The Nation Newspaper

Category: Niger Delta

  • How Navy rescued me, by doctor

    How Navy rescued me, by doctor

    George Matthew Ela, a medical doctor in the employ of the Rivers State government, has narrated how officers of the Nigerian Navy rescued him from the hands of abductors. He said God did a miracle in his life during the one-hour exchange of bullets between his abductors and officers of Nigerian Navy, who, he said, rained several bullets on the kidnappers’ vehicle in which he was blindfolded.

    Dr. Ela, who was kidnapped about a month ago at Chinda Street, off Ada-George Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, was released the same day after being handed over to the police for investigation.

    Ela told Niger Delta Report that he had no problem or disagreement with anybody before he was abducted.

    He said: “I cannot remember anybody that I will say I am having problem or quarrelling with. So, I don’t know who is after me. A lot of people who know me can attest to it that I am very simple and gentle medical doctor. I have no business with people than my humanitarian service, which is my contribution to humanity. “

    Ela said he came to Chinda Street to pick his mother-in-law in the morning when he was picked by his abductors.

    He said: “I don’t reside at Chindah but came to the area to pick my mother-in-law. We had an appointment I was supposed to take her somewhere that morning. That was why I left home on time, when I got there. I parked at the road waiting for her to join me at the car.

    “Surprisingly, the next thing I saw was two haughty armed men demanding that I should give them my car key. Of course, I did. They dragged me out of my car and pushed me into their car. They quickly blindfolded me; that was when I realised that they were not after my car or to rob me of the little cash I had but to kidnap me.”

    He said at that point he thought life had ended, considering the kinds of arms at the kidnappers’ disposal.

    At this point, I was not seeing anything. I was only using my brain to calculate where they are taking me to. But barely 15 minutes after my abductors zoomed off, I had them saying reverse: ‘Police! Police.’ That was how I sensed that police were after them but I didn’t know it was Navy officers. Then I had a siren; even when the gunmen entered inside the street, I also noticed because I could sense the turning of the car. A minute after the turning of the car, I heard a gunshot released by my abductors, which made the Navy officers to retaliate in a full force. There was a steady raining of bullets on the vehicle and I was still inside the car. Then, I laid flat on the vehicle and I also sensed that there is a confusion and scamper for safety by my abductors. After that, I noticed I was alone in the vehicle blindfolded. Even at that, I didn’t know what to do next but I really know they jumped out of the vehicle but I tried to be careful before stepping out of the car.

    “When the gunfire ceased, I came out of the car with my two hands up; it was then I found out men of the Nigerian Navy were in a convoy when my abductors ran into them. They untied me and took me to Navy Base where I was interrogated, of course, for them I was a suspect. But before they took me to Navy Base for interrogation, my wife has already contacted the chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, my colleagues and friends in the state. So, that made the interrogation a bit easy because those contacted by my wife started calling the Navy and the police identifying me as a medical doctor before I was handed over to the police for further investigation.”

    Dr. Ela said as an Adventist he would continue to serve the God for rescuing him from the hands of enemies. He added that his escaped, especially in the hand of death was demonstrated when he came out alive from a vehicle that was hit several with bullets. He also said his escape is a miracle and a way God may have decided to reward him for his contribution to humanity.

    Ela, who is also the founding President of Edogh Abuan Development Association, said: “I think with what has just happened to me, we will be more proactive, especially in the area, holding seminars and enlightenment programme for the youths because we cannot depend on government in everything. Something has to be done, especially in Rivers State where political crisis has made many youths to be violent-minded. The government, family and the society must contribute their own quota to minimise crime in the society. The youths are going astray and nobody is talking. Those who got the opportunity to lead us in this country must be creative to provide employment to the teeming youths of this country. The parents on their own must look after their children while they are growing up and try as much as they can to give them the basic education and I believe this will reduce crime in the society. I want to use this opportunity to thank the Navy officers for saving my life.”

     

     

     

  • My accident has united Edo, says Imansuangbon

    After surviving a road accident on November 13, last year,  the proprietor and chairman of Abuja-based Pace Setters Group of Schools, Kenneth Imansuangbon, was at the Rev. Felix Omobude-led New Covenant Gospel Church, Benin, Edo State for thanksgiving. The Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant spoke with reporters after the service. Sunday Oguntola was there.

    Congratulations for surviving the accident. Were there any premonitions?

    Yes. I knew somehow that there were evil persons who were not happy with what I was doing for the masses. I felt somehow that they were not happy with the good I am doing, like sharing rice, giving scholarships, sponsoring essay competitions, football competitions in Edo and across the country, reaching out to widows and orphans and so on.

    I knew that some people don’t like such good things. But there are also some people that love it. Each time I do such things, it is because of my faith in God. The background I came from is very poor. I lost my father in 1983. From that point in time, mama (my mother) toiled day and night to provide for our needs.

    Mama trained me with black cloth (mourning attires). I am the first of six children. My mother, Elizabeth Imansuangbon, is a wonderful woman; very resilient and courageous. When my father died, she didn’t abandon us to marry another man. She was very beautiful. She stood by me. I actually benefited from the sympathy of the public. So, that is why you see me giving. I can give my knickers, shoes and even pant and go naked without batting an eyelid.

    It is believed you are into all these humanitarian activities to win elections. How do you react to this?

    It is in my DNA to have sympathy on the poor. If they know where I am coming from, they would know that nothing can be farther from the truth. My guiding principle is that politics should have face of humanity.

    When I give, I give selflessly. Even when I give, I can do it in pains. There are certain things you give even when you don’t have. But you’re constrained to give because you could see the weakness and begging of the people with their eyes and with their body languages.

    So, you’re left with no option but to bend over backward to give. At times, I feel pain. It is not easy to give. At times, I feel, this money that I am giving, would I not keep it for me children? Or why don’t I use it buy big cars, expensive wristwatches and to build a big house? This house I live in (in Benin) is a rented apartment.

    What are the lessons you have learnt from that accident?

    That life is a vanity. It’s like a vapour. November 14, I would have died were it not for the mercies of God. Life is very frail and temporal. On November 13, I was coming from Akure where I went for the burial of my very good friend, Deji Falae. Deji had died. Back home, I was almost gone. But the finger of God stopped death and Satan and gave me life. God said, ‘No, touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm.’ That was what saved me.

    I must say that as a result of the accident, two things have happened. I have taken two decisions. As a result of this accident, I would hold on to God the more, serve Him better than ever, serve the community and the people.

    I will serve Edo people, serve Nigeria and serve the world. Let me also add that the accident has brought unity to the state. It has synergised PDP and APC. And because of that safety, Edo people are together now. The safety God granted me has bonded the two dominant political parties (APC and PDP) in the state. The governor and I are friends now. We’re brothers.

    Everybody is one now. The accident that almost claimed my life has unified Edo people. What makes Edo strong is not PDP. What makes Edo strong is not APC. What makes Edo strong is not the rich oil or vegetation in the state. What makes Edo strong is the spirit of forgiveness, the spirit of unity, the spirit that I can criticise the Comrade Governor, and the next day, he can come to my thanksgiving. That’s love.

    You rose from rag to riches from grass to grace. What was the turning point?

    From Ewohinmi, my mother would come to Benin when I was in ICE, wearing black clothes. I am sorry to say this but parts of our culture are unfriendly and unkind to woman. If a woman loses her spouse, for three years, she is made to wear black clothes. She would come to Benin with her black clothes to give me foodstuff and other necessities.

    For me, I knew that the only way was to succeed. I would tell her, ‘Mama, don’t worry. If it pleases the God Almighty, the end would justify the means.’ In all, today, I am grateful to God and to my mother. Also, I have a very great wife, Kate. She is like a bulwark. She is my brain. God gave me a good partner. Whatever I am today, she is very instrumental to it. And she is a God-fearing woman.

    Is it true you weep anytime you travel overseas?

    The first time I got to the US, I was crying. I wept. The American Customs office asked why I was crying. I told him I was crying because I didn’t know why my country was not like this. Where did we miss it as a people?

    That was actually what triggered my interest in politics. That was the reason I said no matter the hazards in politics, some of us are ready to live and die for what we believe in to make a change in our country. This change is coming. This change will come. This change is here.

  • Undergraduate employs graduates in dance academy

    Undergraduate employs graduates in dance academy

    Twenty-two years old Marie Bassey is a student of the University of Benin where she is studying Industrial Chemistry. As an undergraduate, she has already employed two graduates in a dance academy she founded three years ago. The dance academy known as Marie Dance Academy is located within the premises of the Church of God Mission founded by late Arch Bishop Benson Idahosa.

    Two winners of the Nigeria Got Talents show, little Amarachi and robotic dancing sensation, the Robots for Christ were tutored at the academy.

    Marie’s love for dancing began at age seven when she joined other kids to dance in the church which later helped to develop her dancing skills.

    She told reporters in Benin City that she started the academy with N80,000 proceeds she realised from the sale of birds she reared. She said her parents initially kicked against her decision to take to dancing as a career but started supporting her when she was able to blend her studies with dancing.

    “I am an only child and it is difficult when your parents expect so much and you tell them you want to dance. I told my father I love dancing but he did’nt approve of it. It was my mum that was always sneaking me out of the house and encouraged me to dance. I made sure I stuck a balance between dancing and my books. When he saw my grades improved, that was when he started supporting me. It wss when Amarachi won the first N10 million and I told him this was what came out from dancing and he was like ‘you should dance more’. After Robot for Christ won recently, he has been calling on me to dance more. When I sold the birds, I just started. I didn’t know what I was doing but at the end, it made sense.

    “I opened as a result of the help I got from the Bishop. I talked to him about my passion for dancing and how I love to train kids and teenagers. He encouraged me to do that. I found this space that was empty. I removed all the trash and fixed the studio as a dance studio. Winners of Nigeria Got Talent show in 2012 and 2014 are from this academy which is why I want people to know about the achievements of the academy and also encourage younger generation to take to dancing as a career. Dancing is a huge investment waiting to be harnessed.”

    The duo of Robot for Christ, Etiosa Ewere and Efe Nosa, both students of the Benson Idahosa University said their lives have changed since they won the N10 million prize money of the show.

     

     

  • Even in Abuja, Mbu continues battle with Amaechi

    Even in Abuja, Mbu continues battle with Amaechi

    the ex-Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Mbu Joseph Mbu, in spite of his transfer to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja as commissioner, is still unsparing in his attack of Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the Rivers Government.

    Till Mbu’s redeployment, Amaechi, maintained that the Cross River State-born police officer is a politician and card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), thereby taking sides.

    In an interview in Abuja, the controversial police commissioner declared that the officials of the Rivers government were hiding in vehicles with tinted glasses to perpetrate criminal activities.

    Mbu insisted that he remained a professional police officer, not a politician and not taking sides, while describing Amaechi as a tyrant and a dictator, who wanted him to be his errand boy.

    The Rivers government, however, described the ex-Rivers commissioner of police as a tout, who would fail psychiatric evaluation.

    By moving Mbu out of Rivers, it was alleged by the Amaechi’s administration that his ego had been battered and now looking for how to amend it.

    The Rivers government, through the Commissioner for Land and Survey, Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi, stated in Port Harcourt that the ex-Rivers police commissioner ignored professionalism and acted like a politician, while in Rivers state.

    Ezekiel-Amadi, who is an ally of the NGF chairman, declared that Mbu must be sick, for stating that officials of the Rivers government were hiding in vehicles with tinted glasses to perpetrate criminal activities.

    The land and survey commissioner said: “If I describe him (Mbu) as a lunatic, then I am definitely describing who a lunatic should be. Here is a man, who 13,000 newly-recruited teachers had gone to collect their letters of engagement and he went there and shot teargas canisters at them.

    “Here is a man who claimed that he is a professional and that he has the powers to either grant approval for rallies under the Public Order Act. He claimed he had such powers, he did not know that Justice Anuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, upheld by the Court of Appeal, had nullified the Public Order Act. He did not know and he said he was a professional.

    “Here is a man who, while he was here (Rivers State), hardly paraded any criminal arrested by him. While he was here, he did not do his work as a Commissioner of Police. He made himself the Chief Security Officer of Nyesom Wike (the Supervising Minister of Education).

    “Mbu was following Wike about and yet he said he is a professional. Go to Oyo State and find out how Mbu did his work and you will know that the man definitely needs some psychiatric attention. If he goes for a psychiatric evaluation, he will fail. I challenge Mbu to submit himself for psychiatric evaluation and let us see if he will not fail.”

    Ezekiel-Amadi also stated that shortly before Mbu left Rivers state for Abuja, he (land and survey commissioner) recently visited the site of the Lister Housing Development in Trans-Amadi Industrial layout, Port Harcourt and he went on air to draw attention to the giant strides the Amaechi’s administration was making in the housing sector.

    He noted that two days after he left the site, Mbu sent policemen, who went there and arrested everyone and also withdrew the security personnel on duty, while ordering that Ezekiel-Amadi be picked and locked up, but he travelled.

    The land and survey commissioner stressed that his crime was that he visited a site where a government project was ongoing on, wondering if such a police commissioner was stable.

    Ezekiel-Amadi, who is also a lawyer, said: “I challenge Mbu to show Rivers people the JTF-arrested men, who were armed and who claimed that they were working for some politicians in the state. How far has the matter gone? And he goes on air to go and say agents of government drive tinted vehicles.

    “In Rivers State under Mbu, between 2013 and 2014, policing in the state was all about tinted glasses and revolving light, and you call that policing.

    “We were all in this state when other Commissioners of Police were here. There was Felix Ogbaudu, there was Bala Hassan, there was Mohammed Indabawa; there was Suleiman Abba. They were all here; they can be interviewed, to verify the claims by Mbu and about the state he met the Nigeria Police Force in Rivers State.

    “There was no time we had the kind of trouble we had in this place under Mbu. Unknown to him, some of the people he thought he was working for have expressed embarrassment and frustration about his activities.

    “How do you explain a Commissioner of Police who orders teargas canisters to be shot into the Government House, Port Harcourt? I was a victim and you call that man a Commissioner of Police. It is a good thing that Mbu has been redeployed. It is a good riddance to bad rubbish.

    “I am advising Nyesom Wike, if he is employing Mbu as a security man, he should be careful, because he is not stable. He has been under the enunciation that he is going to be appointed an Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and that is why he had to do what he did in Rivers State. Which person will appoint Mbu an IGP?

    “Mbu came to Rivers State with a script, an assignment. Can you not see that he failed in his assignment? He bungled it, because he does not have the brain to put together an action plan. So, can those people who sent him look at him again and give him a higher assignment? Yet, he said he is a professional. Mbu is a tout.”

    The Rivers Land and Survey Commissioner also described Mbu’s successor, Tunde Ogunsakin, as a professional police officer, with what he had exhibited since he resumed in Rivers St

    He insisted that there was no basis to compare Ogunsakin with Mbu, stressing that the new police commissioner had assured Rivers people that he would not take sides.

    Ezekiel-Amadi said: “In Ogunsakin, you can see a man who knows what to do. He has started well. He is meeting with everybody and that is what Mbu was expected to do. Not taking sides with anybody; remain neutral and allow politicians do their things and on the appointed day, allow the electorate to cast their votes and choose their leaders.

    “That was what Mbu was supposed to do, but he came here (Rivers State), just because they promised to appoint him the IGP and he took sides. He is still talking from every side of his mouth.

    “Since Governor Amaechi came to power, the only assassination that has to do with a politician in this state was even his friend, and investigations tilt towards the police, who might have shot Charles Nsiegbe. After that, there has not been any other politically-motivated assassination or the assassination of a politician in Rivers State. So, where is Mbu getting his information from?”

     

  • Delta retirees denounce implementation of pension scheme

    Delta retirees denounce implementation of pension scheme

    Scores of elderly men and women gathered in a dilapidated television viewing centre on a hot sunny day. The wooden walls of the makeshift viewing centre had fallen off in many places and one could look into the next compound.

    Some of them sat quietly on improvised contraptions waiting patiently for their leaders to commence the meeting, others moved around exchanging pleasantries with long lost friends, raising small dust clouds as they moved.

    It was a motley crowd of middle aged persons, the elderly; many who looked frail and sickly, not from age, but from a realisation of an uncertain future what with the deprivations suffered in the last few years since retirement. Behind the façade of happy faces at the reunion, fear, dejection, hopelessness and resignation lurked.

    Many had come in their numbers from cities across the State including Sapele, Oleh Warri ,Ughelli,Ogwashi-Uku ,Issele-Uku , Agbor and Asaba to register their displeasure at the uncertain future foisted on them as a result of the poor implementation of the new contributory pension scheme .

    These retirees who having invested their youthful lives in the service of the State and now retired are unsure of the future as sickness and disease continue to decimate their ranks.

    In an interview with NDR, Joseph Okproma, Secretary, Association of Contributory Retirees of Delta State, painted a gloomy picture of the plight of retirees.

    Okproma stressed that many marriages have become strained due to the inability of the breadwinner to provide for the basic necessities of life.

    His words, “It is painful that this scheme that is expected to be good as purported has turned out what it is now in Delta State. The retirees under this contributory pension scheme are passing through hardship; some are facing health challenges. Their marriages are broken, children are out of school. Some that have not been able to build a home are being harassed by landlord and have health problems such as hypertension.”

    Continuing, “The problem retirees are facing is that their benefits is delayed .By the programme when you retire not more than six months we ought to get our benefits six months after retirement, but retirees wait for three years without payment. For me I got my retirement benefit two and a half years after. I retired 2011, I got my benefits in 2013.You can image the stress. A young man can withstand the stress but what about those who are advanced in age. Delay is one of our major problems with the contributory pension scheme.

    The scribe said his members yearn for a return to the 300% gratuity and 80% monthly pension of the pay-as-you-go scheme which was agreed upon during their entry into public service.

    He described the new contributory pension scheme as “disadvantageous” to their members, adding that it offers only a “paltry 25% lump sum and poor monthly pension”.

    Okproma accused government of using the 2008 salary structure to calculate workers terminal benefits while majority were still in service up to their respective dates of retirement.

    “Secondly, instead of using 2010 salary structure to calculate the benefits of people who are still in service, government used 2008 salary structure to calculate their benefits. The retirees enjoyed 2010 salary structure when they were in service before they retired so what justification does government have to calculate their retirement benefits using the 2008 salary structure? Delta State government should correct that error for us. The law says that at the point of retirement the retiree’s benefits should be calculated” he added.

    He urged Governor Uduaghan to ensure that ordinary civil servants retire with their correct entitlements just as he ensured judges and permanent secretaries in the public service retire with their full salaries for life.

    According to him many retirees have endured untold hardship as a result of delays in implementing the scheme, adding that over ten persons have lost their lives while waiting for their retirement benefits to be paid.

    His words: “We have lost over ten persons to this problem which we are faced with.”

    But Chairman, Bureau for State Pensions, Mrs. Christiana Siakpere admitted that the new contributory pension scheme has been fraught with difficulties, blaming teething problems associated with the new scheme as responsible

    Her words: “Delta State is the best when pension matters are discussed in Nigeria. Delta has performed marvelously well even before the new contributory pension scheme. But a new thing for what it is we may not have gotten all correctly because this

  • ‘Akwa Ibom setting pace for uninterrupted power supply’

    ‘Akwa Ibom setting pace for uninterrupted power supply’

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio is setting the pace for uninterrupted power supply in Nigeria, the governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Power, Dr. Victor Udo, has said.

    Dr. Udo said: “His Excellency is implementing 5 key strategies to ensure steady power supply across the entire state within the shortest possible time. The strategies include steady gas supply; sufficient electricity generation, transmission capacity enhancements, optimal operation of distribution assets and the establishment of utility competency in the state.”

    The Senior Special Assistant, who has over 25 years experience in the United State’s power sector, explained that “although the state government started with power generation by building Ibom Power Plant, it soon discovered that steady gas supply is needed to ensure steady generation”.

    He explained further that “the administration of Governor Akapbio provided enabling resources for private sector investors to establish a gas processing plant and a gas pipeline in the state, this gas infrastructure that will supply gas not only to Ibom power plant but other independent power plants and gas users within and outside the state”.

     

     

  • Teacher, no nonsense

    Teacher, no nonsense

    Edo State, where Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole, is governor today reminds me of Mr. S.A. Bodunrin, my good teacher and headteacher at the Ansar Ud’ Deen Grammar School, Isaga-Orile, near Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital. To Bodunrin, I largely owe my understanding of English language, especially the written part of it. He was a good teacher, who never taught us nonsense. He obeyed the call of the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and only taught us sense throughout his period with us.

    Many teachers, however, teach their pupils and students nonsense. It is in order to guide against this that Oshiomhole decided that teachers should write a test to determine their competence to impart knowledge. The Edo governor did not just wake up and decide that teachers should be tested. Sometimes last year he had a shocking experience with a teacher who could not read. The governor could not hide his disdain. It was headline news in the newspapers the following morning.

    The teacher in question presented two affidavits. One shows that she was born in 1954. The other shows she was born in 1964. What this means is that she is trying to reduce her age by ten years. And to add salt to injury, she does not even have anything in her brains to impart on the students. There are many of such teachers in Edo and elsewhere in the country.

    The Edo scenario is a complicated one. The test which Oshiomhole decided that teachers should take has created a gulf between him and the leadership of the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), who have continued to argue that the government was only out to embarrass teachers. Already, the state government has withheld the salaries of 920 teachers as a result of the dispute over the test. The government said they have not been sacked, but their salaries have been withheld so as to determine those with forged documents through a competency test.

    The government, I understand, had a meeting with stakeholders in the education sector on Tuesday to iron out the grey areas. At the meeting, it was decided that an assessment test and not a competency test should be taken by teachers. Teachers shunned this meeting, which lasted some four hours. Their excuse is that the government is out to embarrass them through the test.

    Oshiomhole had four times met with the NUT leadership. On each of the meetings it appeared headway had been made, but in the long run, something else cropped up and it is back to ground zero. From all indications, the government is unwilling to back down. As a matter of fact, it has set up a panel headed by a former Vice-Chancellor of the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor, to oversee the test.

    The governor says the whole fight is about replacing what is bad with what is good. So, is the NUT supporting what is bad over what is good?

    My problem with the NUT is that it is always quick to assume that any attempt by government to test the competency of teachers is aimed at reducing the workforce. For me, if after the test, a teacher is discovered to be incapable of imparting knowledge, he or she deserves to be shown the way out of the service. And if a teacher is discovered to have forged a certificate or a birth certificate so as to gain undue advantage, he or she should not just be shown out of service, the police should be involved. After all, forgery of any sort is a criminal offence.

    Some of us who are fond of our teachers have justifiable reasons for doing us. Of all my teachers, Bodunrin remains the one that left unforgettable impression on me. I remember when he was brought in as the Principal when I was rounding up SS1 and I wrote an essay for him to assess, I got minus four after he finished marking it for mechanical accuracy. I could not believe it because I thought I understood English. He took his time to mentor me and by the time we were about writing the terminal examination, I was getting six of the ten marks allotted to mechanical accuracy. He was so fond of me and I was like his secretary, taking notes any time he had a speech to deliver somewhere and that helped me greatly.

    My plea to Edo teachers is that they should take the test and prove that they are competent. If they avoid the test and the incompetent ones remain within the system, it is the society that will eventually suffer for it and there will be no Bodunrin among them for anyone to refer to in the future.

    Teachers, for their students, should be role models. A teacher, whose students are not proud while in school and, most especially, after school is a failure. It means he or she failed in character and impartation of knowledge. Knowledge is power and if a teacher is unable to empower his or her students or pupils through this means, then shame to him or her.

    I will also appeal to Oshiomhole to put in place mechanism to ensure that the process is transparent. There should be no room for anyone to manipulate the system and claim that a teacher who excels is denied his or her rights, while those who fail are left in the system to continue to teach nonsense.

    Teaching nonsense breeds armed robbers. It breeds kidnappers; it breeds forgers; it breeds assassins; it breeds oil thieves; it really breeds nothing good. At this stage of our nation, when we have enough criminally-minded individuals to contain, we must do all within our powers to stop more people from being recruited into the unenviable community. I dare say we have enough armed robbers already; the population of oil thieves is overwhelming; the assemblage of kidnappers is mind-boggling; and the army of assassins is too much for comfort.

    So, what we needs are troops of intellectuals who are out for nothing but the good of the society. Having competent teachers, who will not teach nonsense, will go a long way in assisting us do this. I rest my case.

     

     

     

  • PIB…Now, not later, please!

    As time ticks for the 7th Assembly, a bill before it, which will have direct impact on the people of the Niger Delta, is not getting the attention it deserves. The bill is known as the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). The bill has popular support, not only among civil society groups, but oil-bearing communities in the Niger Delta, which have for decades borne the weight of degradation. The Environmental Rights Action (ERA) sees “some of the provisions of the PIB as a conflict resolution mechanism to the decades of violent conflicts, and the restoration of transparency and accountability in the petroleum sector in Nigeria”.

    It thus during the week urged the National Assembly to act quickly, adding that “ a PIB that will enjoy our acceptability and support will be that which will among others strengthen Nigeria’s sovereignty by investing the ownership of the petroleum resources in the Nigerian nation rather than the federal government of Nigeria.”

    It recommended that the Bill should strengthen the transparency and accountability drive by the removal of non disclosure clauses from the bill in line with the EITI principles; ensure the inclusion of communities interests in the petroleum sector, by allowing communities through Community Foundations to manage the 10 per cent equities being devolved to them and not to be swallowed up by administrative process under the petroleum Minister; ensure inclusion of provisions for the protection, conservation, and clean up and remediation; ensure the inclusion in the bill of adequate compensatory mechanisms for victims of the negative impacts of the operations in the sector; and ensure immediate end to gas flaring.

    These are issues that are very dear to the heart of an average resident of oil-bearing communities.

    Other issues, which ERA raised, include:

    That Section 2 of the PIB 2012 be amended by deleting the phrase “is vested in the government of the federation” at the end of the paragraph and insert in its place the phrase “is vested in the People of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”. Section 2 should now read “the entire property and control of all petroleum in, under or upon any lands within Nigeria, its territorial waters, or which forms part of its continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone, is vested in the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; that a new S.2 (1) should be added that vests management and administration of petroleum resources on the government of the federation; that S.191 of the draft PIB be expunged, especially as it weakens the clear provisions of Section 190 (1) and (2), which provides for award of oil blocks by open, transparent and competitive bidding processes; that S190 (3) be amended by deleting the Phrase “except as provided under section 191 of this Act. S.190 (3) should now read “There shall be no grant of discretionary awards.”; that the powers of the Minister in Section 6 of the bill be properly scrutinised and that S.6 (k) be expunged in its entirety; that Sections 33, 63, 92 and 139, which entitles the institutions created by the PIB to accept gifts be expunged; that the PIB should make provisions that all information will be publicly available unless there exists a legitimate reason for non-disclosure, such as commercial sensitivity, security-related issues or other well-established and reasonable grounds for non-disclosure; that all social and environmental impact assessments be made public, available and accessible as should studies that are conducted in the course of carrying out Social and Environmental Impact Assessments, and studies relied upon for such assessments; and many others.

    The legislators will be writing their names in gold by hearkening to these calls. They will be glad they do and joy will envelope the Niger Delta.

     

  • Akwa Ibom 2015: Group writes Mu’azu on alleged imposition plan

    •Allegation baseless, says Akpabio’s aide

    Asocio-political group comprising members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom State, the Ibom Political Ground Force, has appealed to the National Chairman of the party, Adamu Muazu, to ensure that the next governor of the state emerges through democratic process.

    In a congratulatory letter to Mu’ázu on what it termed his “well-deserved appointment”, the group alleged that Governor Godswill Akpabio plans to foist his business ally on the PDP as it gubernatorial candidate in the 2015 elections, in spite of Mu’ázu’s repeated assurances of a level playing ground for all candidates.

    But an aide of the governor, who does not want his name in print, said the group was being mischievous. He said the governor has no plan to impose any candidate on the people.

    The letter by the General Secretary of the group, Otuekong Joseph Isonguyo, reads: “We are particularly elated about your avowed commitment to ensuring a level playing field for all aspirants, and assurances of a reign of equity, justice and fair play in the running of the party… In the past couple of months, our governor has gone from playing the major ethnic groups in the state against one another, to foisting an unknown business ally of his on the people, in preparation to imposing him as his successor in office.”

    While expressing confidence in the ability of the PDP National Chairman to get aggrieved members of the party to work together, the group said it was optimistic that Mu’azu would live up to the challenge of mending the broken walls of the PDP and repositioning the party ahead of the 2015 general elections, despite the time constraint.

    The group appealed to the PDP National Chairman to take the situation in Akwa Ibom State seriously and to pay close attention to the processes leading to the emergence of candidates for the 2015 elections. It said any attempt to impose a candidate against the wishes of the people may jeopardise the chances of the PDP in the forthcoming elections.

    It said: “We want to request specifically that the National Secretariat of the party should call our governor to order so as to allow the will of the people to prevail.

    “This step has become necessary in order not to jeopardise the bright chances of our great party. We fear that PDP members in Akwa Ibom state may be forced into working against the interest of the party in the forthcoming elections, If Governor Akpabio is allowed to go ahead with his imposition agenda.”

    The group assured Muazu of its support and highest regard.

     

     

  • Niger Delta to demand resource control, true federalism at confab

    Niger Delta to demand resource control, true federalism at confab

    What are the issues the people of the Niger Delta will clamour for at the National Conference? Resource control and true federalism, The Nation learnt, will top the agenda of the region at the conference, which is billed to start soon. The region will also not subscribe to “No Go Areas” and manipulations by agents of the government, it was also learnt.

    The stage was set for the conference at the Pan Niger Delta Conference, organised by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Social Action. Feelers after the conference show that the powers-that-be in the region are being rallied to pursue this line of thought.

    The conference has initiated collaboration with other regions to build confidence and consensus to avoid potential conflicts.

    The conference with the theme: “Niger Delta and the National Conference,” was held at the Atlantic Hall, Presidential Hotel Port Harcourt. It attracted representation from the states of the region, human rights activists, community leaders, women groups and youth organisations.

    A communiqué issued as a result of the January 28 conference leaves no one in doubt as to the direction of the region at the conference.

    The communiqué reads: “As Nigeria begins its second century, it faces the challenge of organising a new generation of citizens that would live under conditions of dismantled structural contradictions without the constraints on peoples’ capacity to fulfil their potentials. The PNDC is part of the attempts to deal with that challenge.

    “Specifically, the objectives of this Conference are: To identify the strategic interests of the Niger Delta at this historic moment, and to create a peoples’ platform for their pursuit; to map out plans for the achievement of the strategic interests of the Niger Delta during the National Conference and beyond; to draw up strategies that would help to prevent the difficulties that imperilled previous national conferences and dialogues with regard to attainment of the aspirations of the Niger Delta and other minority peoples.”

    The conference observed that the Niger Delta has been at the forefront of the struggle for the restructuring of the Nigeria based on the people’s conviction that a multi-ethnic nation-state like Nigeria can only exist peacefully on the basis of a truly federal structure that gives importance, equity and justice to all the components; it also observed that the peoples of the Niger Delta believe that the diverse nationalities that make up the country can only coexist successfully and peacefully on the foundation of clear restructuring of the federation anchored on principles of free association and the right of nationalities and communities to have spaces for political and economic actualisation.

    It added that having a President of Nigeria from the Niger Delta was neither a core demand nor is it a solution to the problems of the region, much as every individual in the country, including members of minority nationalities, can aspire to and hold the highest political office.

    ased on observations, the communiqué noted: “That we welcome the initiative of the executive arm of the central government with respect to the National Conference, and resolve to mobilise our peoples to participate fully;

    “That the primary mandate of the National Conference is to restructure Nigeria into a truly federal state where the components have political autonomy;

    “That representation at the National Conference should be based primarily on ethnic nationalities, and may include equitable participation from national interest groups;

    “That the resolutions of the National Conference should be ratified by a referendum organised in line with the principle of “peoples’ suffrage” as opposed to universal suffrage. By “peoples suffrage” the conference means the votes of the various nationalities that make up the country;

    “That the National Conference should culminate in a new Constitution for Nigeria, which should be the basis for the conduct of the next General Elections;

    “That the historic demands of the Niger Delta peoples and other minorities in Nigeria for identity, resource ownership and control, and environmental justice must not be reduced to development and infrastructure politics. What the Niger Delta peoples need now is freedom to actualise themselves to their full potentials, and self-determination within a Nigeria founded on equity and justice;

    “That conference endorses the setting up of a platform for engagement on the National Conference process, including development of mechanism for assembling the positions of the peoples of the Niger Delta.”

    Rights activist Ms Annkio Briggs, who was one of the speakers at the event, said the national conference must be based on ethnic representation instead of regional representation.

    She said: “Despite our enormous resources the Niger Delta, problems have remained unattended; the region is lacking access to basic necessities; that is why we must represent the aspiration of the people of Niger Delta. The Niger Delta must defend their right by ensuring that we have the right to serve for second term like other region and nobody should intimidate us for that. We have problem as people but the national conference offers us that opportunity to address those problems.”

    A former President of the Ijaw National Congress (INC) and lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Prof. Kimse Okoko, said some persons were exploiting Nigerians on the pretence of representing the people. He said the time had come when the people should make input on the issues that concern them.

    “The issue of national conference should not politicise the people should be represented through various ethnic group to have a people constitution and not geo-political group. We need structures to facilitate the attainment of the best possible quality of life for the peoples of Nigeria. We seek a Nigerian state to be a community where individuals and groups would achieve their best potentials,” he said.

    Leader of Social Action, Dr. Isaac Osuoka, said he resisted politicians’ sponsorship and participation at the conference. He said the conference was sponsored by Social Action and other non-governmental organisations who share the same belief because they did not want politicians to hijack the conference.

    Osuoka said: “Some of the participants of today’s conference, including some of our eminent leaders know that the idea of the Pan Niger Delta Conference dates back to the 1990s, especially during the late Abacha military junta. Following the genocide in Umuechem (Etche), Ogoniland and parts of Ijawland, organisations like the Chikoko Movement, Southern Minorities Movement (SMM), Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP), Rivers Coalition, Environmental Rights Action (ERA) Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) started discussing the framework for a process of joint analysis and collaborative intervention in mobilising our peoples to promote the demands of self-determination within the Nigerian State, as guarantee for environmental and economic justice.”

    He lamented that the efforts and sacrifices of Niger Deltans to end military have mostly been unappreciated.

    “In the 19902 s, our people, through their representative organisations, were unanimous in demanding for a restructuring of the Nigerian federation as a precondition for a democracy in Nigeria. Rather than merely conducting elections with frameworks set up by the military dictators, we all asked for a sovereign National Conference (SNC) and a representative Government of national Unity (GNU) to supervise participatory constitution making before elections.

    “Within this idea, the National Conference would serve as platform on which the different nationalities and social groups in Nigeria would democratically decide on such crucial issues as power-sharing between the various equitable structures for the Nigerian Federation, the control of resources, including land and minerals, the religious question, alternative economic recovery package, a fair electoral system and other such decisions which border on the destiny of the Nigerian state and its peoples.”

    Speakers at the event include, Prof. Ebiegberi Alagoa, Prof. Ben Naanen, Rev. Nnimmo Bassey, Ledum Mitee, Prof. Andrew Efemini, and Dr. M. Akobo.