactics and robust operational initiative to tackle the emerging security challenges in the Niger Delta region such as piracy, bunkering, vandalism and other criminalities prevalent in the area”.

    Undoubtedly, the former take-off of ODS came with some visible changes. Its headquarters was relocated from a rented apartment in Opolo, Yenagoa, to a permanent site built by a former Commander of OPS, Maj.-Gen. Emmanuel Atewe, at Igbogene, the outskirts of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    A naval commander, Rear Admiral Joseph Okojie, took over the operations of the ODS as a pioneer commander. Prior to his new assignment, Okojie was the Flag Officer, Commanding, Naval Training Command, Apapa Lagos.

    Okojie took over from the Commander of the defunct OPS, Major-General Alani Okunlola, who was moved to the Defence Headquarters,  Abuja. So at the event, OPS flag was lowered and the ODS flag hoisted signaling the resumption of a new operation under a new outfit.

    In his remarks, Okunlola said during his stint as the OPS commander, the defunct OPS recorded a number of achievements.

    “We came, we saw, we conquered. Nigeria expects everybody to do their duties and I have done mine in the Niger Delta,” Okunlola said.

    He said the challenges in the region were numerous, mentioning the Niger Delta terrain, threat to security in the region as some of them.

    He said:  “The terrain of the region itself is a challenge. It is a very difficult challenge and of course you know all the threats to security in the environment which we have been contending with.

    “ And of course, you know logistics can never be enough but the Federal Governmment has done enough to support us and with the support we had, we were able to achieve the milestones we achieved.

    “One of the biggest achievements is that we arrested a number of vessels, big vessels that were involved in illegal bunkering, we busted some kidnap cases, we destroyed numerous illegal refining spots. We were able to an extent curtail illegal oil bunkering and illegal oil refineries.”

    He urged Nigerians to pray for the repose of the souls of soldier who died in various operations in the region. Okunlola described Okojie as a very seasoned military officer saying he was once his boss.

    He said: “Okojie is my boss because I have worked with him before. I know the stuff he is made of and I know that with somebody like him at the helm, the operation will move forward.”

    In his brief remarks, Okojie said his leadership would plug into where Okunlola stopped in order to ensure seamless operations in the Niger Delta. He said his reign would improve on the successes recorded by the OPS. He added that the military was united without rancour and commended President Muhammadu Buhari for all the ongoing positive changes in the country.

    He said: “I want to thank the Almighty God for giving us the opportunity to still have one nation united under an indefatigable President Muhammadu Buhari who is the architect of all the positive changes we are having today”.

    But residents in the region believe that for ODS to achieve its mandate, there must be total overhauling of the structure it inherited from the OPS. According to them, most of the officers who had been corrupted by oil money must be transferred and replaced with new ones.

  • Niger Delta crisis should not be settled through force, says Ochicha

    Niger Delta crisis should not be settled through force, says Ochicha

    Mr Odey Ochicha was the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Cross River State. He spoke with NICHOLAS KALU in Calabar.

    What can you say about the resurgence of militancy in the Niger Delta region?

    The situation in the Niger Delta should be resolved through dialogue not force. When a child rebels, the father does not crush or kill him. He adopts carrot and stick method because he is his Son whom he loves and cares for. He protects, counsel, guides, encourages and educates him to be a good child.  This is the method I recommend to quell the conflict in the Niger Delta area. I urge our aggrieved brothers in the Niger Delta to stop destroying our oil and gas installations in the area. These facilities belong to us all. There are necessary for our existence and continuous survival as a people and as a nation. They should not be destroyed but protected to achieve the purpose for their establishment. The greatest losers are the people of the area not anybody else.

    What is your take on the agitation by for the creation of a Republic of Biafra?

    The solution to the challenges facing our nation is not to agitate for separation but to have a balanced and fiscal federalism. The former president of the US, Thomas Jefferson championed balanced federalism in America and today, America is the leading nation in the world. Nigeria needs to do the same. All ethnic groups should have a sense of belonging and given its due recognition and respect which I simply described as the double Rs.

    Is it proper for the Federal Government to use brute force against the agitation?

    It is not proper to use force against the agitation for Biafra. Anybody can agitate for anything. But this should be done using civilized approaches as discussion, dialogue and negotiation. For me, it’s better to “jaw jaw” than “war war” as opined by the former Prime Minister of Britain, Winston Churchill.

    What is your opinion of democracy in Nigeria?

    Democracy as defined by the former president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln is government of the people by the people and for the people. It is a government in which the people determine leadership. It affords the people the opportunity to periodically choose who represents them. It offers the people choices and for power to change hands. And it is when power change hands that we witness rapid progress and accelerated development of the country. For me, democracy is growing in Nigeria.

  • Remembering 60 pupils who died in Sosoliso plane crash

    Shortly after the Sosoliso plane crash of December 10, 2005 at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa in Rivers State, where sixty students of Loyola Jesuit College (LJC), Abuja lost their lives, the parents of the “angels” pleaded with the management of LJC to replicate the college in Port Harcourt to immortalise their lovely children.

    The students who lost their lives to the ill-fated plane crash were mostly from the states in the Southsouth and Southeast zones of Nigeria.

    Besides immortalising the 60 students, the parents noted that having a replica of LJC in Port Harcourt would prevent parents and guardians from the two zones from sending their children and wards to the Abuja college for qualitative education.

    Jesuit Memorial College (JMC), Mbodo-Aluu, near the Port Harcourt International Airport was eventually established, in memory of the 60 LJC students.

    The then Rivers Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, supported JMC by providing 40-hectare land at Mbodo-Aluu and his administration also assisted the memorial college with seed money, but the land could not be developed, because of the swampy terrain, which would cost a fortune to sandfill.

    Odili’s successor, Rotimi Amaechi, now the Minister of Transportation, however, provided better 21-hectare land at the Greater Port Harcourt City, opposite the swampy land, with JMC now in the third year of operation, with various developmental challenges.

    In December 2015, during the 10th anniversary/remembrance of the 60 LJC’s deceased students, a fundraiser was organised to support JMC, but not successful, with just N2 million realised, while the college would be needing N700 million for development, which made the management to organise another fundraising on June 25 this year.

    During the December last year’s fundraiser, governors of the states in the Southsouth and Southsouth, as well as other stakeholders, made pledges to assist JMC, but yet to be redeemed.

    In order to ensure success of the second fundraiser, management of JMC organised a news conference on June 21, where representatives of the students, teachers, parents and management urged the governors and others to redeem their pledges.

    Speaking at the news conference, two of the 271 students of JMC, Kadilo Luka-Gbarayeghe and Swithin Jonathan-Egwuonwu, pleaded with the governments of states in the Southsouth and Southeast, as well as individuals and corporate organisations that made pledges during the first fundraiser to redeem them and assist to provide needed facilities.

    The news conference was addressed by the Chairman of the Fundraising Committee, Fr. John Okorie, who was accompanied by the President of JMC, Fr. Emeka Asogwa; the Principal of the college, Bro. Osaretin Jonah; two teachers and four students.

    While also addressing reporters, the chairman of the fundraising committee disclosed that when the 60 students died in the plane crash, LJC was in its 10th year of operation, without any plan to establish another college in Port Harcourt, in view of the cost implication, but for the insistence of parents of the deceased students.

    Fr. Okorie said: “Following the Sosoliso plane crash of December 10, 2005 in Port Harcourt, a collective decision was taken to honour the memories of the 60 LJC students who died in the ill-fated plane crash. The decision was the genesis of JMC, Port Harcourt.

    “Through the abiding support of LJC parents and friends, the Jesuits have sought to build JMC as a fitting memorial to the unforgettable souls, whose hopes were buried in the crash site. As such, JMC is our collective project as a nation and a people.

    “Major construction work began in 2012 and has seen the completion of a number of structures, including the administrative block, a classroom block and the primary school block.

    “A model primary school, offering free qualitative service to the residents of the area, with free lunch, is an intrinsic part of the JMC project. The college welcomed its pioneer students in October 2013, while the primary wing followed a year after.

    “Owing to fiscal constraints, work has only just begun on the phase two. Providing education for the children of this country, especially in the circumstances that gave birth to JMC, requires the collaborative effort and support of parents, spirited individuals, the government and business organisations.”

    The chairman of the fundraising committee also disclosed that JMC had an urgent need of providing student accommodation for its incoming class of September 2016, stressing that N700 million was estimated as the cost of completing the building, with a capacity to house 300 students, and other crucial projects.

    Fr. Okorie pleaded with governments, corporations, all Nigerians, friends of the country and lovers of qualitative education, not to allow JMC to suffer from lack of adequate facilities that would hamper the attainment of the vision that the Jesuits had set for the school.

    The second fundraiser of June 25 was a huge success, with millions of naira donated by individuals, families and corporate organisations, but most of the donors pleaded that their names should not be announced, for personal reasons.

    The Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), Chief Tony Elumelu, was the guest speaker and he spoke on: “Youth and Entrepreneurship,” while the Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka’s Childe Internationale was presented by JMC’s Drama Club.

    Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, who was represented by Elder Emmanuel Ibama; Senator Osita Ozinaso, with two children in JMC; and a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG), Dame Aleruchi Gookey-Gam, were among the eminent personalities at the fund The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of JMC, Fr. Jude Odiaka, stated that the co-educational institution was dedicated to the training of leaders of conscience, competence and compassionate commitment towards bringing about social justice for all men and women.

    Chairman of UBA said the students must have purpose in life, in order to make progress, stressing that they must work towards realising the purpose through hard work.

    Elumelu said: “You need to periodically check yourself, to be sure you are on course. Be resilient, knowing full well that life is not a bed of roses. Do not give up.

    “You need humility and integrity to succeed in life. Do not forget where you are coming from and do not allow your success to control you. Success is measured in terms of your purpose.”

    Wike said the Sosoliso plane crash of December 10, 2005 in Port Harcourt could not be forgotten in a hurry, describing it as a black day for the government and people of Rivers.

     

  • Who owns the oil? (1)

    There is no controversy as to where Nigeria’s oil belt lies. Niger Delta holds the ace. But that is where the clear line ends. Itsekiri, Ijaw, Urhobo, Ibibio, Efik and Annang have their own tales to tell about who owns the oil or who owns the most oil and, by extension, who contributes the more to the nation’s coffer.

    Different states, such as Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and so on, also have one story or the other to tell about who has more oil and who the golden chick that lays the golden egg is. Bayelsa, for instance, believes the Federal Government has been unfair to it in sharing the proceeds of oil. Its governor, Seriake Dickson, said this much a few weeks back while explaining to his people why he has been unable to pay salaries and allowances in some six months.

    In this rat race, the fact that diversity requires the acceptance of the other side has been long lost. As such, what we have seems to be a society built on clannish virtues. What else can we have when bad blood has pursued mutual peace into a cul-de-sac! And in a situation where ethnic firefights now openly romance self-interest, what else can it birth other than acrimony.

    In this era of unrest in the oil-rich region, the question of who owns the most oil has propped up again. Even though the Ijaw seem to be more vocal in the agitation in the region, the others are insisting that any discourse in search of peace must involve all ethnic stocks in the region. And to add salt to injury, someone from the North not long ago chose to play the Devil’s advocate by claiming the oil in the Niger Delta for his region. I wonder what formula can be used to share Mukoro’s estate and Abdullahi will get the chunk. These are indeed interesting times.

    The oil tale is a complex one. Very complex. The off-shore and on-shore dichotomy is one principle that many in the region will be glad to see dead. It cedes all crude oil on water to the Federal Government. This has ensured that a state like Cross River is not entitled to the 13 per cent derivation fund enjoyed by Bayelsa,  Rivers and others. Cross River used to enjoy it until a Supreme Court ruling ceded all its off-water oil to Akwa Ibom State.

    The oil debate did not start today. It started even before Nigeria took its first step. Whatever grievance made the late Isaac Adaka Boro declare war on Nigeria was laced with the Ijaw’s claim to the ownership of the oil. Whatever made the Urhobo change the name of the Olu of Warri to Olu of Itsekiri had a lot to do with ownership of the land and the oil therein.  Whatever ensured the EPZ in Delta never got off the ground under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan had the oil debate wrapped around its neck. Whatever led to the militarisation of the region cannot be divorced from the quest to declare who owns the oil.

    The debate can also not be divorced from the attitude of an average militant in the Niger Delta to illegal oil bunkering. As far as he is concerned, it is not possible to be accused of stealing what is yours. Like the lead character in Lancelot Imasuen’s “Invasion 1897”, who was tried in court for stealing a Benin bronze in a British Museum, an average Ijaw militant will easily declare that it is wrong to be accused of stealing what one’s forbears bequeathed to one.

    The oil debate gave rise to the 13 per cent derivation and all the interesting rings that have formed about it.

    Between 1999 and 2014, the nine oil-producing states earned N4.19 trillion as derivation. Cross River stopped earning derivation fund in July 2012 having lost its oil wells to Akwa Ibom after a Supreme Court ruling. This means only eight states have been sharing derivation fund since 2012.

    The Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) records show that from May 1999 to July 2014, the six Southsouth states got N2.511tr (about 60 per cent of the total sum).

    Rivers State got N1.03 trillion, the largest chunk of the derivation funds. It was trailed by Akwa Ibom, which earned N910b; Delta received N792.5b, Bayelsa N721.9b; Edo got N47.1b and Cross River N38.7b.

    The three oil-producing states outside the Southsouth got N280.6 billion within the period. Specifically, Ondo got N176.7b; Imo received N57b and Abia was allocated N46.9b.

    What these figures tell us is that Rivers seems to have the most oil. But it is not that simple. For the people, the on-shore/ off-shore dichotomy stole part of their oil and gave it to the Federal Government. Thus, they feel that in deciding who owns the most oil, all the oil in their states, whether on water or on ground, should be considered and that makes getting an answer to who owns the oil more difficult to answer.

    One interesting ring around the oil debate is that leaders of oil communities believe it is wrong for the derivation fund to be paid to state governments. They believe that the money belongs to the oil-bearing communities. What this means is that they do not see the oil in their land as belonging to their states. Their unambiguous position is that the oil belongs to the communities, which bear the environmental side effects and so should get the money. This means states should not claim ownership of oil but communities and ethnic nationalities.

    At a point, Leaders of the oil communities in Niger Delta, under the aegis of Oil and Gas Producing Communities of Nigeria, sent delegations to the Presidency, National Assembly, Revenue Mobilisation, Fiscal and Allocation Commission (RMFAC) and other government agencies. Their mission: campaigning for direct payment of 13 per cent derivation fund to host communities. This development did not go down well with governors. But these leaders argued that it was unconstitutional giving the money to governors, who they accused of misappropriating N7.282 trillion in 13 years. Southsouth leader Chief Edwin Clark once declared as illegal the payment of the derivation fund to state governments.

    One interesting claimant to the ownership of the oil is the Federal Government. Starting with the 1979 Constitution, it got full ownership of the Nigerian territory and the right to decide what compensation to pay for land acquisition, which must “be based on the value of the crops on the land at the time of its acquisition, not on the value of the land itself”. This aided the acquisition of land in Ogoniland and other parts of the region for the use of oil giants without consultation, and payment of negligible compensation.

    The oil debate is also behind the threat by the umbrella body of all youths of Ijaw descent, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide that unless the ownership structure of oil blocs in the region was rearranged to ensure fairness, attacks on oil platforms would continue. Its embattled president, Udengs Eradiri, told reporters at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, that the unfair distribution of oil wells was a major cause of the instability in the region.

    Eradiri said: “One of the most salient issues that if not addressed will lead to more crisis is the issue of the oil blocs. President Buhari was one time Petroleum Minister and Head of State in this country. Let us go and do an assessment of that time. The time when criminally they shared our oil blocs was under his watch either as Petroleum Minister or as Head of State. It is in one of those times.

    “Oil blocs were shared to one group. Look at it, either the person (owner of oil bloc) was a former military president or relative of the military president or an in-law to a military president.”

  • Niger Delta activist seeks true federalism, equity

    Niger Delta activist seeks true federalism, equity

    A Niger Delta activist and President of Okrika community in River State, George Olugwe, has advised the Federal Government to ensure true federalism and equity.

    He also urged the government to set aside employment quota for Niger Delta indigenes.

    According to him, this is the only solution to the lingering problem.

    He also suggested establishment of schools and skills training centres to empower the people and declared that the problem in the region is one that cannot be solved through force or counter-violence.

    On infrastructure, he said the road network in the region is very poor. He cited the East-West road that leads Port Harcourt to Lagos through the Midwest, which has been abandoned over a year ago. He also mentioned Eleme junction to Akwa Ibom State, which has become a death trap, wondering why this should be so, while the resources of the region is been used to develop other regions. He concluded that this is what has resulted in the agitations and the recent violent blowing up of oil pipelines by the Niger Delta Avengers to drive home their demands.

    .  He advocated a continuation of the amnesty programme and said the only notable activity going on in the region in recent time is the clean-up exercise in Ogoni land. Olugwu Advised the government to create entrepreneurship programmes across the area to encourage new innovation and mutual ideas through better understanding, stressing that there cannot be progress unless there of

    On government’s plan to cite the NLNG Dry Dock in Badagry and the Petroleum Institute in Kaduna because of high level vandalism in the Niger Delta, Olugwe said nobody can work in a hostile environment and advised the militants to sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue.

  • Ripples as Dickson extends services of retired HoS, Perm Sec

    Stakeholders are angry with the decision of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to extend the services of the state’s retired Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Peter Singabele and Permanent Secretary, Mr. Joseph Akedesuo.

    The governor extended Singabele’s appointment as Head of Service by six months and Akedesuo who is the Head of the state’s Protocol Service by one year. The governor’s action is breeding bad blood among the permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants. They are grumbling and accusing Dickson of violating the civil service rules.

    A statement sent through the office of Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson said the extension was in exercise of the governor’s executive powers.

    The statement quoted the Secretary to the state Government, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff as saying that the extension was informed by the numerous important ongoing service related issues being handled by Singabele.

    It said allowing the retried Singabele “to leave the service now” could be detrimental to the administration’s programme of repositioning the civil service for greater efficiency.

    The governor in the state also extended the appointment of Mr. Joseph Akedesuo as a Permanent Secretary and Head of State Protocol services for a period of one year.

    But some elders under the auspices of Bayelsa First Initiative (BFI) kicked against the action of the governor. BFI said there was no basis for Dickson to extend the appointment of Singabele.

    The Director-General, BFI, Chief Nathan Egba, accused the governor of manipulating government’s institutions and policies to advance his personal interests.

    Egba said: “This development is coming on the heels of the Bayelsa State government’s inability to pay salaries of their Civil servants, teachers, University lecturers, local government employees as well as retirees, after series of Staff Verification exercises since January of this year.”

    Egba recalled that Dickson on assuming office in 2012 sacked the HoS who was barely a year in office because she was appointed by his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    Also, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) frowned on the decision of the governor to extend the service of the retired HoS. They called on Dickson to with immediate effect appoint a new HoS to fill the exalted vacant position.

    The state NLC Chairman, Mr. Ndiomu Bipre and his TUC counterpart, Mr. Tari Dounana in a joint statement warned against the politicization of the HoS office in the state. According to them no Head of Service stays in office beyond the retirement age of 60 or 35 years whichever is applicable.

    “The continuous stay of the current Head of Service Doctor Peter Singabele beyond the retirement age of sixty years or thirty five years in service is a source of worry to workers in the state.  The Public Service Rules 02081 is very clear about retirement of public servants.

    “As a career civil servant, we expect the Head of Service to step aside or refuse any form of tenure elongation in order not to truncate promotion in the civil service,” they said.

    Furthermore, the leadership of the state’s branch of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) rejected the extension of Singabele’s and Akedesuo’s appointments.

    The Association, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Mr. Ebi Sikpi, said the contract appointments were a violation of the Public Service Rules, PSR 020810.

    Quoting the rule, he said: “No officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of sixty or thirty five years of pensionable service whichever is earlier”.

    Sikpi said there were qualified and competent permanent secretaries in the service to choose from for apportionment as HoS.

    But the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jonathan Obuebite, insisted that Singabele’s reappointment is part of the governor’s efforts to reposition the civil service for effective performance.

    Obuebite said the governor recently met with Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Heads of Departments of various ministries, departments and agencies and commended them for supporting all his reforms in the civil service.

    He said Dickson assured them that whatever the government doing was purely to properly reposition the service to function effectively, in line with best practices. According to him the permanent secretaries, directors and heads of departments were unanimous in their support for the ongoing reforms in the service.

    He said they declared their total support for the six-month extension of the tenure of Singabele and expressed confidence in the ability of Singabele to ensure the proper implementation of the new reforms.