The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

‘North’s position on resource control’ unacceptable’

Mr. Tony Ile was the Chairman of the Bayelsa State chapter of Save Nigeria Group (SNG) that fought against the last administration of Mr. Timipre Sylva. He now serves in the administration of Governor Seriake Dickson as a Senior Special Assistant on Civil Society. He speaks to MIKE ODIEGWU on his boss’ attitude to money and other issues.

How would you rate the National Conference?

We have to first and foremost give thanks to Mr. President for initiating such idea. We believe that Nigeria, as a whole is faulty when it comes to even the constitution. Many people have said it is not the people’s constitution. We also believe that if it were the people’s constitution, many issues would have been settled. We can see the skewed inequitable structural organogram of this country; where you have 36 states and the federal capital residing in the north; you also have about 774 local government areas with 419 local governments belonging to the north and 355 local governments in the south. We have a National Assembly that is dominated by a particular region. So, whatever bill that comes will be at the mercy of those areas.

We need balance equation. We, also talk about resource control. The region that is producing the oil has been short-changed for quite sometime and it also need a fair share of its revenue. Let us also look at the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that has been consistently ignored for a long time. This is one of the bills that will definitely reach out to these communities that are producing the oil because they have been degraded by the activities of these oil companies. So, this conference should ensure that all regions go at a stable pace for peace to reign. I believe that at the end of the conference, Nigerians will smile and the President will be praised for this concept.

How would you describe the stance of the North against resource control?

It is very ridiculous and unacceptable. It is like they have a mindset to distort what is due to some regions. They are calling for a conflict, which is not the best for this country. Our northern brothers should know that oil is in the south for now but tomorrow they may also have oil. So, whatever that is due for the South should be given to the South.

You were in the trenches before the advent of the current administration. You criticised the former administration and now you are a member of the current restoration government. Are things better?

It has been wonderful. His Excellence Governor Seriake Dickson can be described as a wizard when it comes to development. Within this short period, we have seen tremendous and unbelievable development. Prior to this period, a lot of people felt that the terrain was difficult. But this man has come to change all those perceptions. Today, we can see the first flyover, bridges that are being built within a period of three to four months. We have seen many road projects. Most of the roads are dual carriage ways. We believe that before the end of his first tenure, Bayelsa will really be turned to the Dubai of Africa which the governor has been talking about. We owe him support. The natives and and non-natives should rally round him because, before now, Bayelsa was not like this.

How have the governor’s policies been tailored to empower the youth?

There are programmes that His Excellency has mapped out for the youth. The Governor is a product of the youth. He has been a member of the IYC which is a large organisation of Izon youths when it comes to the agitation of the rights of the Ijaw people. He is in touch with the youth. He understands the problems of the youth of Bayelsa State and generally Nigerian youth problems. And since he also understands that unemployment has been the cause of many of these restiveness, he has also set up a Centre for Youth Development which is headed by Boyloaf. That centre is being saddled with the responsibility of training the youth. In the aspect of security, you witnessed when the ex-cultists renounced their cultism to identify with the governor’s empowerment programme.

This has made the state to be peaceful. No wonder, the state has been described as the most peaceful state in the country. Prior to ths period, it was not like that. It was as a result of programmes that have been put in place to ensure that youths are carried along. Also recently, the Bayelsa State volunteer issue came up. It absorbed over 1, 000 youths for security services and other issues. This is just the beginning. The number will keep on increasing. But you know that the government cannot employ all the youth and that is why the governor is creating government conducive to investors to come in.

Your governor has been described as a stingy man. What is your take?

I don’t subscribe to that opinion. He is simply prudent and resilient. That is why many projects are being undertaken. A stingy person is someone who doesn’t want to spend money at all. But if you go round the state, you will see aesthetic buildings springing up. For instance, go to the newly completed Traditional Rulers’ Council Complex.

Such beautiful places were before built by individuals. People stole money from the government to build such houses. But today, a governor is building such aesthetic buildings for the state. He needs commendations. There are many other projects going on in different parts of the state. So, such person cannot be described as a stingy person. He is just being prudent because he believes that you have to save for the rainy day. You can also see the dwindling revenue that is coming in from the Federation Account. If he hadn’t been prudent, it would have affected the state to the extent that we wouldn’t have been able to pay salaries. But for the fact that he has been prudent, he has been consistently paying salaries. There are some states that are not able to pay salary of workers. Without his prudence, we wouldn’t have achieved the flyover and other projects such as the Ogobiri Bridge, the road leading to Ayama and going to Oporoma. Recently, the Deputy Governor drove down to Nembe which is first in history in this part of the region.

To build such infrastructure in a state that is 96 per cent water is not easy. It requires huge amount of money. We were all there when the governor presented a cheque of N2 billion to the company that is handling the Nembe Road. It is not easy. We had an administration that was here for five years but could not do a road to even his community. But this is somebody that just came on board because he has passion for the state. He is Hungry for development and he doesn’t want to believe that we have a terrain that cannot be developed.

So, he has broken the jinx and we have to commend him for that.

May 30, 2014
River’s perm sec’s wife relives Days in kidnappers’ den

On April 25, the wife of a Permanent Secretary in Rivers State who is also a business woman in Port Harcourt was abducted by armed men from her shop in the city. She recounted her ordeal and events leading to her rescue to CLARICE AZUATALAM.

Unwanted visitors

I was attending to some customers; two people came to hire my cooling van and to buy some drinks. I was negotiating with them when two young men came into the restaurant and asked us to lie down on the floor. We were wondering what was happening. We heard gunshots. And those inside released another gun shot. They picked me up and dragged me to a vehicle outside. I was not blindfolded. They took one way going to Borokiri. They moved to the Ndoki Waterfront. We passed through one police check- point but Nobody stopped us. I was scared as they have guns.
There was already a waiting flying boat there and they put me into the flying boat and zoomed off. I do not know where they took me to because it was in the night. But I knew they missed their way along the line because they were saying to themselves: “This is not the place. This is not the place!”
Finally, before we got to the place they took me to, it was about two hours plus. When we got finally there, I discovered it was a bush. Mangrove, then into a bush. From the mangrove, we entered into a bush. So, that was where I stayed with the three people who abducted me from the restaurant. I stayed with them for one week.
During this period, there was rain, sun, there was no shelter, no house. It was just plain mangrove. We got there on Friday night, Saturday passed, Sunday passed and then Monday. I was eager and I said they should allow me speak to my husband. They gave me an opportunity to do that on Monday evening.
They asked for millions of Naira and my husband said he does not have that kind of money. They said then I would remain there. I was there that Monday, Tuesday; they did not even give me the opportunity to even talk to anybody till Friday.
They were bringing food, asking me to eat but you know when you are in a place like that, there was no appetite because I was not happy. They were not hostile. They bought me rubber slippers, toothpaste and tooth brush. They would threaten me along the line that if they didn’t bring the money, “we will kill you; we will hang you.” They would do all manner of things.

Security operatives
to the rescue

But miraculously, on Friday, I was just there praying within me. I didn’t know what happened. On Thursday, they heard footsteps in the bush; they held me and said to me, ‘Madam! Madam!’ They took me deeper into the forest. They were trying to escape with me; maybe they thought that there were people coming to rescue me that Thursday. But nobody came.
They had two guns; they would leave one with those securing me and the other two would go for a kind of operation with the other gun. I noticed that they were running from the Waterfront. I was scared and wondering what was happening. They now beckoned on their colleagues too, and it was like they told them, “go away, go away security agents are coming.”
I was asking them what was happening. I was even calling on them, because at a point, I became close to them. So, I knew their names. What is happening, what is happening? They said to me “Madam! Madam! Madam!” They ran.
This time, they refused to take me along. But the previous day, when they heard gunshot, I don’t know if the security men did reconnaissance. They held me in their hands and were taking me further inside the bush. But that Friday, I don’t know if they really saw the people. So, they ran away without even asking me to follow them.
I was scaredbeing inside the bush all alone. I was asking, why are you people running, why are you people running? They ran inside the bush. I think they are familiar with the area. Then I saw some security people and they came and said, ‘Madam, let’s go’.
Initially, I was scared too because staying there for one week, everybody you see would be a suspect to you. They said, ‘madam, don’t be scared, we are security people.’ That’s how they brought me home that Friday, May 2, 2014.

N100 million ransom

They (kidnappers) asked for N100 million as ransom. When my husband said that he is a civil servant, he does not have that kind of money; they switched off the phone and never called him again. I was crying, pleading with them that my husband is seriously a civil servant, he does not have that kind of money. Even if he is to go and take loan, who will give him loan without a collateral? So, he does not have that kind of money.
The following day, without talking to my husband, they told me that my husband could bring N70 million. They brought it down to N50 million, they brought it down to N30 million before I was rescued. No ransom was paid.
At some point, they would be friendly because they knew that the place we were was mosquito-ridden, cold and all that. If they saw me feeling bad, they would come and say, ‘Madam eat o!, eat, you need to eat for you to be alive. If you call your husband, speak to him, tell him that you are suffering, let him release the money so that you will go.
At other times, they would be hostile, they will just be cocking the gun, threatening. Sometimes, they are humans too They would say ah! Madam, you are catching cold. They would make fire for me and all that. I will not say they were totally hostile I won’t also say hundred percent they were friendly. They were just in-between. Sometimes they would feel sorry for me, sometimes, when they remember what they were there for, they would be hostile.

On the terrain

I am from the riverside. I am from Ogu, Ogu/Bolo Local Government Area. I am not familiar with that area (they took me to). But what I knew is that they took me from Ndoki Waterfront and it was in the night. So, I won’t be able to know because that is not my area. Though I am from the riverside area, when I go to my area, I go by car. When we were coming back, it was by another route I could not identify.

On her abductors

From what I saw, I will not say that they are completely educated people because I did not hear them speak good English. They spoke their native language, which is Ijaw. But when they talked to me, they will use the usual broken English. I didn’t see them as people who are educated. If they are educated, maybe they were just hiding it from me. Initially, when we got there, they told me it’s business; they are doing this for money.
The rescue was not something I expected ordinarily. I thought that because of the ransom they demanded, I thought they would wait until the ransom was paid. So, I just saw the handiwork of Rivers State government in it and God too.
As I was telling my husband when I came back, this is something you don’t even wish your worst enemy. For me to have spent just one week there, I knew what I went through. Then compare it to people (Chibok girls) who are there for one month, I wonder what they will be going through. So, it is not an experience one will begin to describe. It was very terrible; it was a very terrible experience.

Act of God

I have given testimony the Sunday after I came back. I came back on a Friday and the following Sunday I went to church and I testified to the glory of God. Even if I say it was the state security that came to rescue me, if not God in heaven, they would not have been able to rescue me considering where I was taken to. What if as they were running and one of them says, since we have not gotten anything, let us shoot her. I would have gone. So, the handiwork of God was even more than what the state did. During the period, members of my church, the Redeemed Christian Church of God were praying for me. All the Pastors in the church, the zonal and regional Pastors were all involved. They grouped themselves into three prayer groups and they were coming to my house to pray morning, afternoon and evening.

What kept me going

I was in a strange place, where I was not supposed to be in the first place. I was thinking of my children, my husband; what they were going through? At a point, I wanted to talk to my husband, they said I could not talk to my husband; that he was not feeling fine. I was not sick there and somebody was telling me that my husband was not feeling fine. You know that kind of thing. I just wanted them to allow me to speak to my husband, let me just hear his voice. They didn’t even allow me. So, there were lots of thoughts here and there. I have an aged mother, I have my younger ones, I have people around me, people I am catering for, many things. My children are under-aged. So, at every point in time, I went through a lot of thoughts. In the midst of all these, I would cry profusely. Nobody to say sorry. When I was tired of crying, I would clean my tears. When I remembered them again, I would start crying.

Advice to citizens and her abductors

Everybody has to be very careful. That is the only thing because if there are security agents and they are working the way they ought to work, may be most of these things would not have taken place. So, everybody has to be very careful. Know when to go out and when to come back and avoid night movements.
I will advise them (kidnappers) to stop all these things. If not, one day surely nemesis will catch up with them. They should look for something meaningful to do with their lives. They cannot continue this trade till the end of their lives. Maybe their thinking is that there is no job, that is why they indulged in this kind of vice. They should look for something to do as a means of livelihood; maybe business. If they succeed this time, they may not succeed at other times. So, I definitely know that someday, the law will catch up with them.

May 30, 2014
Subsidising luxury in Akwa Ibom

Akwa Ibom State Governor Obong Godswill Akpabio is a populist. The architect of Uncommon Transformation craves attention and gets it. One of such populist decisions he once took but which backfired concerns Arik Air’s flight operations to the airport in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. The state was subsiding this luxury, which, in its opinion, would aid the growth in the area but disagreements over accounts’ reconciliation has put that asunder.

A government source was quoted by an online report as saying: “Arik Air was collecting money for empty seats each time it came in or left Ibom International Airport.

“The ticket subsidy ran into hundreds of thousands of Naira on a daily basis with so many people feeding fat on it.

“At a point, Arik still insisted on collecting money from the government, even when its seats were fully booked and paid for by travelers but the government would not succumb to the blackmail.”

However, there is another luxury being subsidised by the state government which has not yet gone awry. This particular one concerns movie watching at a cinema in the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre in the state capital. Highly rated films, such as ‘Devil in the detail’ and ‘Finding Love’, are being viewed for just N250. In Lagos, these films are shown for N2, 000 or N1, 500 depending on the area and in Calabar, each of them goes for no less than N1,000. Give or take, Akwa Ibom is subsidising with about N750, 000, using Calabar as standard.

Akpabio officially inaugurated the centre yesterday. The Cineplex is the cinema aspect of the Ibom Tropicana with six cinema halls. It also boasts six 250-seater cinemas within the Ibom Tropicana Entertainment Centre. Other distinctive features of the Ibom Tropicana project include 15-storey five star Hotel with 250 bedrooms, International Standard Theme Park with Water Falls, 10,000-seater Dome/ Conference Centre, complementary services Monorail / Mini Disney and Shopping Mall.

Initially, N100 was charged at the cinema. After stabilising the centre and ensuring enough traffic flow of people, the rate was increased to N250 while the state government is still stabilising the amount.

During one of his visits to the centre, Akpabio explained that the state government is subsidising the centre to encourage the low income earners enjoy one of the best facilities of the state government.

Akpabio admitted that the economy of the state has not developed to the extent where the low income earners would be spending N1,500 in watching a movie.

Corroborating the governor’s stance, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Emmanuel Enoidem, who conducted reporters round the 4,000-square-metre shopping mall, said the two-floor shopping mall is divided into 65 different specialised shops and attached to the long completed Cineplex, managed by Silverbird Group.

According to Enoidem, the shopping mall is iconic in style and endowed with world-class aesthetic features.

His words: “The mall and a Cineplex, which will contain several types of retail shops, eateries, coffee shops, five cinemas, as well as atriums, will include a kindergarten facility to assist parents in their daily activities, as well as staff working in the mall and others. The retail facilities will be selected to reduce competition.

“It is expected to attract world-class retailers such as Marks and Spencer, Maey’s and additional home appliances supermarkets, an office depot store, office and residential furniture show rooms.”

The commissioner, who explained that the project is to be completed in phases, also used the occasion to announce the state government’s preparedness to inaugurate another unique feature of the entertainment centre –a 250-rooms 5-Star hotel on September 23, 2014.

Good project, no doubt. But, people should pay if they want to watch movies. Luxury should not be subsidised.

May 30, 2014
Criss-crossing Cross River

It was the second day you arrived in Calabar, the Cross River State capital with a reputation for having zero tolerance for indiscriminate dumping of refuse. You remembered Lagos, your base, that microscopy of Nigeria and the indiscriminate way residents litter everywhere.

The night you arrived you had gone with your host and some colleagues to see ‘Devil in the detail’, in which a wife made it clear to her husband that she was entitled to his fidelity just like he was to hers. It was at the Marina Resort, a beautiful resort with a cinema and other entertainment centres. The resort, you were told, is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative.

Your last two visits were short and not much time to see and feel Calabar.

On the second day, you were taken to see what you have chosen to see as the future of Calabar. It is called Summit Hills. On the Hills, you saw a Golf Course and Golf Clubhouse under construction; you saw an international convention centre with an adjoining Four Points by Sheraton Hotel also under construction, both with huge capacity to host the world; you also saw the site of a monorail to link Summit Hills with Tinapa, that entertainment, shopping and leisure centre. The rail will bring Tinapa closer to Calabar metropolis, you were told.

February 2015 is the opening date for the Calabar International Convention Centre (CICC) sandwiched within a Free Trade Zone. Governor Liyel Imoke’s dream is for the CICC to turn Calabar to “West Africa’s business and event destination of choice”. The Hills also boasts of the Calabar Specialist Hospital, a collaboration with foreign partners meant to encourage medical tourism on completion. There are also layouts with infrastructures already in place for people to build homes.

Done with the Hills, you and others were taken to the new Margaret Ekpo Airport Bye Pass, a sizeable portion of which sits on a swamp. The road has increased land value to millions from the initial thousands. It has also reduced time to the Margaret Ekpo International Airport considerably.

On the third day, you joined others on a trip to Ikom, a three-hour drive from Calabar. There were to be stops here and there. The long stretch leading to Odukpani junction was taken over by heavy duty vehicles for reasons no one could explain. Many of them facing one-way. Around the junction leading to Tinapa, your convoy almost got stuck but snaked its way out after losing precious time. It reminded you of Apapa-Oshodi Epressway.

After crawling out of the gridlock, driving was smooth. At a point, you passed a massive palm plantation cultivated by Wilmer International, a global brand in oil palm plantation based in Malaysia, which over three decades ago got its first palm oil seedlings from Calabar. The farm located in Akamkpa is so big a colleague exclaimed: “You could get lost here.”

You and other members of the team had a stop at the oil palm farm and were briefed by an official of Wilmer who confessed that the oil palm seeds were imported from Indonesia but that they originally were taken from Calabar several decades ago. He added that they had been improved upon. The farm also has a refinery for the oil palm and an oil palm mill. Residential quaters are also springing up.

You were told the land was only leased to Wilmer for 25 years and renewable after. All things being equal. You later had a stopover at the Cross River State College of Education, which had literally gone into extinction before Imoke. Many a new structure has found space courtesy of the governor.

The journey to Ikom began once again. After over one hour of driving and sleeping and gisting, you and others stopped again at the Songhai Integrated Farm located in Itigidi, Imoke’s village. You were told an hotel would be built to complete the farm and create room for recreation. It reminded you of the Songhai Farm in Port Novo owned and run by a Nigerian, where people visit as a resort. This is what Cross River also has in sight.

The next stop was a brand new vocational and technical education centre. You were told the construction work was started some eight months ago and several buildings were already standing and looking radiant. It is called Institute of Technology and Management (ITM), Ugep in Yarkur, the hometown of the late Okoi Arikpo, a First Republic Minister.

The Rural Development Agency, a government agency, the team learnt, had done not less than 500km of road. In all, the agency, said an official, has done 36 roads in the rural areas. Two roads each in the 18 local government areas in the state, an official said. One of these roads done with counterpart funding with the African Development Bank has opened a community where the people used to go through hell before getting to their homes where they were greeted with ‘sorry’ for making it safely.

The Rural Access Mobility (RAM) has also done some rural roads.

Eventually, you were in Ikom, where you saw the Water Treatment Plant and the Specialist Hospital. The hospital is still under construction. The water comes from the Cross River. Before the plant, people were drinking from unsafe sources. You later saw the Ikom Stadium, which is nearing completion.

The last day of the tour began in Ogoja, where the team passed the night after the Ikom rounds. You saw the Bebi Airstrip and other projects of the Imoke administration in the Ogoja division. And thus ended a memorable trip to this state which borders Cameroun on many a front.

And now the final take: exactly a year from now, Imoke will be out of the Government House leaving behind a legacy of projects that will define Cross River’s tomorrow. All hands must be on deck to ensure the plans are not derailed because opportunities lost, most times, are never regained.

May 30, 2014
Akwa Ibom Attorney-General joins race to succeed Akpabio

The Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State, Mr Ekpeyong has declared his intention to succeed Governor Godswill Akpabio in 2015.

His declaration came against the background of intense campaign by the Oron people to produce the governor in 2015 and heightened speculations that Ekpeyong, was the chosen candidate of incumbent governor.

Ntekim said: “With the massive infrastructural interventions of the last few years bearing desired fruits in the crescendo to which Akwa Ibom State has been justifiably raised, both friends and foes are watching to see whether, as a people, we have the resolve to continue to faithfuly completion the uncommon transformation agenda or would be tired by political inexpediency and naivety. Make no mistake; the progress so far made is as significant as the task ahead is onerous.”

He expressed confidence in his ability to achieve the goal of successful continuity in an atmosphere of shared sacrifice and efforts, adding, “I trust in our capacity to rise to the occasion. Over the past several months, I have been encouraged to give unremitting thought to seeking the mandate to be the governor of Akwa Ibom State in 2015. This has now graduated to a commanding course of action that I am to sedulously pursue. Therefore, in the days, weeks and months ahead, I look forward to consulting with the leadership of my party, the Peoples Democratic Party and the good people of Akwa Ibom State at different forums to discuss, with unmitigated determination and steadfastness, my thoughts and plans for Akwa Ibom State, if it pleases God, to whom power belongs, to favour me with its grant.”

Meanwhile, the Akwa Ibom Progressive Front (ABPF) has commended Ntekim’s decision to vie for the governorship election of the state in 2015 and canvassed support for his candidacy.

The group, which membership cuts across the three senatorial districts in the state, described Ntekim as the most suitable candidate to continue with the uncommon transformation agenda of Governor Godswill Akpabio.

Speaking to newsmen in Uyo, the state capital, the leader of the group, Mr. Okon Asuquo disclosed that after serious consideration, Ntekim has finally agreed to join the governorship race on account of public pressure on him to run.

Asuquo said Ntekim’s decision to join the governorship race was also informed by the outcome of several consultations with stakeholders across the state and beyond.

On Ntekim’s suitability for governor, Asuquo said: “He has been a two-time Attorney-General in a single administration, the only former PDP state chairman who voluntarily resigned from office, former state chairman of All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), former state Treasurer of Social DFemocratic Party (SDP), former Bank Director and NBA Chairman, among others.”

May 30, 2014
Jagbe…Edo community in dire need of development

Residents of Jagbe, a sleepy community in Etsako West Local Government Area of Edo State, are in a dilemma with the coming of another rainy season. They need the rains for their crops but the rains will also hinder their movement.

Jagbe can be accessed through Ewu, Agbede and Ibore but the roads are not motorable, especially during the rains.

The most common means of transportation is the motorcycle because of the rough and hilly terrains. Due to lack of access road, the predominantly Muslim Community cannot take its farm produce to the Benin-Abuja highway since there is no market in the community.

The newly installed solar- powered street lights by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at Imiokhono Village is, perhaps, the only facility that reminds the people of to a government’s presence.

A road leading to the community from Agbede being constructed by the NDDC seems to have been abandoned.

Some elders told Niger Delta Report that the primary school in the community has only two teachers because others refused to stay owing to lack of infrastructure and amenities.

The Odionwele (traditional head) of Afokpoma Quarters in Imiokhono, Pa Sadiku Ogienagbon, said water and quality healthcare delivery services, are among the challenges facing the community.

He said water did not flow from a project executed by the state government in 2012.

His words: “Coming to Jagbe is a big problem because there is no access road. We are appealing to the state government to come to our aid for us to be able to access our villages. Water is a major problem; the government had a borehole sunk over one year ago but it is not functioning.

“I am appealing to Governor Oshiomhole to make it possible for the borehole to start functioning again. We all want development. We don’t have a market, a better school. No teacher wants to come here because of the road. The teachers do not want to come.”

Another elder, Shaibu Usman said: “The clinic we have here does not have drugs most times. Our women always return home without drugs. They always told us that drugs are not available. We have two teachers at the primary school at Jagbe. We have to employ teachers ourselves. At the secondary school, there are no teachers. NDDC constructed only two kilometres of the road and left. We have not seen them since.”

A native, Mohammed Suleiman, said they had tried through self-efforts to develop the community.

“All the water board have collapsed. We have been deceived by politicians. Our road is not passable, especially during the rainy season. We have been talking to them but there has been no response. It is only those with jeeps and heavy duty cars that can access this community,” he said.

A retired journalist, Alhaji Abdul Adams, said: “We have been paying teachers to teach our children. We are suffering, especially in terms of access road. We saw solar-powered street light recently but we do not know those responsible for it.”

For another native of the area, Mustapha Usman, “there is no way you enter this community without wasting a lot of time. From here to Ewu, Agbede and Ogbalo-Ibore, all the roads are blocked. Schools are here but the teachers are not here. They do not want to stay. The school is almost empty. We have many food but we cannot take them to the market. The money our women will bring home is very small because so many agents are on the way.”

May 30, 2014
Bayelsa community’s unending war with Agip

There is no doubt that the relationship between the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and its host community in Okoroba Kingdom, Nembe Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, has broken down.

The bone of contention has been the massive oil spill that occurred in the kingdom on February 16th from a facility belonging to the company. The spillage which occurred along the BRASS/OGODA pipeline within pillar 14 and 16 was said to have affected adjoining land within pillar 17 -27 in the kingdom.

Okoroba community has been a host to Agip since 1971 following occupation of massive expanse of land by the company. The multi-national was said to have recently re-acquired the land after the expiration of the existing tenancy agreement.

The Izagara and Agum are said to be the two families hosting Agip and have been in good terms with the company over the years despite the existence of what many people described as a master-servant relationship based on the company’s policies.

But things have fallen apart. The host has been in a running battle with Agip accusing the company of showing total contempt and disregard to the various Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it entered with the community.

The most recent spill has widen the gulf between Agip and its host. The community through its lawyer, Mr. Gift Douglas, said the devastating spill was caused by equipment failure.

Gift said: “It has occasioned untold hardship to the people of Okoroaba and their environment. Our environment which is the only source of our survival is now rendered impotent. Hunger and water borne diseases is looming in our various fishing settlements”.

He accused the company of practising double standard and using divide-and-rule tactics to deal with the issues resulting from the spill. He maintained that the strategy was aimed at causing crisis between the community and its neighbours.

He said: “We totally condemn the deployment of double standard and the introduction of the divide and rule tactics in the resolving of the issues that is associated with the spill. We wish to state that NAOC will fail in its mission to ignite communal crisis with our brothers.”

He insisted that Agip’s style was pitting the community against their Agrisaba neighbours. According to him the motive of the company was to create communal crisis between them and their neighbours.

He, however, said: “We want a life of peace and harmony with our neighbours regardless of their unprovoked deployment of instrument of violence and instrument of death. It is our desire to leave with our brothers in a brotherly understanding to avoid unnecessary strife.

“We have carefully studied the development and the drama that is orchestrated by NAOC to caused breach of public peace that will eventually snowball into full scale war.

“We have opted not to engage in a fruitless battle with our brothers just because of oil. The company is aware of the real owners of the land they acquired in 1971/72 and the communities need not intervene to determine the real owners except where there is grave injustice.

“We totally condemn the deployment of double standards and the introduction of divide-and-rule tactics in the resolution of the issues that are associated with the spill. We wish to state that Agip will fail in its mission to ignite war with or brothers, the Agrisaba people.”

He said Agip deployed a contractor to clean up the impacted site with over 50 armed youths. He said 20 of the youths brandished AK47, rifles and double barrel guns. He said others were armed with single locally made pistol and various instrument of violent and death.

“The youths used these instruments to harass our youths and chiefs that visited the site to protest and ask the contractor to leave the site till the meeting to determine the issues surrounding the relief materials and ownership are settled”, he alleged.

Douglas appealed to the police and the Department of State Security (DSS) to act on a petition the community wrote shortly after the spill which was dated March 6.

He said the security agencies received the petition and sent acknowledgement dated April 23 to the community. “We urge the security agencies to swing into action by acting on the petition we wrote immediately the spill ocurred dated 6th march.

“The company should be held responsible for any crisis, death, injury, arson that may arise as a result of the company’s decision to orchestrate violence by supporting the use of arms by its agents”, he said.

He urged security agencies to arrest the boys and their sponsors to forestall strife and violence in the community.

Douglas said the company should be held responsible for any crisis, death, injury, arson that could arise from the strategy employed bybthe company to deal with the situation.

The community through its lawyer said: “We urge the Nigerian Agip oil company to tell the world the owners of pillar 14-16 and the exact location of the spill. It is worrisome that the company has resorted to abandoning its documents and data that clearly indicate the owners of the land they acquired in 1971/72.

“We wish to ask if the documents are no longer valid? Is there any recent acquisition that the Okoroba people land was acquired and ceded to to Agip by another community?

“We demand the immediate withdrawal of the contractor from the site and call for the sanction of the contractor for the use of armed men to carry out a clean-up in a land that does not belong to them.

“The development is reminiscent of what happened in Ogoni land and some communities in the Niger Delta region. It is believe that we will not engage in any battle neither we will encourage the use of violence in resolving our grievances.

“This philosophy necessitated the writing of over twenty letters to Agip and the various agencies of government. We demand a joint visit to the site to ascertain the pillars’ locations and the impact of the spill on Agum family whose land is negatively impacted by the raving crude aided by the heavy rainfall.

“The Agum family is not laying claim of ownership to the spill point but it has affected its land and adjoining lands. We wish to state that the Izagara family owned the land that the spill occurred and the judgment of the court is very clear over the issue of the ownership of the land supported by the various acquisition documents that the legal and land department are purview to and therefore the issue of the ownership need not arise neither did the company need not feign ignorance of the judgment of 2007 that the company was first defendant in the suit.

“We demand a comprehensive and holistic approach in the cleanup of our battered ecosystem within the acceptable international standard as we will not compromised our source of survival for any form of porridge.

“It is, therefore, obligatory for a post impact assessment and remediation activities to restore the environmental genocide visited on our people and the environment.

“We demand for adequate compensation for the damages and losses that we have suffered as a result of the nuisance. The issue of adequate compensation and prompt payment is non negotiable.

“We demand for a full scale probe of some element within the company bent on falsifying the records and misrepresent the true picture and state of affairs. We are reviewing the prospect of getting justice within Nigeria and have consulted with our partners within Nigeria and Europe to instituted action in Italy the parent company home land.”

When contacted, the Health and Environmental Safety Department of Agip said they were not in position to respond to the media.

An official, who gave his name simply as Amaechi, simply said: “It is not within our purview to respond to the media. So I am sorry. You should contact the Public Affairs Department.”

Several calls to the Head of Public Affairs Department ended in: “Your call is being forwarded.”

May 23, 2014
Akwa Abasi Ibom State

You may wonder which one is Akwa Abasi Ibom State. You are right. It means the same as Akwa Ibom State, which is governed by Obong Godswill Akpabio.

We understand that left to an average Akwa Ibom person, they would have preferred their state to be known as Akwa Abasi Ibom State, which means God’s own state. But the need to shorten the name led to the removal of Abasi.

These are interesting times in Akwa Ibom. Akpabio is concluding his tour of duty as governor and the race to succeed him has put the state on the edge. It is a race that has piched the different ethnic groupings in the state almost against each other. It has also seen men who were some months back Akpabio’s buddies turning against him.

Almost no day passes without one news item or advertorial appearing in the media about the hot race for Akwa Ibom. All kinds of organisations hitherto unknown to the state are springing up and with one agenda: 2015.

There has been atleast one instance of attempted assassination of a contender for the governorship seat. The state Executive Council has seen members being axed for suspicion of working against the governor’s agenda to give the slot to Eket senatorial district, a move any say is aimed at installing his Secretary to the State Government.

Akpabio has not publicly acknowledged who his choice for a successor is. His SSG, Udom Emmanuel, is believed to be the joker. On this account, heads have rolled. Commissioner for Finance Bassey Akpan and Commissioner for Rural Development Effiong Abia were sacked in what observers say is a continuation of the intense politicking in the build up to the 2015 elections. The governor also approved the immediate removal of the chairmen of some Boards of government parastatals and agencies. They include those for Akwa Ibom Property and Investment Company Limited (APICO), Sunny Udom; Akwa Ibom Water Company Limited (AKWCL), Patrick Ifon; Akwa Ibom Newspaper Corporation (AKNC), Dan Akai; and Akwa Ibom Broadcasting Corporation (AKBC), Alex Nyong. The Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Management Board (AKEPMB), John Asikpo; and that of Akwa Ibom State Agency for Community and Social Development, Tony Esu, were also sacked.

The decision to sack the commissioners and the aides, explained the government, was “in view of the need to re invigorate the machinery of government and drive further the Uncommon Transformation Programmes of the state.”

When Akpabio, who was then Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, first ran in 2007, his then boss, Obong Victor Attah, was not behind him. Attah preferred Bob Ekarika, his son-in-law. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who was then the president, favoured Akpabio and he won. Attah was persuaded to nominate a deputy andhe chose Patrick Ekpotu, who was his former Commissioner for Information. Ekpotu did not last long. Two others have since occupied the state.

Like there was so much heat then, there are so much heat now. Perhaps more than 2007. It may even get worse as 2015 draws closer. Before the end of the year, candidates for the 2015 elections must ahve emerged. And Akwa Ibom is oen of those places to watch.

However, Abasi’s wish must be allowed to prevail in His state. Personal ambitions must not be allowed to take pre-eminence over the overall interest.

May 23, 2014
Politician, ex-lover fight over love-child

A member of the Delta State Waste Management Board, Hope Ajibor, is enmeshed in a messy legal battle with his ex-lover, Success Makeleme, over the paternity of a love-child.

Besides doubts over the paternity of the love-child, the former lovers are also fighting over custody of the six-year-old Emmanuella.

The former lovers, who both hail from Oghara in Delta State, were said to have started an affair in 2007, which supposedly resulted to the birth of Emmanuella in 2008.

In a suit filed at the Oghara Magistrate Court, Ajibor is seeking the court leave to grant him custody of the child; while in another suit, he also sought the court leave for a DNA test of Emmanuella to determine her paternity.

It was gathered that trouble started between the former lovers when the mother of the child picked her up from the Nigerian Navy Primary School, Oghara, in April when the school was about to go on vacation. It was allegedly done without the knowledge of the school authorities.

It was learnt that the action of Success infuriated Ajibor, who had earlier informed the school authorities that the child was in his custody pending the determination of a suit filed at the Oghara Magistrate Court.

Ajibor was said to have petitioned the Naval authorities at Oghara alleging that his daughter was missing from their school.

In a counter petition to the Divisional Police Headquarters at Oghara, Success alleged that Hope refused to provide necessary and essential basic needs for the baby’s education but that she forgave him when he surfaced to accept the baby.

In the petition, she explained that she was in custody of her daughter and wondered why the naval authorities were still searching for her daughter.

She disclosed that she decided to take her daughter from the school because Ajibor allegedly refused to return Emmanuella to her following a five-day temporary visit she granted him to be with the child.

Backing her daughter’s assertion, Success’ mother, Dora, in a chat with our reporter, said her daughter had the baby outside wedlock after being promised marriage by Ajibor and wondered why he would want custody of a child he is doubting the paternity.

She said: “This man deceived my daughter. He impregnated her and I did not know him. I did not see the man again even after she delivered. The man did not come. It was my daughter that named the daughter. We don’t know anything about the man called Hope.

“We were surprised that the man came and said he wanted the child after five years. My daughter gave him the girl for mid-term holiday but he did not return the girl. The police should release our daughter. This man has disrespected our family,” she added.

Success was arrested by the police following complaints by naval officials that a pupil was abducted at their school. The Head Teacher of the Navy Primary School, Oghara, Lt E. J Envuladu said the child was taken by the mother without the knowledge of the school authorities and that they needed to return her to the father.

The court has, however, granted leave for the conduct of a DNA test to prove the paternity of Emmanuella but Success, in a counter-affidavit, dropped a bombshell saying, Ajibor is not the father. She said Ajibor should not dissipate his energy or money to find out about a child that does not belong to him.

Success, in the petition, said Ajibor lacked the right to press charges against her since he was not the biological father of the child.

In his reaction, Hope explained that he was responsible for the care of the child since birth.

He said he decided to take custody of the child because the mother was using her to extort money from him and for him to provide quality education for the daughter.

Ajibor stated that he opted for DNA to be sure that the child was his biologically.

At the time of this report, the embattled mother had been released from police custody.

May 23, 2014
Cross River North’ll produce PDP flagbearer, says party chair

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Ntufam John Okon, who recently marked two years in office, spoke with reporters on the journey so far. He also spoke of some of the controversies surrounding the party, especially as election year, 2015 approaches. NICHOLAS KALU was there.

You just marked two years in office. How has it been steering the party so far?

When we took off, what we did immediately was to deepen internal democracy in the party. That was one of the goals I set out to achieve. My team all agreed to that. We also wanted to ensure that gender issues are brought to the centre so that our women that form a bulk of the population are also carried along. We also wanted to ensure that we educate our people through programmes so that they know what democracy is all about and how party management should be done. We promised not to disappoint but consolidate the victory in PDP by ensuring that we work hard and not take Cross Riverians for granted, knowing that whatever we do affects them and we continue to maintain a good relationship with our people in the state. We looked at the list we met, the election at the ward, local government levels and so on. That we came in does not mean we came to throw away what we inherited because we felt that our own governance must be continuous from where we took over. When they were challenges we were able to harmonize them and that is why we were able to inaugurate state wide our ward and chapter structures all around. We have been able to sustain these structures. We have also introduced the senatorial caucuses and these are very important to us because in the state exco we had to abide by the party constitution and ensure that those structures are there to help us drive the political process. There is no way me and my colleagues here would sit down and drive the process, so we had the structure in the northern, central and southern senatorial districts inaugurated.

There was an instance in 2011 elections when a civil servant, Patrick Iwara, resigned and was granted a waiver. Is there a possibility of this for other civil servants too?

Now you are coming to the issue. If you are honest and you want it, you apply to us. It is us that recommend, but we also have the right not to recommend. If we granted to Patrick Iwara, it does not mean we have to grant to everybody. For Iwara if you know him has always been part of the political establishment in the state, even when he was here with Donald Duke, his contribution to the party is well known. I don’t know what informed the former administration to do that. But when we reach the bridge, we would see how to cross it.

We hear you have taken party registers from different local government areas and wards to the governor’s house?

The register is with my secretary. I don’t know where you are having your information. The party secretary has custody of those registers. People are just so afraid of everything. It is in the secretariat. We have not removed it to anywhere, but people have a right to speculate.

Would you say you are presiding over a united PDP, because now you see people who were once inside the family being so far away?

I think we are united, but you see human nature is to forget the past. You know there are some people that if you don’t favour them now it seems as if the world has ended. There are people who have gained so much and for one thing or the other another person is brought up and you start grumbling. The party is dynamic and if there are people that do not want to accept this and they are knocking their heads on the wall, so be it. But it is not going to affect the cohesiveness of the party. I would not pretend to you that in this party there would be no such challenges, but what I am trying to say is that we are out to build a strong party, a viable party that would be able to withstand these kinds of problems.

If you are not with us now and work against us, we would pick you out and remove you from the party, so that when you come back you come and line up from the beginning again.

The PDP has agreed to zone the governorship next year to the northern senatorial district, but there are speculations that party members from south, from which you are a leader, are moving to upturn zoning arrangement. Is this true?

Let me assure you that democracy is a game of numbers and interests. People have interests and you cannot stop anybody from having interests. The important thing is that the party has taken its stand and is for me as a party chairman to ensure that I drive that process to the end. I can assure you, I belong to the southern caucus, even before I became a party chairman, the south has made it openly clear it is going to the north. The leader of the southern district, who is also the leader of the caucus here openly, told everybody that as far as he was concerned, he was part of the decision that agreed that power should go to the north. He made it clear the south can never be against the decision of the party. But if people want to try the water, we would wait for them. So far nobody has come out and tell us they want to. All I can assure that it has been zoned to the north and the party would follow democratic process to achieve that goal.

Let me assure you that no matter how many candidates come from the north, a Cross Riverian of northern origin would emerge in the party as our flag bearer. Cross River State is on a journey that has a blueprint since 1998 to develop this state. Donald carried it to a high level, Imoke came in and carried it on to bring the state out of the doldrums.

May 23, 2014