The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger-Delta

  • Osinbajo unfolds new vision for Niger Delta

    Oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta region got a new deal from the Federal Government on Friday.

    Niger Delta development will henceforth be community-driven for oil-bearing areas to have direct impact of oil wealth.

    The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, who unfolded the new vision on Friday, said the federal government would begin a partnership with all the stakeholders in the oil industry to concentrate development in oil-producing communities.

    Speaking at the Chief Diepreye Alameiyesiegha Banquet Hall, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the acting President said the partnership would involve the local government, the oil-producing communities, the oil companies, the private sector and civil society organisations.

    Osinbajo led a delegation of minsters, heads of agencies and other federal cabinet members to Bayelsa to interact with Niger Delta stakeholders as part of efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to find lasting peace in the region.

    Women, youths, traditional rulers, captains of industries, political office holders and other government functionaries mobilised in their numbers to participate in the dialogue.

    Osinbajo was accompanied by the Minister for Niger Delta, Usani Usani Uguru, Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu , his counterpart in Agriculture, Heineken Lokpobiri and other federal cabinet members.

    The team, whose chopper landed at the heliport of the Government House in Yenagoa, was received by the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah, Dickson’s cabinet members and some lawmakers from the state.

    After a brief meeting in the Government House, the team headed for the state’s Traditional Rulers’ Council where the Chairman of the council, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, conferred a chieftaincy title on the acting President.

    Explaining the new vision, Osinbajo said: “So, we come today on behalf of the President, Commander in Chief with my cabinet colleagues and heads of relevant agencies to propose a new vision and to signpost a new era to the people of the oil-producing communities of this state and Nigeria.

    “The federal government will begin a partnership with oil-producing communities, the local government, the oil companies, the private sector and civil society organisation for the rapid development of these communities.”

  • Nigeria loses $80bn annually to oil facilities vandalism – Kachikwu

    Nigeria loses $80bn annually to oil facilities vandalism – Kachikwu

    The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, on Friday said Nigeria is losing at least $80 billion annually  to oil facilities vandalism in the Niger Delta.

    Kachikwu stated this on in Yenagoa, Bayelsa, during the resumed dialogue with Niger Delta stakeholders as part of Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo’s visit to Bayelsa.

    He said at least 10,000 sabotage incidents were recorded annually at oilfields across the region.

    Kachikwu urged people of the area to contribute ideas toward the resolution of crises in the Niger Delta.

    He said the challenges of the region could be turned into opportunities when peace was achieved and urged Niger Delta people to give peace a chance for the growth of the region.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Kachikwu, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Nguru Usani, and Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, accompanied Osinbajo on the trip.

  • Tight security in Yenagoa as Osinbajo visits Bayelsa

    Tight security in Yenagoa as Osinbajo visits Bayelsa

    Security has been beefed up in Yenagoa, as the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, visits Bayelsa on Friday in continuation of  his fact-finding tour of the Niger Delta region.

    Armed soldiers, policemen and the  Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps personnel deployed for duties  were visible on the streets and strategic parts of the Yenagoa, the state capital.

    Traffic was diverted from the roads leading to Bayelsa Government House, Ovom area, where Prof. Osinbajo is expected to hold an interactive session with stakeholders on the ongoing peace process in the region.

    Pedestrians were, however, allowed to pass through the road after screening by security operatives.

    The Bayelsa Police Command`s Spokesman, DSP Asinim Butswat, told NAN on Friday that the command was adequately prepared to make the visit hitch-free and warned miscreants to keep away from venue of the interactive session.

    “Attendance is strictly on invitation.

    ‘‘The Command therefore advises all law abiding citizens to go about their lawful and legitimate businesses.

    “The gathering of people not invited for the programme at any point within the state will not be tolerated, as adequate security measures have been put in place to curtail activities of miscreants,” Butswat said. (NAN)

  • Coming soon…First Niger Delta auto assembly plant

    They were kings of the creeks but if all goes as planned these ex-agitators in the Niger Delta are about to make history by being in-charge of the first automobile assembly plant in Niger Delta , writes MIKE ODIEGWU, Bayelsa

    Things are looking up for the Niger Delta. There are plans coordinated by the Presidential Amnesty Office to build the first automobile assembly plant in the Niger Delta. Ex-militant leaders recently trained in automobile assemblage will manage the plant.

    The idea, which forms part of deliberate efforts by the Federal Government to industrialise the region, has been sold to the Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson.

    The Niger Delta Report gathered that the deal was disclosed when the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Gen. Paul Boroh (retd) led a delegation of stakeholders involved in the project to the Government House in Yenagoa.

    In Gen. Boroh’s team were the Chairman, Innoson Group of Companies, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Economic Council, Mr. Donald Benibo Wokoma, and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), JUMAB Global Services, Prince Jacob Momoh.

    The visitors told the governor their mission. They came to seek his support for the proposed establishment of a world-class Automobile Assembly Plant in the state. They informed Dickson that the project would absorb all the 100 ex-militants recently trained by Innoson Motors in automobile repairs and manufacturing.

    Gen. Boroh, who was determined to engage the ex-agitators in their area of interest, approached Innoson and requested for an automobile plant in the region. They insisted that the project would create job opportunities for youths in the Niger Delta.

    Gen. Boroh said: “One of the strategies of the President Buhari-led Federal Government to stabilising the region is to make the Niger Delta the industrial hub of the nation.

    “Oil is fast losing relevance and now is the time to look into other avenues of generating revenue”, he said, adding that apart from the project, theAmnesty Office was promoting an agricultural drive as a core aspect of diversification. Gen. Boroh encouraged everybody to own small farms in their surroundings.

    In fact, Dickson, who accorded the visitors a warm reception, was happy at the development.  The governor immediately instructed the Commissioner of Trade and Investment, to allocate the required space of land to the project.

    Dickson said such projects were in line with the vision of his Restoration Government. He added that his government was creating a massive industrial park for investors in the state. He lauded the initiative of Boroh and Innoson and promised to give it more support.

    Chukwuma thanked Dickson for his reception and praised the amnesty beneficiaries who graduated from his company.

    “After training and studying the amnesty beneficiaries sent to my school, I can confidently say that the people of the Niger Delta are good people”, he said.

    He promised to immediately begin work on the project following the allocation of the land. According to him the 100 graduates of his academy would become pioneer employees of the plant.

     

    Search for peace

     

    Indeed, Gen. Boroh believes that only peaceful environment will bring development to the Niger Delta. It is time for the people to shelve violent agitations to enable investors explore opportunities in the area for job creation.

    Therefore, the amnesty boss has been consulting critical stakeholders. After meeting with Dickson, Gen. Boroh’s next port of call was the home of an ex-militant leader and Chairman, Bayelsa State Waterways Security Task Force (BSWSTF), Africanus Ukparasia, popularly called ‘General’ Africa, in Yenagoa.

    Africa was once one of the notorious commanders of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) before he embraced peace under the Amnesty Programme. Since coming out of the creeks, Africa has been at the vanguard of searching for permanent peace in the region.

    Following his belief that Buhari would sincerely advance and the peace in the region through deliberate policies to develop the Niger Delta, the former warlord, openly supported him against his kinsman, former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

    Africanus was also one of the few courageous voices that spoke against the criminal activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) when the group declared war against oil installations in the region. He fought back without fear.

    No wonder, Gen. Boroh visited him. The amnesty boss insisted that only sustained peace would bring expected development in the Niger Delta region.

    “The only way development can come to the Niger Delta region is for the enabling environment to be created first”, Boroh said. He noted that Africa and other ex-militant leaders by virtue of their positions had been given key roles to play to sustain the peace in the region.

    He thanked Africa for securing the waterways and the oil facilities in Bayelsa with his taskforce adding that the efforts of his outfit had been acknowledged by the Federal Government. Boroh further pleaded with ex-agitators to continue cooperating with the amnesty office, saying he was working hard to ensure the progress of the programme.

    Africa begged the Federal Government to prioritise the development of the Niger Delta region and the welfare of the people as the only solution to the crisis.

    He also advised Gen. Boroh to intensify his efforts in timely paying the stipends of ex-militants to reduce tension and crises in the region.

    The ex-militant leader urged the government to address the issues in the Niger Delta early in 2017 to hasten revival of the economy and reduce the hardship in the country.

  • Pirates abduct seven Russians, Ukrainian in Niger Delta

    Gunmen operating within the territorial waters of Nigeria around the Niger Delta region abducted seven Russian sailors and a Ukrainian.

    Russian Embassy was said to have raised the alarm that BBC Caribbean ship was attacked by pirates within the Nigerian territorial waters.

    The embassy was quoted as saying: “The BBC Caribbean Ship came under a pirate attack in the territorial waters of Nigeria. Seven Russian citizens and one Ukrainian citizen have been kidnapped from the ship.

    “The Russian Embassy has asked the Nigerian authorities for assistance in establishing the whereabouts of the abducted”.

    It was learnt that the vessel, described as a general cargo ship, was attacked in the Gulf of Guinea, 45 nautical miles, south-west Brass.

    Specifically, the incident was said to have occurred close to the Pennington River where the pirates on a speedboat approached the ship and opened fire on her.

    Though the guards on board reportedly fired back, the gunmen later overpowered the ship and seized her occupants.

  • Niger Delta: Boroh, ex-militant leader restate need for peace

    Niger Delta: Boroh, ex-militant leader restate need for peace

    The Presidential Adviser on Niger Delta Affairs and Coordinator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Gen. Paul Boroh (retd), has said only sustained peace will bring expected development in the Niger Delta region.

    Boroh spoke at the weekend when he visited a former militant leader and Chairman of Bayelsa State Waterways Security Task Force (BSWSTF), Africanus Ukparasia, (aka ‘General’ Africa), in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

    He said: “The only way development can come to the Niger Delta region is for the enabling environment to be created first.”

    The presidential aide noted that Africa and other ex-militant leaders, by virtue of their positions, were given key roles to play to sustain the peace in the region.

    He thanked Africa for securing the waterways and oil facilities in Bayelsa with his task force.

    Boroh said the Federal Government had acknowledged the efforts of his outfit.

    The PAP coordinator urged ex-agitators to continue their cooperating with the Amnesty Office, saying he was working hard to ensure the progress of the programme.

    Africa begged the Federal Government to prioritise the development of the Niger Delta region and the welfare of the people to stop any crisis in the region.

    He advised Boroh to ensure timely payment of stipends to ex-militants to reduce tension and crises in the region.

    The ex-militant leader urged the government to address the issues in the Niger Delta early in 2017 to hasten revival of the economy and reduce the hardship in the land.

    Africa, a former commander of the Movement for Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), is known for working against his kinsman and former President Goodluck Jonathan to support President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

    He was one of the few voices that rose against the nefarious activities of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), while he opposed the bombing of oil and gas pipelines.

  • Hope for Maritime University douses tension in Niger Delta

    A public hearing on a bill to legally establish the controversial Maritime University, Okerenkoko in Delta State, organised by the House of Representatives, has restored hope that the institution will soon begin operation.

    The hearing, which was held a few days after the Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo visited Delta State and toured facilities in the Kurutie temporary site of the university, was said to have calmed frayed nerves in the region.

    Following the actions, most leaders and groups from the region were said to be happy that the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government was determined to sincerely resolve issues that led to the renewed violent agitations in the Niger Delta.

    Ijaw youths, who were represented at the public hearing, commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his disposition towards reviving the university and steps he had so far taken to resolve the crisis in the region.

    The President of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, who attended the public hearing alongside the IYC’s Spokesman, Mr. Eric Omare, said with the outcome of the event, the university would soon begin operation.

    Speaking to The Nation in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, Eradiri said  the representatives of the National University Commission (NUC), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and others made a serious case for the university.

    The IYC boss said the suspended administrative bodies of the maritime university comprising the Governing Council, the Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar also attended the public hearing.

    According to him coming after the visit of Osibanjo to the region, the public hearing has strengthened the confidence-building process of the government.

    He said: “We thank the President Muhammadu Buhari for his body language because the APC stalwarts are the ones pushing and there was no opposition at the public hearing. Institutions from the executive also came and didn’t object to it.

    “So, we are thanking the government for its commitment to the establishment of the university. After the vice-President visited, the process of confidence-building had been strengthened by the public hearing”.

    He also said that the representatives from Itsekiri extraction, though did not oppose the establishment of the university, demanded that the government should pay them compensation for the land.

    Eradiri, however, advised the Itsekiri to allow the overall benefits of the university overshadow their demands for compensation.

  • Niger Delta master-plan has failed to ensure sustainable development of region –Ndoma-Egba

    Niger Delta master-plan has failed to ensure sustainable development of region –Ndoma-Egba

    The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, has stated that the Niger Delta Regional Development Master- plan has so far failed to ensure sustainable development of the region.

    He noted that the masterplan, which was also meant to accelerate the development of the hitherto turbulent and underdeveloped Niger Delta, had not lived up to expectations. Ndoma-Egba, a former Senate Leader, however, reaffirmed the resolve of the Federal Government’s interventionist agency to refocus on its original mandate and make it the vehicle to bring development and peace to the crude oil and gas-rich region. He spoke at the corporate headquarters of NDDC in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the inaugural meeting of the board of the commission.

    NDDC chairman said: “The Niger Delta region has become even more turbulent and more underdeveloped than when the master plan was launched, clearly because the master plan was abandoned after all the fanfare that attended its launching in 2007. “The commission lost its focus as a development commission or agency and has rather acquired the reputation, rightly or wrongly, of a contract-awarding factory or machine, delivering little impactful development to the region. “We are coming on board at a very challenging time.

    The public image of the commission is not edifying. The militancy, restlessness and lack of development are most unnerving. “We must rebrand the commission and change the public perception of it as a slush fund and this we must do through our honest work and single-minded focus and discipline.”

    Ndoma-Egba also stated that there was the need to reform the processes of the commission, insisting that things must be done differently, if different results must be achieved. He said: “We must see our appointments as a life-time opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of the ordinary people of the Niger Delta region and write our names in gold for posterity and not an opportunity for our own slice of the proverbial national cake or shortterm benefits.

    We should keep our eyes on history.” Chairman of the commission also stated that the need to make the difference was an imperative choice the NDDC board and management must make, if history must judge them fairly, noting that how history would judge the commission was a matter of choice. He noted that previous interventions in the region had been unremarkable, starting from the Niger- Delta Development Board (1961-1972), Niger-Delta River Basin Authority (1972-1983), Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (1983- 2000) to the NDDC.

  • Niger Delta youths urged to shun pipeline vandalism

    Niger Delta youths urged to shun pipeline vandalism

    The Chairman of Delta State Waterways and Land Security Committee, Chief Boro Opudu, has urged Niger Delta youths to maintain peace and avoid pipeline vandalism.
    He said the region would develop when there was peace.
    The agency chief recalled that last week’s visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was to facilitate the peace and development of the region.
    He noted that the quick take-off of the Maritime University at Okerenkoko would facilitate progress.
    Opudu said: “The recent visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to the Niger Delta, which was a fact-finding mission, is a commendable development because the visit has clearly shown that the existing structures and facilities at Kurutie (the temporary site for the Maritime University) are enough for it to take off.
    “This confidence-building and fact-finding mission heralds the readiness of the Federal Government to engage the Niger Delta positively on development matters, particularly when this is translated to the reality in no distant time. The Niger Delta needs less talk and more visible action of real development.”
    Advising Niger Delta residents to eschew violence, the agency chief said the Federal Government could no longer give insecurity excuses to shirk its responsibility of developing the region.
    He said the positive feelers of development of the Niger Delta, which was heralded by Osinbajo’s visit, must be appreciated.
    Opudu said the gesture would improve the relationship between the government and the people.
    He said: “I hereby appeal and call on all Niger Deltans to maintain the peace and avoid any form of pipeline vandalism as government can only address the development needs of the people in an atmosphere of peace. Peace maintained in the Niger, the Federal Government can no longer give insecurity excuses to dodge its task of developing our land.
    “The moment the Maritime University takes off – in no distant time – it will boost the confidence of the Niger Delta people in the Muhammadu Buhari administration and end the ill-feelings and thoughts of alienation, antagonism, persecution, deliberate underdevelopment and sidelining of Niger Deltans.
    “The development of the Niger Delta in project execution and quick take-off of the Maritime University will give a sense of belonging to Niger Delta region.
    “The visit of the vice president to the Niger Delta is an eloquent testimony of President Buhari’s readiness to engage the Niger Delta in a positive way. This demands that Niger Delta residents key into this new development by avoiding any divisive issue bound to distract attention away from the ideals of this confidence-building and fact-finding visit.
    “The word is peace and collective pursuit of development in the Niger Delta in line with best global practices.”

  • Ndoma-Egba: Buhari means well for Niger Delta

    Ndoma-Egba: Buhari means well for Niger Delta

    The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and former Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba has said that President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated great commitment towards the development of the oil-rich region.

    He spoke with reporters, shortly after returing from a visit to Ghana.

    He urged stakeholders in the Niger Delta to support the Buhari government in its bid to put in place palliative measures and developmental initiatives to ensure peace, security and development in the area.

    The former Senate Leader also noted that the improved budgetary allocation to NDDC and other related ministries and agencies was an indication of President Buhari’s good intentions towards the Niger Delta.

    He appealed to Niger Deltans to join hands with the NDDC to build the Niger Delta of their dream, which is, “a truly peaceful, secure, developed and prosperous Region.”

    Ndoma-Egba commended Buhari for his pivotal role in ensuring peaceful co-existence and good bilateral relations between Nigeria and other African countries.

    He expressed confidence that both leaders (Buhari and Akufo-Addo) would continue to cooperate and act in the common interest of their countries to ensure a united and prosperous African continent.