The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • Eni trains indigenous companies on benefits of local content law

    Eni trains indigenous companies on benefits of local content law

    Eni Group, a conglomerate made up of Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC), Nigeria Agip Energy (NAE) and Agip Energy and Natural Resources (AENR), has trained employees of about 370 indigenous companies in Port Harcourt on local content.

    It was during the Nigerian Content Week. They were tutored on how to reap from the content law in order to stay strong and efficient in business.

    Speaking to declare open the three-pronged capacity building programme, the Vice Chairman/Managing Director of Eni Group, Mr Massimo Insulla, explained that the training of indigenous contractors started in 2011. He added that it was aimed at helping “small and medium level vendors especially community contractors to grow entrepreneurial capacity to manage their own business more efficiently for the purposes of sustainability and profitability.”

    The Chairman, House Committee on Local Content, Hon. Emmanuel Ekon, said federal lawmakers would do everything to ensure that the local contractors succeed.

    Ekon also promised that his committee would amend some aspects of the NOGICD Act to enhance the operations of the indigenous companies.

    Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mr Denzil Kentebe, stressed the importance of the training, which, he said, is in line with what his organisation is doing.

    Kentebe expressed hope that the training would “help to create sustainable businesses and productive job opportunities for Nigerians”. He challenged the operators in the industry to “showcase breakthroughs in technology, research and development, execution of bigger and more complex work done by local vendors as the gains of these initiatives.”

    A representative of International Finance Corporation, Mrs Kate Iketubosin, enlightened the local contractors on how to structure their companies to enable them access funds as well as how to run businesses that would outlive them.

    The General Manager, Nigerian Content Development of NAOC, Mr Barry Nwibani, whose department anchored the training programme, expressed gratitude to the numerous stakeholders of the company and urged the vendors to take it seriously.

    During the second part of the training programme, titled ‘The Vendor Exhibition, Gap Closure and Opportunities Engagement, Eni said it would not shift focus from complying with the ideals of Nigerian content as enshrined in the NOGICD Act.

    The General Manager, District of NAOC, Mr Paola Carnevale, promised that the Eni would “respect all Nigerian laws and guidelines related to the procurement processes for award of contracts”.

    Carnevale, who was represented by the Technical Division Manager of NAOC, Mr Giona Gabriele, also said the company would remain a responsible corporate citizen by ensuring strict compliance with the provisions of the NOGICD Act.

    He added that 60 companies participated in the 2014 edition of the training. Of these, 40 are members of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN) while the rest are Eni vendors and OEMs.

    For this year’s engagement which Eni is doing in collaboration with PETAN, another set of 60 companies are taking part and this involves OEMs, Marine vessel owners/boat builders, drilling service providers, small scale manufacturers, fabricators and multinational companies.

    The Chairman of PETAN, Mr Emeka Ene urged companies in the oil and gas to come together in order to close the existing gaps.

    The third session of the training programme titled “Vendor Upgrade, Awareness and Sensitisation Engagement” was an opportunity for Eni to sensitise Nigerian companies on the opportunities available to them in the NOGICD Act.

    Carnevale said the event would help to enlighten indigenous companies on the provisions of NOGICD Act.

    Kentebe said the NOGICD Act is a “demonstration of government’s emphasis on indigenous contractors’ active participations in the oil and gas sector.”

    Kentebe, who was represented by the Manager, Monitoring and Evaluation of NCDMB, William Arikekpar, added that “the focus of Nigerian content is not ‘Nigerianization’ of the oil and gas sector but ‘domiciliation’ of value-adding activities.”

    Some of the participating companies, who also exhibited their products during the training programme, such as Topline Pipeline and Process Engineers, Elshcon Nigerian Limited and Lamesco Limited, lauded Eni for organising the capacity building for them.

  • Letter to Pastor Uguru

    Letter to Pastor Uguru

    Dear Sir,

    I recall with a sense of responsibility your experience at the Senate during your screening for a ministerial slot. You stirred controversy on the floor of the Senate in your introductory remark you told the Senate how you traversed the various parts of the country and built relationships among people across Nigeria. At a point, you were asked whether you had fraternised with members of the Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP).

    You quickly denounced the PDP by saying “God forbid” and ignited uproar on the floor. The senators of the opposition party viewed your remark about their party as uncomplimentary.

    Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio and others attempted to tear you apart. Akpabio cited Order 14 of the Senate standing rule to back his position that you had breached the privileges of PDP by Uguru’s remark.

    Akpabio noted that it was unfortunate that you could see the PDP as a forbidden thing long after you had served the PDP administration as a commissioner in the National Copyright Commission (NCC). He stressed that many current senators, including the Senate President, had all at one point or another served in different capacities under the PDP before defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Senate President Bukola Saraki asked Akpabio to take his seat and urged you to apologise. You did. But the opposition senators were not done with you.  PDP senators took their turns to expose the pereceived loop holes in your resumé.

    Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, PDP, Abia North, said: “All the tax clearance the man submitted to the Senate are obtained on the same day, the same date and at the same time. Mr Senate President, we should not ignore this. We should find out why tax clearance for a number of years were obtained on the same day and submitted to the Senate. I am a Christian, and this is submitted by a Pastor not a Malam. And we as Senate should not ignore this anomaly.”

    Senator Ehinnanya Abaribe accused you of not complying with Section 120 of the Senate rule which states that no nominee would be confirmed until he had shown proof of compliance with the asset declaration law.’

    But Senator Ali Ndume rose in your defence explaining that a nominee could declare his assets even after confirmation by the Senate.

    All the drama eventually ended with your confirmation and inauguration as a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari, who has posted you to the Niger Delta Ministry.

    Now, it is time to work. As a Niger Delta man, being from Cross River, you must be familiar with the problems of your people.

    But for emphasis sake, I need to bring some things I have noted in the past about the region to your attention.

    Niger Delta too still grapples with a lot of issues. Decades before the birth of the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Niger Delta, where Nigeria derives the bulk of its revenue, witnessed agitations. The people expressed unhappiness over the way they were neglected. Their farms were polluted by oil spills. Their streams were taken over by crude oil. Their health worsened. And their existence was seriously threatened.

    Close to the year of the birth of the Amnesty Programme, the agitation had taken a new twist. Before the deadly twist, Ken Saro-Wiwa had been judicially murdered. Several other people had been killed by security operatives under one guise or the other. With intellectual activists, such as Saro-Wiwa out of the way, another generation of activists took over. This set believes if you make peaceful change impossible, you make violent change inevitable. They also believe it is illegal to be lawful in a lawless environment. So, they took to arms in their quest to prove a point.

    They damaged oil pipelines at a devastating speed. They bombed military boat houses. They siphoned barrels of oil.  No thanks to these dare-devils, oil installations were blown up and oil workers were afraid to go to the rigs and others. The economy bled. The country was losing billions of Naira daily.

    NDDC’s mandate was to develop Niger Delta. But, its activities meant nothing to the militants who were set to bring down the country unless the region was given control over its resources. The impact the NDDC could have made was limited by the fact that its dues were not given to it. The statutory payments that should be made to it were withheld by all arms of government. It ran into trillions of Naira and all efforts to get the money released for the betterment of the people did not work.

    Things were getting worse by the day. They were still in that terrible state when the administration of the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was inaugurated on May 29, 2007. That the then President was uncomfortable with the state of war in the Niger Delta soon showed. First, he created the Ministry of the Niger Delta. Pronto, the government set up a technical committee to review all existing reports on the region.

    The committee, headed by Saro-Wiwa’s right hand man and ex-President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mittee, recommended an increase of the derivation fund from 13 per cent to 25 per cent. It also recommended open trial for one of the faces of the arms struggle, Mr. Henry Okah who was then in detention in Angola. Another of its recommendation, which led to the Amnesty Programme, is that youths in the region must be disarmed through a credible Decommissioning, Disarmament and Rehabilitation (DDR) process.

    The late Yar’Adua knew something urgent must be done to rescue the situation. He needed to save the country from international embarrassment that the arms struggle had become. By then, there had been reports of militants partaking in piracy activities on the Gulf of Guinea, a development which had seen the governments of Equatorial Guinea and Angola complaining to Yar’Adua at international meetings. Okah was mentioned by the two governments as being responsible for the piracy activities against their countries.

    Okah was a leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which had claimed responsibility for many of the kidnappings and the attacks on oil facilities in the region.

    By April 2009, the then President dissolved the board of the NDDC. Timi Alaibe, who was the Managing Director, however, got another job. He was appointed Special Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs. His major job, it turned out, was to midwife the birth of the Presidential Amnesty Programme. Two months after Alaibe’s appointment, Yar’Adua breathed life into me.

    The programme did not immediately bring excitement. Okah’s detention was a major factor for the insurgency’s leadership’s apathy to embrace it. Yar’Adua recruited Chief Tony Anenih, Dr Koripamo Agary and Dr Ferdinand Ikwang, among others, to assure the agitators that he was truthful about not victimising them after dropping their guns.

    Alaibe traversed the creeks persuading hard-line militant leaders to embrace me. He did not do it alone. He got Kingsley Kuku, the Arogbo-born ex-member of the Ondo State House of Assembly, who had worked with him as Special Assistant at the NDDC, to get Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), Mujahhid Dokubo-Asari, General Shoot-at-sight and many other leaders of the arms’ struggle to sign up to Yar’Adua’s offer.

    Okah, who had by then been repatriated from Angola and was standing trial for treason at the Federal High Court, Jos, was a major issue in the refusal of many militant leaders to accept the programme. But, because Yar’Adua wanted the programme to succeed, he agreed to drop charges against Okah and on July 13, 2009, Okah became a free man.

    Between June 25 and October 4, 2009, 20,192 militants embraced the programme by handing over arms in excess of 20,000. Others who did not hand over their weapons initially because of the fear of the unknown later did before the deadline expired. Even after the deadline’s expiration, 6,166 more people, associated with it. Through the programme, over 30,000 ex-militants have been given a new lease of life.

    My final take sir: The ministry, which you oversee, sure has its job cut out for it. The East-West Road is one major project many will see how you will handle. Your ministry also needs to work with oil giants to ensure oil spills are reduced to the barest minimum. Militancy, kidnapping and other criminalities in the region also deserve your priority.

    Bye for now sir.

  • Oshiomhole’s legacy lies on his successor

    Oshiomhole’s legacy lies on his successor

    It’s expected that while the bell tolls consistently for Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s imminent exit that the succession storm will readily gathered with higher intensity after nearly eight years in the saddle. As the governor of Edo State, Oshiomhole has demonstrated seminal leadership; ministering to the two most basic purposes of governance: the people and the State. His success story can only be entrenched with the quality of the person who takes over from him.

    So far, Governor Oshiomhole has provided leadership which has to do with steering people towards mutually shared values in order to accomplish a clear goals and objectives. In another sense, it is taking responsibility for what members of one’s group, community or society do. Governor Oshiomhole’s leadership style encompasses visioning, passion, commitment and challenging the status quo to make the state, institutions, community or society perform better.

    However, leadership is not just about espousing policies, programmes and projects that will bring about meaningful development and progress that the people are yearning for, but also the singular obligation to ensure that those who take over from them are people of trusted characters. Every leader at any level, in any sector, or any institution has the cardinal duty of ensuring that capable and effective leadership does not end with him or her. This is an indispensable component of a truly successful leadership and in the wholesome re-engineering of POSITIVE CHANGE!

    It is no accident that the countries that have become leaders in the world today are the ones which successfully allowed effective generations of leaders to emerge, albeit seamlessly. The Chinese Communist Party is an example. While some would question the democratic credentials of such a leadership recruitment and selection process, the fact that cannot be denied is that emergence into a position of leadership in China is based on careful preparation. And this process has over the past three decades delivered the stupendous rates of growth that have today transformed China from a backwater into the world’s second leading economy.

    The path that forward-looking societies and organisations toe is courageous leadership orientation. Edo State will only be placed on the path of progress, growth and development when we get our leadership question resolved. It is indispensable for success in any vocation and it is time for Edo people to urgently start the process of disallowing untutored and untested persons from mounting the saddle of leadership.

    The reason is that it is the character of a country’s institutions and the aptitude of its populace that determined its success. The basic truth is that where the people failed to chose their leaders, or prevented from doing so, there will be dearth of motivations, development and political institutions will suffer. Where these basic determinants prevailed, development will never occur.

    The governor can better be appreciated when his leadership personifies the ideals and orientation of passing the baton of leadership to worthy successor whose public and private sectors career has elevated standard; created verifiable growth and jobs, promoted fairness, intensified productivity, reduced graft and encouraged sustainable development.

    Whoever succeeds Governor Oshiomhole must be conversant with the nitty-gritty of the dynamics and synergy of the three arms of government – the executive, legislature and judiciary and maintain a working balance for the benefit and well-being of all Edo people. His successor should be able to deploy his cognate experience (especially in the public sector and governance sector) and positive networks to enhance and strengthen the levers of the good governance of Edo State as the craze now is Development Through Competition.

    At the last count, more than seven aspirants having been jostling for the Edo top job, under the All Progressives Congress, APC platform alone. The same goes for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but very many of the aspirants are reluctant to address the issues of developing Edo State beyond the present level. That Edo State was in a parlous state until Governor Oshiomhole came on the rescue mission was partly because the people were easily deceived into cueing behind make-believed leaders who are far removed from development initiative.

    Governor Oshiomhole’s steady and cautious leadership which has seen the development of many sectors of the state’s economy will definitely bring about far-reaching development if the governor gets the succession struggles right. The Achilles’s heel of Africa leaders, i.e, “area of weakness or vulnerable spot” is the succession crisis that constantly plagues, hurts and arrests development which further yields grounds to comatose infrastructure, abandoned projects and grand looting.

    The writer Chinua Achebe once declared that the problem with Nigeria is the problem of leadership. No one can agree with the literary icon less. However, having identified the problem, the search for solutions should now engage our earnest attention and energy for sustainable leadership. The lack of adequate preparation for political leadership, especially in public life, is a critical missing link in our search for solutions.

    A few weeks ago, Edo State under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole marked the 7th anniversary of his stewardship as the governor of the state. The event hugely tell the story of the governor’s visible achievement and provides an opportunity both for stock taking and for looking ahead. It is also a good time to reflect further on the challenge of leadership and succession, especially at this point in our national life, when our country is passing through arguably the greatest existential threat of Boko Haram; poor resource generation, lack of basic amenities, collapsed education, lack of health facilities, tax crisis, corruption and the like to its corporate survival since the Civil War.

    To resolve  these crises, largely cause by the dearth of effective leadership, Edo people, the APC and Governor Oshiomhole must carefully and studiously  planned thier succession process to avoid the consequence of accidental leadership; stunted development and building of enduring systems that utilise experience of people who have occupied leading positions in the country to fly the party’s flag.

    Amongst the lots angling for  Oshiomhole’s job after November 2016 is Christopher Aigbovbiosa Ogiemwonyi. He holds the ace given his giant strides and successes in the management of human, material and financial resources at national and international levels. His daunting credential of successes sets him head and shoulder above the mottling of crowds racing to Osadebe’s Avenue. It was his known steadfast commitment to development that led to his appointment as the Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Works from 2010 to 2011.

    Looking at his background, Chris Ogiemwonyi stands out as the leader and most experienced administrator and manager of men and resources with over 30 years of work experience in the oil and gas industry. All those years, there is no telling that he brought to bear his exceptional management skills and professional competence on the job as one time General Manager of National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS).

    The vacuum that will be created by Oshiomhole’s exit on November 12, 2016 can rightly be filled by Engineer Ogiemwonyi. The expectation of the APC delegates across the 18 local governments; 191 wards and 2,627 Polling Units is to vote for a governorship candidate whose experience in both public and private is solid enough to take Edo State to the next level. Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi fill that bill.

     

    • Ikhueoya writes in from Benin City, Edo State capital

     

  • Rivers police, monarch unite against cultism, kidnapping

    Rivers police, monarch unite against cultism, kidnapping

    The Paramount Ruler of Port Harcourt City, Rivers State, His Royal Majesty, Eze Victor Woluchem II, Epara Rebisi XII of Rebisi Kingdom and the Rivers Police Command, have joined forces to fight insecurity in the state, particularly within the Port Harcourt City.

    The deal was struck recently when the Commissioner of Police, CP Musa Kimo visited the monarch at his palace in Port Harcourt,

    They agreed that the most nagging issue that requires the cooperation of both the police and community leaders is the worrisome issue of cultism and kidnapping.

    Kimo, who assumed duty in the state on September 2, expressed displeasure at the prevailing high rate of insecurity in the state. He assured that it was possible to end kidnapping and cultism with the cooperation of community leaders.

    He said as an officer who understood the importance of community relations and the contribution of community leaders for effective policing, it would be wrong if he failed to visit the palace.

    CP Kimo identified cultism and kidnapping in the state as major concerns that require the assistance of everyone. He said there was no casualties and looting of private and public properties during the recent crisis and civil disturbance in Port Harcourt caused by the protest of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) because the Police took absolute control of the situation.

    He said, “The truth is that cultism and kidnapping are the issues that are most pressing to us now and with cooperation of the good people of Rivers state, especially the traditional rulers, elders and the youths, we are going to triumph and do better for the peace of the state. My visit to His Royal Majesty is to seek his blessings to be successful in my sojourn in Rivers State. The police cannot do it alone, so we are here to present ourselves to the monarch and abide with him. We also believe that the monarch and his council will abide with us too.”

    HRM Eze Victor Woluchem II, the Epara Rebisi XII, said:  “When I saw you, I said you are a young and energetic officer. So, you will be able to carry on the affairs of the state. Port Harcourt is a homogenous city, you must be ready to fight so as to achieve. You have been able to reduce drastically the impunity of bad behaviours in the state; at least the criminals will know that someone is on their trail. With the recent foiling of a major robbery by police where millions of naira was recovered, that is a feat anyone should commend.

    “With you in Rivers State, I know kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism will reduce. If you find any case of kidnapping or armed robbery in the youths of Rebisi Kingdom, it will be very rare. The only thing my youths do is to look for legitimate job in Trans- Amadi because it is our land.

    “However because the throne was vacant for some time people infiltrated that space and formed political chiefs who went to Trans -Amadi to create problems. I want you to ensure that the issue of Biafra protest stops here.  Port Harcourt would never be a home for Biafra. I vowed that as a Monarch of Port Harcourt City I will not take it for granted if Biafra repeat any other protest in Port Harcourt,” the Royal father said.

  • Comrade and Esama

    What is the Igbinedion family fighting the comrade governor self?”

    “I think we should blame the comrade governor.”

    “How can you say that? The comrade governor is not a frivolous person. The people come first in anything he does.  Tell the Esama to pay up his debts to the state.”

    “Well, you can believe what you like. But my own problem is that why is this coming out now?”

    “But the comrade governor has explained the reason behind his crusade against the Igbinedion family. But let us even put that aside; it is not in dispute that Lucky was found guilty by a competent court for corruptly enriching himself. So, what are we talking about?”

    “Well, if you know him, go and warn him. No one fights the Esama and gets away with it o. I am telling you a fact. And the war has started already.”

    “What do you mean by that?”

    “Were you not around on Tuesday? Didnt you see those women in red who protested against the governor. The red they wore means war. It means trouble for the governor. He is in big shit. “For you to know the import of the protest, let me quote the women for you: ‘We are women and as mothers, sisters and aunts to Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, we say no to any form of disrespectful behavior for the person of Chief Igbinedion. We as mothers cannot see evil in the land and support it. We are against the action of the governor particularly on Chief Igbinedion and his household. We are here because of the hardship we are going through in Benin City. We cannot pay the Land Use Charge. We pay for water; we pay our children’s school fees? The cost of transportation to New Benin is a problem for us. We voted for him to repair Edo State for us, not only in Iyamho, his village. Let him fix things in Edo State. The House of Assembly kept quiet because they are under him. Now women have come out to tell them that we are not happy. We are dressed in red to say that there is danger in Edo State because the governor is not doing well.’ Can you understand it now? The red attire is known as ‘Ododo’ in Benin Kingdom to signify danger and war.”

    “Forget it. I don’t believe in all those traditional nonsense. The women were simply working for the N200 they received. There is no significance in what they did. If I were the comrade governor, I will open up on these guys. Even the Esama was once quoted as saying his son would go to jail after seeing what he stole. ”

    “What are you saying and who are you calling guys?”

    “They are guys. You are free to call them whatever you like but when people have sunk that low, they have lost all the respect they ordinarilly should have and for me, they deserve to rot in jail.”

    “I think you are being unfair to these gentlemen. The Esama, for instance, has contributed a lot to this country’s development. The history of the education sector cannot be written without him occupying a pride of place. The aviation sector’s history cannot be written without him taking a major chapter. The history of the television industry, especially the private broadcasting arm, cannot be written without the Esama being well-regarded. So, stop deriding him.”

    “My friend, stop deluding yourself. I am not impressed by all you have just reeled out. The man simply set up businesses to make money and when the money was not enough, his son helped him grab more from the commonwealth. He did not do Nigeria or Edo any good by setting up those businesses. So, look for something else to say.”

    “All I will tell you is that you should go and advise your governor to retrace his step. Women will soon go naked on the street of Benin if he continues this way and you know what that means.”

    “What does that mean?”

    “It means his end has finally come.”

    “My friend, stop deceiving yourself. If I were the comrade governor, I will simply adopt the Obasanjo strategy if the women decide to go nude on the streets of Benin.”

    “What do you mean by the Obasanjo strategy?”

    “When Obasanjo was president and some women protested naked against him, he was angry that only old women with already expired boobs protested. The fresh women only led them. He advised the fresh women to dare protest naked and he would unleash the male inmates from the prisons who had not had sex in a long while on them.”

    “ That is barbaric!”

    “So, what the Esama and his son have done is not barbaric?”

    “They are innocent until proven guilty.”

    “The son has been proven guilty and the father will have his day in court too.”

    “I really don’t know what you are talking about.”

    “You will soon understand when you will be visiting them at the prison. You should advise them to invest in renovating the prisons in the country. Since we are not sure of where they may end, let them just improve the condition of all the prisons so that anyone they find themselves will be good enough for them.”

    “You are simply talking rubbish. Oshiomhole is just too controversial for my liking. To him, everybody is a thief, except himself. He is just full of himself. I remember when he was NLC president and he had issue with Heinkein Lokpobiri, who was then a senator, he kept saying: ‘We will drink this Heinkein’ as if the senator is a beer. Now, he and the same Lokpobiri, who is now a minister, are now in the same political party.

    “The files of Lucky’s tenure are there for everybody who cares to check. Oshiomhole should explain to the people of Edo State how he spent the federal allocations and internally generated revenues running into trillions of naira in seven years. He should tell the people of Edo how much he is paying as land tax for his house in Iyamho worth over N10 billion and other properties he has acquired in the last seven years in Dubai, Cape Town in South Africa, in San Francisco, United States of America, a high rise apartment in Atlanta also in America and in London. He is calling everybody a thief but Oshiomhole is the biggest thief in Benin City today. Like Lucky said, I believe Oshiomhole has failed; the people of Edo State now know him better. Oshiomhole is the least qualified person to talk about corruption in the country today because his actions and programmes in the last seven years in Edo State epitomise corruption.

    “He has called everybody in Nigeria a thief; called former President Olusegun Obasanjo a thief; called former President Goodluck Jonathan a thief, he called (ex-Minister of Finance, Ngozi) Okojo-Iweala a thief, and others. Yet, he cannot prove his cases. I don’t think he knows the meaning of a thief.

    “He lives in the glass house and throwing stones. President Muhammadu Buhari will soon find out the real Oshiomhole by the time we provide documents against him.”

    “Are you through or you still have more to say?”

    “I am through.”

    “Okay, let me give you my final take: Tell Lucky to produce the evidence that the comrade governor has houses in Dubai, Cape Town, San Francisco, Atlanta and London. If he cannot produce the evidence, he should just shut up forever. As for the women,  they should not be deceived. Many of them don’t know why they were in the street. Why is that whenever there is a problem, politicians will buy head tie for women and give them N200 to protest? You want the government to improve your lives but you don’t want to pay taxes. All over the world people pay taxes and not protest against it. The Igbinedion family should just pay the government what is due it in terms of taxes and stop instigating the people. Nemesis will soon catch up with them.”

  • Edo 2016: Battle of the titans

    Edo 2016: Battle of the titans

    The race to the Governorship of Edo State, from all appearances, promises to take the shape of the legendry “Battle of the Titans”. With no less than 20 aspirants across the party divide already in the race and still counting, there is little doubt that the ancient and traditional land of Igomigodo is about to witness a robust political contest that will stretch the political maturity of the people to the limit. But it is all for the best and shows that the incumbent Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has not only opened the political space in the State in the last eight years but has further opened the eyes of the people to the realities of governance.

    What is, perhaps, most interesting is the mix of the aspirants to the governorship race. Aside the old political war horses who have made their appearances in the race once or twice, or have held political positions by reason of appointments, there is a full dose of the academia who have, over the years, made their marks and left their footprints in the sands of the nation’s Ivory Tower. Then there are the members of the Private Sector who, perhaps, have suddenly realised that in order to grow the real economy of the State they must be on the driver’s seat and in control of the engine of growth which is the Private Sector.

    Heading the political old war horses is, for example, Professor Oserhemen Osunbor who contested and won the Edo State Governorship election in 2007 with the ticket of the PDP but whose election was invalidated by the State’s Election Tribunal in 2008. Interestingly, the man he now seeks to succeed in office, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is the same person who took the seat from him by virtue of the Tribunal’s verdict. Perhaps, more interesting is the fact that the erudite Professor is attempting a come back under the umbrella of the ruling APC. Then there is Professor Julius Ihonvbere, Political Scientist and former Secretary to the Government of Edo State. He resigned in 2012 and contested the Edo North Senatorial seat but lost. He is also contesting under the umbrella of the APC.

    And heading the Private Sector entrants, perhaps, is Engineer Chris Ogiemwonyi, a former Group Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who lately decamped from the PDP to the APC. He runs alongside  Professor Osayuki Oshodin, the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, another PDP decampee, Chief Lucky Imasuen and Pastor Ize Iyamu of the PDP. There is also Architect Mike Onelememen, Senator Ehige Uzamere and Major General Charles Airhiavhere who battled for the seat with Comrade Oshiomhole in 2012. With all these men in the race, is there any doubt that the people are going to witness a repeat of the Battle of the Titans? This is because these are juggernauts in their own rights and judging from their records, they should not be taken lightly when they enter a political battle such as is being envisaged in the State in 2016.

    One possible difficulty, though, that could arise for the people in making their choice, perhaps, will be the personalities involved: what with the different levels of influence that are bound to come to play during the campaigns and the election itself. However, the out-going administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has lessened the burden of choice by providing the dividends of good governance by which any incoming administration would, no doubt, be assessed. He has, in the last eight years, brought to bear on the State the effectiveness and efficiency of the Private Sector as engine of growth of any economy.  The people of Edo State need someone who will sustain that tempo of development in the State after Oshiomhole.

    Looking at the profiles of the aspirants, especially those coming from the Private Sector, Engineer Christopher Ogiemwonyi stands out as the leader and most experienced administrator and manager of men and resources. With over 30 years of work experience in the oil and gas industry, this graduate of the University of Benin, a 1974 B.Sc. (Hons) holder in Applied Physics with option in Electronics and 1976 post graduate Diploma holder in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Ibadan, has proven his mettle as an administrator and high profile manager of men and resources. Aside his intimidating academic achievements, 64 year old Christopher has a daunting career profile which began way back in the late 1970s. He began his career as a Petroleum Engineer 11 in 1975 with the Conservation Department and in February, 1977 was seconded to Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Warri, a secondment which was enriched by a four and half month Advance Petroleum Engineering Programme in SPDC Training Centre in the Hague, Netherlands. Between 1978 through 1982, he worked in various departments of Petroleum Resources including the then newly created gas Department.

    In 1999, he was promoted General Manager, Operations and moved to National Petroleum Investments Management Services (NAPIMS) to oversee the Operations Division. He midwifed various projects especially the Local content initiative of the Federal Government. By dint of hard work, he was appointed the Group General Manager, NAPIMS in 2001. As GGM NAPIMS, he oversaw the whole industry including the Joint Ventures (JV) and the Production Sharing Companies (PSCs). While in NAPIMS, he served as Chairman, Nigeria OTC Committee for 2003 and 2004. Between 1999-2003, he midwifed key projects including EA field, Erha field, Bonga field and Agbami field amongst others. Also, under his watch, NAPIMS achieved zero cash call arrears by October, 2003. As GGM NAPIMS, the Oil Industry was encouraged on joint utilization of assets such as offshore swamp rigs. Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi is, perhaps most noted today for his achievements while in NAPIMS. With an objective to compete with international oil and gas concerns, Engnr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, in 1988, facilitated the formation of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) which he headed as Project Leader (Petroleum Engineer) in Benin City until 1999.

    Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC),was incorporated in 1988 and, as stated earlier, one of its objectives was to compete as an indigenous Oil and Gas producing Company. NPDC was assigned four acreages including OML – 65 containing Abura Field, a takeover asset from the defunct TENNECO then producing at 980 bopd. He championed the takeover of this asset, kept an up-to-date reserves position of the new Company and served as the Abura Field Project Leader, He raised the production level from 980 bopd to over 4,000 bopd in 1990. In 1992, he served as Oredo Field Project Leader. This was a Greenfield project that involved KELT ENERGY,UK and IP CONSTRUCTION, Calgary. He also served as Oziengbe field Leader. This is another 10,000 bopd EPC facility at Oziengbe field.

    If the career profile of Chris Ogiemwonyi is daunting, his professional progression is even more so. For example, he is currently President, Energy and Engineering Technology Construction Company, an Energy Consulting Group, a position he has held since May 2011. He was Minister of State for Works from April 2010 to May 2011, President Energy Strategy Centre (Esc) Abuja, an Energy Consulting Group,  from September 2009 to April 2010, Group Executive Director Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation ( Exploration & Production Directorate) from September 2007 to April 2009. As Group Executive Director (GED) Exploration and Production, Engr. Ogiemwonyi was in charge of seven NNPC Companies and Subsidiaries which included National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), LNG & Power Division, Integrated Data Services Limited (IDSL), Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) Crude Oil, Marketing Division and Local Content Division.  He was Managing Director, Nigerian Gas Company Limited Warri, from March 2005 to September 2007. In March 2005, he was reassigned to National Gas Company Limited as Managing Director. His focus was to increase gas supply to major customers like; PHCN, SNG, GSLINK, WAPCO, SHAGAMU, and EWEKORO, NOTORE FERTILIZER PH,OBAJANA CEMENT COMPANY etc NGC is coordinating 130mmscf/d gas supply (WAGP – West Africa gas Supply Project) to Benin, Togo, Ghana and hopefully to Ivory Coast. Trans- Sahara Gas Project (TSGP), the 2 billion scf/d supply from Nigeria through Algeria to Europe, was another portfolio under his supervision as NGC’s helmsman.

    A technocrat per excellent, Chris Ogiemwonyi served on the board of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). He was also former council member of Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Warri and Chairman, N-Gas. Also a former Director NETCODIETSMANN and one time Board member of Nigermed, Engnr. Ogiemwonyi served as member, Presidential Committee on Independent Power Project (IPP) development for Niger Delta, served as a member of the NNPC Corporate Board and Chairman of Hyson/Calson Joint Venture (JV). He was also a member of the Presidential Committee on Accelerated Expansion of Electricity Infrastructure.

    A product of the Harvard Business School, Ogiemwonyi belongs to many professional bodies including the society of Petroleum Engineers. He is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and former President of the Nigeria Gas Association. He is a recipient of the Justice of Peace (JP) by Edo State Government and the Kwame Nkrumah Leadership Award. Ogiemwonyi, who is married and blessed with children, is patron to several bodies, including the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and the Association of Community Newspapers Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN) .

    • Obasuyi sent this piece from Benin

     

     

     

  • Ogoni Bill of Rights: 25 years after

    Ogoni Bill of Rights: 25 years after

    The Ogoni Bill of Rights (OBR), initiated by the late renowned environmental rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, which was adopted by the Ogoni people on August 26, 1990 at Bori-Ogoni, the traditional headquarters of Ogoni land and the seat of Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State is 25 years this year.

    Also in 1990, the people formed the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). Formation of MOSOP showed that the people were ready to implement the objectives in the OBR. Dr. Garrick Barile Leton was MOSOP’s pioneer President while Ken Saro-Wiwa was the first Spokesman/Public Affairs Officer of the umbrella organisation.

    Some of the demands made by the people that formed part of the document’s provisions were self-determination/political autonomy, the right to control and use their economic resources for the development of Ogoni land and payment of reparation to Ogoni people by the Federal Government and the oil companies.

    Through the OBR, Ogoni people also sought compensation for the pollution and destruction of their environment, along with the right to protect the area from further degradation.

    The OBR also emphasised that MOSOP is a non-violent organisation which believes in the use of non-violent means to pursue its goals.

    Copies of the OBR were sent to the then Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, members of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), the military governors of Rivers and other states on October 2, 1990.

    The OBR was signed by six representatives each from Babbe, Gokana, Ken-Khana, Nyo-Khana and Tai kingdoms.

    The third President of MOSOP, Ledum Mitee, a legal practitioner, revealed that the representatives of Eleme Kingdom could not sign the OBR at the time it was adopted, because Eleme leaders were still putting their heads together on who would be their representatives.

    Mitee noted that other Ogoni people decided to go ahead with the adoption of the OBR in order to avoid delay and for the OBR to immediately be presented to the Federal Government of Nigeria, the international community and others for quick action.

    The former MOSOP President (Mitee) insisted that not having Eleme representatives as signatories to the OBR had nothing to do with alleged division among Ogoni people.

    In January 1993, the Ogoni stopped the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) from operating in the four Ogoni local government areas of Khana, Gokana, Eleme and Tai. The action was spearheaded by MOSOP, which accused the Anglo/Dutch oil giant of polluting the Ogoni environment and being insensitive about the clean-up of the polluted environment since it began crude oil exploitation in Ogoni land in 1958.

    The maiden Ogoni Day celebration took place on January 4, 1993 after which SPDC was sent packing from Ogoni land.

    Speaking during the 20th Ogoni Day celebration on January 4, 2013 at Bori, former Chairman of the MOSOP Provisional Council, Prof. Ben Naanen of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), declared that SPDC would not be allowed to resume operation in Ogoni land.

    According to Naanen, who is also the pioneer General Secretary of MOSOP, the Ogoni people would prefer another International Oil Company with environment consciousness and good corporate social responsibility (CSR) records to the SPDC. Such new company would be expected to be sensitive to the needs of the Ogoni people and would be able to honour agreements.

    The scholar, at the 20th Ogoni Day celebration, also stated that Ogoni people would continue to insist on the full implementation of the recommendations contained in the report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on Ogoni land’s environmental assessment by the Federal Government, declaring that the peace-loving Ogoni people would not have anything to do with the Hydrocarbon Pollution Restoration Project (HYPREP).

    The national coordinator of HYPREP, Mrs. Joy Nunieh-Okunnu, however, insisted that Ogoni people would tremendously benefit from HYPREP, stressing that the Federal Government’s initiative was responsible for addressing issues of environmental restoration, cleaning of sites polluted by crude oil and exploring alternative livelihoods.

    A former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Danladi Kifasi, who later became the Head of Service of the Federation, before he was recently removed by President Muhammadu Buhari, at a Consultative meeting on the UNEP report at the Ogoni Peace and Freedom Centre, Bori-Ogoni on August 8, last year said: “While HYPREP has implemented some of the transitional phase objectives as recommended in the report (UNEP), government recognises and it is very mindful that the programme (HYPREP) has not achieved its full objectives, as envisioned by this administration.

    “Government is mindful that funds meant for remediation and restoration activities in Ogoni land are used for that purpose. However, HYPREP will consider other Niger Delta areas affected by hydrocarbon pollution, by causing the polluters to clean the areas with their own funds. The time for decisive action is now and we call on all relevant parties to join us to tackle the challenges ahead.”

    Kifasi also stated that the Federal Government, in collaboration with the United Nations, the Ogoni communities and relevant Nigerian agencies, would embark on a comprehensive remediation programme.

    A renowned environmental rights activist, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, also noted that the resolution of the Ogoni ecological devastation would be the barometer to gauge the collective readiness to address the despoliation of the Niger Delta environment.

    Bassey said: “The UNEP report will remain a raw sore on the conscience of both Shell (SPDC) and the Federal Government for as long as real action is not taken to remediate the Ogoni environment.

    “The report (by UNEP) shows that Ogoni people are living in an extremely toxic and deadly environment, are drinking poisonous water, are planting and harvesting crops on polluted land.”

    Major sub-groups of Ogoni such as Khana, Eleme, Gokana and Tai are predominantly farmers and fishermen while the groups are divided into six kingdoms of Nyo-Khana, Ken-Khana, Babbe, Tai, Gokana and Eleme. Bori is the traditional headquarters of the six kingdoms of Ogoni. The land owners of Ogoni are Kaani, Yeghe, Zaakpon and Kor.

    In a bid to put an end to the many years of pollution, neglect, environmental degradation and marginalisation in Ogoni, especially since 1958, when crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantity in Ogoni land and to adequately empower the people, former President Olusegun Obasanjo initiated the UNEP’s environmental assessment of Ogoni land in July, 2006.

    The initiative was received supported from the administration of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua. On August 4, 2011, the 262-page UNEP’s main report was issued. On August 12, 2011, the UNEP report was received by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The UNEP’s team of environmentalists made 76 recommendations. Fifty of the recommendations are for the government, 22 for SPDC and four for Ogoni communities.

    The UNEP report stated that the water in Nsisioken-Ogale-Eleme, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, contained cancer-causing Benzene (carcinogen), which was 900 times the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) standards for water contamination, thereby requiring urgent attention.

    The report also revealed that the sustainable environmental restoration of Ogoni land would take up to 20 years to achieve and would require coordinated efforts from government agencies at all levels. It recommended that the Federal Government should establish an Ogoni land Environmental Restoration Authority.

    The UNEP report also indicated that the full environmental restoration of Ogoni land would be a project, which would take 30 years to complete after the pollution had been brought to an end. It recommended the establishment of an Environmental Restoration Fund for Ogoni land, with initial fund of $1 billion for capacity building, skill transfer and conflict resolution and that the management of the fund should be the responsibility of the Ogoni land Environmental Restoration Authority.

    Former President Jonathan, in August 2011, set up a Presidential Implementation Committee, headed by ex-Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke.

    The objective of the committee was to review the UNEP report and make recommendations to the Federal Government on the remedial and long-term solutions. The report of the committee was subsequently submitted to former President Jonathan.

    The Executive Director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, who is also the United Nations Under-Secretary-General, in his “Foreword” to the UNEP report on Ogoni land’s environmental assessment, described the history of oil exploration and production in Ogoni land as a long, complex and often painful one, which had become seemingly intractable, in terms of its resolution and future direction.

    Steiner noted that the history of oil exploration and production in Ogoni land was one that had put people, politics and the oil industry at loggerheads.

    The current MOSOP President, Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, said: “As a response to the continuing destruction of the Ogoni environment, unparalleled military repression and horrendous human rights abuses in Ogoni land that attended the prosecution of the non-violent struggle of the Ogoni people, the United Nations responded by creating the position of the Special Rapporteur on Nigeria in 1997 and appointed Mr. Soli Sorabjee to the position.

    “The UNEP released its report on August 4, 2011. As a response, in July 2012, the Federal Government set up HYPREP, which has failed in all ramifications to address the issue of remediation and restoration of the Ogoni environment.”

    With President Muhammadu Buhari now taking action on the report of UNEP’s environmental assessment of Ogoni land, hope of ending the pollution and developing Ogoni land is not lost.

    The death of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni martyrs must not be in vain, especially with emphasis to be placed on the clean-up of Ogoni land.

  • People with disability seek welfare package

    Disabled persons under the aegis of The Niger Delta Coalition of Persons with Disability (NIDECOP) have lamented gross marginalisation by the governments and their agencies in the region, and called for inclusion in all governments’ welfare packages for the citizenry, including oversea scholarships.

    In a statement by their President/National Coordinator, David Enogho, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State ahead of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities’ celebration December 3, they demanded automatic employment for their graduate and qualified members and vocational training for others.

    They said this would assist in bringing their plights to the front burner. The PLWDs noted that poor infrastructural development of the region worsens their condition as the poor state of roads and the designs restricts them from having access to most public places.

    The statement reads: ”The Niger Delta region provides the resources that sustain the economy of our great country, Nigeria. However, it is sad to note that a very large proportion of the population of the region are living in extreme poverty, no good shelter, no employment and good roads.

    “The underdevelopment of the region has compounded the challenges faced by us as persons with Disabilities. We are forced to live in inappropriate conditions. We experience hell while on earth as a result of the unwillingness and neglect by those in positions of authority to evolve functional and sustainable mechanism to address both the human and infrastructural development of the people of the Niger Delta.

    “Existing facilities are not accessible to us and government at all levels is yet to develop a blueprint that will adequately correct these human imposed barriers to our development.

    “We are constrained to ask if we are budgeted for by any government. The society which ordinarily ought to care for us has placed us in a very handicapped and disadvantaged position.

    “It is a known fact that several interventionist agencies formed with the sole aim of developing the region, have in turn failed us, none has done any meaningful thing to improve on our welfare and well-being as persons with disability living in a peculiar terrain.”

  • Sylva shows community love at festival

    Sylva shows community love at festival

    The Toruebeni community in Sagbama Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, will not forget November 13 in a hurry. It was the day of their local festival, Ebenimo-Oge. The festival is held every year by the people to celebrate all the good things that happen in the community.

    The ceremony was to be marked on low key.

    The ancient community located on the Wilberforce Island and separated from Amassoma, the country home of late former Governor of the state, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, by a wide body of water has a bridge linking them to Amassoma.

    The late Alamieyeseigha when he was a governor started a project to link the community to Yenagoa by road. He embarked on the construction of one of the biggest and longest bridges in the state to actualise his dream of taking road to the community.

    But the locals said Alamieyeseigha could not finish it. They said a former Governor of the state who is now the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the December 5 governorshio election, Chief Timipre Sylva, took up the project but left office before he could finish it.

    According to them, the bridge and the road have been abandoned at the point Sylva left it. So, their only means of going to their capital is by water. The people of the area are the kinsmen of Governor Seriake Dickson. The governor was once a pupil in the community.

    So, the Torubeni community did not have much to celebrate this year. Besides, there was no money to make their annual ceremony colourful.

    Sylva’s appearance at the festival changed the mood. In Sylva’s entourage were the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, a former two-time member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Warman Ogoriba, former acting Governor of the state, Chief Nestor Binabo and prominent sons and daughters of Sagbama and other party chieftains.

    Some of the speakers said they found in Sylva, a good friend but in Dickson, a bad brother. Insisting that a good friend is better than a bad brother, the kinsmen said their brother abandoned them and failed to site developmental projects in their communities for over three years.

    The APC candidate was given a royal blessing by the traditional ruler of the community, His Royal Highness, S.T.A. Binagha, who tied a white wrapper round Sylva’s waist and gave him a lantern signifying light.

    Binagha who described himself as an apostle, said Sylva would emerge victorious like previous candidates who stood for elections in the past after receiving his blessings.

    Sylva described the community as great and ancient vowing to develop the area if given the mandate. He expressed dismay that the people could not drive into their community because the road and a bridge he almost completed were abandoned by the current administration.

    He said the College of Education which was relocated from his community Okpoama to Sagbama would remain in its present location if he wins the election.

  • Gully erosion: Edo community on the verge of extinction 

    Ihinmwin Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State is one of the oldest communities in Benin Kingdom. The community is almost as old as the ancient kingdom and it is separated from Benin City, the headquarters of ancient Benin Empire and present capital of Edo State by the Benin Moat.

    Ihinmwin had good road network and they are well paved but over the last few years they have become impassable.

    The only road tarred in Ihinmwin is the Saint Saviour Road and a good part of the road has been washed away over the years. Other roads leading to Upper Sokponba and the Ikpoba River are hell for residents, especially during the rains.

    Besides the poor state of the roads, Ihinmwin, according to the residents, lacked basic amenities such as health centre and water supply. There are two primary schools and one secondary school in community. Sadly, only one of the primary schools was given facelift as part of the ‘Red Roof’ education revolution of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole administration in the state

    A gully that reared its ugly head in 2006 near the Ikpoba River axis has expanded to an unimaginable level and has swallowed over 30 houses during the past nine years, forcing landlords in some areas to flee. About five streets in Ihinmwin are gradually being swallowed by the gully.

    An 11 kilometers road project by the Niger Delta Development Commission in the area has since been abandoned. Another NDDC project that gulped millions of naira failed to solve flooding and erosion problems in a large part of Ihinmwin.

    Mr Roland Okhuarobo, whose house is close to one of the erosion sites, said he decided to remain in the house even though other members of his family have fled. Roland said the gully in front of house started four years ago after flood water was directed to the area.

    His words, “I have lived here for almost 25 years, the gully started about four years ago. We cannot do anything about it. People owned these houses but erosion has driven them away. There is nothing I can do. My children have fled but I have nowhere to go. If the government can come and help we will be happy.

    “There was no hole here. Flood water was directed to this area and that was how it started.”

    Dr. Iyare Odede said residents have been begging relevant authorities to help them find solution to the problem in order to avert a situation where landlords in the area become tenants in order parts of the state.

    “We are begging the state government to come and help us. We cannot drive our cars out. Whenever it rains, we keep our children inside to avoid them being swept away.”

    Odionwere of Wire road, Augustine Ikponmwosa, said there was nothing like government presence in Ihinmwin adding, “There are no good roads, water, health care services”.

    “The land we preserved for the health centre is still there. I was the chairman of Ihinmwin Committee; we built the primary school with our money including the market. We did it with our money. There is no benefit from the government. We want the present government to look into our affairs. The only secondary school is not well maintained. There are no chairs and the buildings have started collapsing.”

    Traditional ruler (Enogie) of Ihinmwin, His Royal Highness Osabuohien Ogiemwenken, said he was taken aback at the widening dimension the gully has taken since the last time he visited the site.

    He said: “In 2003, we went there and saw that it was about 30 feet deep and five feet long. We had a meeting to see what we can do. It was not as bad as this.”

    “I believe it was caused by a sink hole. It was not somebody that went there to excavate sand but there is so much flood in that area. That flood might have contributed to the new development.

    “There have been lots of ups and downs. A commissioner for environment said it was a man-made gully but we made him to understand that it was not like that but there has not been response from the state government at all.

    “There is not enough government presence in the whole of Ikpoba-Okha not to talk of Ihinmwin. For some reasons, the present administration has not taken it as a priority. Its focus has been in Oredo and other local governments. The state is not interested in doing anything here in terms of roads and even schools. Most schools here were not renovated by the state government. We have not felt the impact of the state government.”