The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Niger-Delta

  • Navy to Niger Delta: respect dialogue

    The Navy has advised Niger Delta residents, especially militants in the creeks, to embrace and respect the dialogue between the region and the Federal Government.

    Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Central Naval Command (CNC) Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba spoke at the weekend when he led a medical outreach to Etegwe community in Yenagoa Local Government of Bayelsa State.

    Garba noted that if militants failed to embrace dialogue and continued with their criminal activities, they would lose public sympathy.

    The FOC said the free medical rhapsody was part of Navy’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) to boost civil-military relations.

    He said: “I expect the people to remember that the struggle is not drawing a line and making it look like a kind of crusading spirit. There must be ways of reaching compromises and concessions.

    “You can only reach those compromises and concessions through dialogue. The government has already given room for dialogue; so, let them embrace it. If they embrace it, it is better for the society and Nigeria.

    “But if they refuse to go into dialogue, there might be a tendency that that sympathy they are gaining from the people will be lost. It means they are now surrendering the call for peace to chaos and violence, which is not good for the society.”

  • Navy to Niger Delta: respect dialogue

    Navy to Niger Delta: respect dialogue

    The Nigerian Navy has asked the Niger Delta region especially militants still operating in the creeks to embrace and respect the ongoing dialogue between the region and the Federal Government.

    The Flag Officer Commanding, Central Naval Command, (CNC), Rear Admiral Mohammed Garba, spoke at the weekend when he led a medical outreach to Etegwe community, Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State.

    Garba argued that if militants failed to embrace dialogue and continued with their criminal activities, they would lose public sympathy.

    He explained that the free medical rhapsody was part of the Navy’s corporate social responsibility aimed at boosting civil-military relations.

    Garba said: “I expect the people to remember that struggle is not drawing a line and make it look like a kind of crusading spirit. There must be ways of reaching compromises and concessions.

    “And you can only reach those compromises and concessions through dialogue. The government has already given room for dialogue, so let them embrace it. If they embrace it, it is better for the society and Nigeria at large.

    “But if they refuse to go into dialogue, there might be a tendency that that sympathy they are gaining from the people will be lost and it means they are now surrendering the call for peace to chaos and violence which is not good for the society.”

    He noted that the medical mission was one of the key priorities of the Chief of Naval Staff to bring the navy closer to the people within the maritime environment.

    He said the free medical mission was carried out monthly to test and treat health challenges of the people such as malaria, typhoid fever, high blood pressure, diabetes, among others.

    Garba said:  “It will be delightful to let you know that today is the sixth time we are offering free medical services to communities in Yenagoa and environs. The CNS is instrumental to the sustenance of this rhapsody every month.

    “Navy is a part and parcel of the community. We feel we are blood brothers. So, one Nigeria is a vital issue to all the military personnel. That is why we feel that we must have a way of reaching the communities though this medical rhapsody and inauguration of projects.”

    In his response, the Paramount Ruler of Etegwe community, King  Todumema Geoffrey,  said the free medical mission was the first in the history of the community.

    The monarch asked youths to desist from pipeline vandalism and destruction of critical national assets, saying that such tendencies would not bring development to the Niger Delta region.

    “We want to appreciate the Navy for the gesture. I want to warn those involved in blowing up pipelines and other criminal activities to desist from such acts. They are uncalled for. We need development in our region,” he said.

  • Amnesty to militants by some govs a fraud, says Niger Delta minister

    Amnesty to militants by some govs a fraud, says Niger Delta minister

    Despite the widespread jubilation that greeted the Amnesty Programme organized by state governments for militants and cultists in the Niger Delta and other parts of the country, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Usani Nguru Usani, Thursday, described it as a fraud that does not have any impact on the people.

    The minister expressed displeasure over the manner the state governments granted pardon to criminal elements parading as militants, adding that the exercise does not enjoy the backing of the Federal Government or his ministry, and describing the action as “null and void”.

    Uguru, who was apparently referring to the recent Amnesty programme organized by Imo and Rivers states, during which self-confessed militants openly surrendered their arms and we’re granted amnesty, insisted that the Amnesty programme has been abused by the state governments.

    Uguru, who spoke with newsmen after a workshop in Owerri, the Imo state capital, said, “it is unfortunate that the amnesty programme has been misused and abused. From my own understanding, what is happening is not amnesty. Any criminal cannot just go and carry his grandfather’s arms, and after terrorizing the community for a while, is granted amnesty.

    “The amnesty has been abused, in my own view, it has really been abused. Somebody goes to carry his grandfather’s gun that he used in fighting the 2nd world-war to present and say it is amnesty; that is nonsense to me. This is my take on this amnesty thing that I see happening around.”

    The minister also disclosed that the Niger Delta Ministry, in partnership with the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), has organized a workshop to assess the validation of baseline report on projects on the Niger Delta region.

  • Merchants of Niger Delta

    Couldn’t the Niger Delta elders have found a more dignified way to expose their vanity, and culpability in the region’s crisis? On Tuesday a sizeable number of them, including traditional rulers, chiefs and state governors, tabled before President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja 16 conditions for peace in the Niger Delta.

    Conditions for peace? Yes. The region has been unsettled almost as soon as the colonial government struck crude oil there in the late 50s. There were agitations but none could compare to the large-scale militancy that engulfed the area and threatened the rest of the country as was witnessed during the brief reign of former President Umaru Yar’Adua. And nothing of the sort reared its head again until President Buhari took office. Oil facilities have been blown up, reducing the country production to about a third of its capacity and further hurting the economy in the face of the global oil prices slump. For a country whose mainstay is crude oil, President Buhari has had his back against the wall. He needs peace in the Niger Delta. The region’s militants know the president’s predicament, and so do the elders who turned up at Aso Villa on November 1 with their demands.

    What are those demands? For space constraints, only a few will be mentioned here. They insist that the amnesty granted ex-militants during the Yar’Adua era be reviewed to include a “robust exit strategy”, one that will have the former fighters firmly settled into newly acquired skilled jobs before cutting off the amnesty stipends tap. They equally want the region demilitarised and the Ogoni cleanup speeded up, while other communities are also rid of pollutants.

    The Niger Delta elders also want the East-West Road completed and contracts for security surveillance and protection of oil and gas infrastructure awarded to communities rather than individuals. They equally want international oil firms’ administrative and operational headquarters back in the region. They demand power supply and oil wells as well.

    Some of the demands are in fact reasonable; no one, for instance, can quarrel with the push to suck crude toxins off the Niger Delta environment. Hundreds of millions of crude oil barrels spilled in the region have hurt its bio-diverse ecosystem, significantly affecting flora and fauna, its rich variety of crops and agricultural trees as well as its freshwater fish. The delta’s endowed mangrove swamps, its fresh waters and lowland rainforests are under incremental assault, and constantly degraded, needing urgent and comprehensive remedial action.

    Most of the elders’ demands are neither here nor there, a number of them sufficiently childish and may be nothing more than a smokescreen for their mercantilist fancies. Take the amnesty matter. Why was it not an issue during the five years of President Goodluck Jonathan who succeeded President Yar’Adua who, in fact, pardoned the fighters? What do the elders mean by “a robust exit strategy”? Have they conveniently forgotten that the Jonathan administration said the amnesty programme would be wound down before its tenure ended? Why bother President Buhari about it?

    On Ogoni mop-up, President Buhari should be praised, not bullied, and only encouraged, not cajoled, to extend the cleanup to other Niger Delta communities. The East-West Road has been toyed with for years. Why should it become one of President Buhari’s cardinal sins? The elders say they want Niger Delta communities, rather than individuals, to be awarded contracts for surveillance and protection of oil and gas infrastructure. Just how do they determine who gets how much of the contract cash? And who actually does the job? Or how far they will go in the creeks, the swamps, the high seas or the forbidden forests to secure the pipes and other facilities? Will the money not end up in the deep pockets of the so-called leaders, as it always does? It is laughable to demand the relocation of oil firms’ headquarters back to the region when everyone knows why they moved them out in the first place.

    The elders demand oil wells. Perhaps, that’s what they crave most, not the development of the region. How hard did they fight for the region’s growth when Dr Jonathan, an Ijaw, was in power? After the meeting with President Buhari, one-time federal commissioner Edwin Clark gloated       about speaking for the militants, being their fathers, as he put it, but he seemed to have glossed over the fact that he and his co-travellers could be accused of taking sides and exonerating the militants, while heaping all the blame on the Buhari administration, if not squarely on President Buhari himself. As elders and fathers, why could they not prevail on their militant sons to shelve the violence option? Don’t the elders know that sabotage accounts for 20 per cent of oil spills in the delta?

    Chief Clark said the “dialogue was key”, giving the impression that the elders had the militants under control, but a day after, an oil facility near Warri was blown up.

    One day the elders will be required to prove their leadership bona fides. Have they ever held their governors to account? Have they made the case for exploiting other equally rich endowments outside oil? Have they agitated for anything other oil money? No. Mercantilism wouldn’t let them.

  • Why Buhari shouldn’t dialogue with Niger Delta militants, by Nembe chief

    Why Buhari shouldn’t dialogue with Niger Delta militants, by Nembe chief

    A community leader and social commentator, Chief Wilfred Ogbotobo, has said that a group of militants who has the penchant for wanton destruction of national assets, especially oil installations in the Niger Delta region, does not deserve a dialogue with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He advocated military action as the best approach to flush out the criminals from the creeks and quell the unrest in the region.

    According to him, criminals should not be pampered and any dialogue with militants amounts to treating criminality with kid gloves.

    He said: “With the weighty challenges confronting the country at the moment, the Buhari administration does not have the luxury of time and resources for hopeless, hypocritical frolics with every lunatic group that springs from the creeks and other parts of the Niger Delta.

    “Instead, the Federal Government should consolidate the successes so far recorded and expand the overall capacity of the Operation Crocodile Smile to restore law and order in the region. This, he said, will enable the government to fast track significant development without delay.

    “Dialogue, especially with the same Ijaw actors, elders and leaders is akin to bathing a pig. The late President Yar’adua had broad and extensive consultations and dialogues with the same syndicates of Ijaw and other regional actors, elders and leaders before the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) was fashioned and implemented with its fraudulent Amnesty Fund which the syndicates hijacked in order to side-track the basic concerns of the downtrodden.

    “The cardinal thrust of the PAP, among others, is to confront the major issues of the Niger Delta, including restiveness, especially among the youth. The PAP successfully offered the syndicates hundreds of billions of Naira to share.

    “If another condemnable resurgence is to be pampered and dignified with a presidential dialogue, then, it only confirms that the Yar’adua’s PAP was a sham.”

    He described the amnesty programme as an exercise in futility, saying that Ijaw leaders are blinded by free cash and have been unable to chart a path of development for the region.

    Chief Ogbotobo reels off many interventionist agencies which people from the region mismanaged for their selfish interests.

    “Currently, it has become a miserable exercise in futility, to fathom how many more dialogues are required, for the Ijaws to make a decision on what they want and the manner they want progress in their territories.

    “Niger Deltans, especially Ijaws, have had extraordinary and absolute powers to manage federal interventionist agencies such as the defunct Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) and much later the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) which had master plans and blueprints on which the same set of elders and leaders had enough dialogues and made more than enough inputs for the development of the region.

    “The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) came later, with its own master plans and roadmap for the development of Niger Delta, that included robust regional contributions and participations spearheaded by the same elders and leaders.

    “The same cabal participated and contributed in the conferences that succeeded in increasing the derivation revenue for oil-producing states to 13 per cent”, he said.

    He recalled that Nigeria overwhelmingly supported Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to become the President with the expectation to change the mind-set of the people of the region by developing the Niger Delta. He lamented that Jonathan squandered the rare opportunity of the region and surrendered the wealth that was supposed to accrue to the Niger Delta to hawks.

    “The Ijaws, and by extension, the Niger Delta region, had the opportunity to produce a President who was given an unprecedented pan-Nigerian goodwill and support.

    “Nigerians virtually surrendered Nigeria to Goodluck Jonathan and Niger Deltans. While he called the shots, notable Ijaw people such as Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark assumed extraordinary and all-powerful statuses.

    For six years, they called the shots and possessed statutory powers to grapple with the critical socio-economic challenges that face the region and its downtrodden masses.

    “Therefore, there is neither any novel idea nor rational demand that warrants this latest act of ignorance and immaturity being peddled by the Ijaw in the Niger Delta region. We have had enough dialogue and do not need any for now.

    “Despite the severe economic realities plaguing the nation, he has continued with the Presidential Amnesty Programme fashioned by the cabal to short-change the development of the the region,” he said.

    Ogbotobo noted that President Buhari has shown sincerity in developing the region.

    He said: “The inauguration of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Ogoni land clean-up was a prompt fulfilment of his electoral promises to the Ogoni people.

    “Jonathan, an Ijaw and Niger Deltan, refused to implement the report in six years and the Ogoni people didn’t go on rampage against national assets and multi-national investments.

    “Ken Saro Wiwa led the Ogoni struggle on a well-defined engagement, which is paying off to the commendation of global humanity.

    “In our scenario, any more hostilities or failure to embrace the PMB administration unreservedly, would only confirm the shameful lack of seriousness and the hypocrisy on the part of the Ijaw and their regional allies, towards the real development and progress of the Niger Delta.”

  • Niger Delta stakeholders give 16-point demands to Buhari

    Niger Delta stakeholders give 16-point demands to Buhari

    Niger Delta Stakeholders, under the aegis of Pan-Niger Delta Forum, on Tuesday presented 16-point demands to President Muhammadu Buhari at a closed door meeting in the Council Chamber of the State  House, Abuja.

    The demands were presented by the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass Bayelsa State, King Alfred Diete Spiff, on behalf of the stakeholders.

    The 16 point-demands, which the leaders believed if achieved would restore hope and confidence in the region, include:

    “The presidential amnesty Programme: the decry that out of the five components of the disarmament and retrieval of weapons from the ex-militants, only the disarmament and demobilization component is being implemented. Tensions over the fate of the Niger Delta Amnesty Programme is as a result of lack of genuine exit strategy. They want the Programme reviewed to reappraise its core mandate to provide a robust exist strategy, in order to transit recipients into jobs, effectively integrate them and few the of dependency on stipends, so that their new-found skills would be of benefit to themselves and larger community.

    “Law and Justice issues: in view of the insecurity situation in the Niger delta, a number of pending law and justice issues regarding some aggrieved groups and individuals are yet to be resolved. It is important to address these issues urgently as a step towards lasting peace.

    “The effect of increased military presence in the Niger Delta: the increased in military presence has resulted in invasion of communities, displacement of persons, harassment and other firms of human rights abuse. They want government to halt the the escalation of tension in the region.

    “Plights of internally displaced persons: they want relevant government agencies to take urgent measures to meet their immediate needs of those displaced by upsurge of insecurity in the region.

    “The Ogoni clean-up and environmental remediation: they want government to speed up the exercise. They want government to enforce zero gas flare deadline. They want the devastating effects of coastal erosion and lack of an effective shoreline protection for the coastal communities tackled urgently. They ask federal government to commission a region-wide credible assessment of the impacts of crude oil pollution of the environment in the region and undertake to enforce environmental laws.

    “The Maritime University Issue: want prompt take off of the Niger Delta university

    “Key regional critical infrastructure: they want completion of of East-West road, full implementation of the rail project that is designated to run through the Niger Delta region to Lagos.

    “Security surveillance and protection of oil and gas infrastructure. They want pipeline surveillance contracts given to the communities rather than individuals in a manner that is some benefits to their responsibility. Communities would the see their responsibility over the pipelines as protection of what belongs to them.

    “Relocation of Administrative and Operational Headquarters of IOCs: the headquarters of most oil companies are not located in the Niger Delta Region. As a result the region is denies all the developmental and associated benefits that would have accrued to the region from their presence. It has therefore become imperative for the IOCs to relocate to their areas of operation. This move old create a mutually beneficial relationship wi he host communities.

    “Power supply: they advocate a power plan that strongly ties power supply in the region to gas supplies, thereby giving all sides a stake in proved stability.

    “Economic development and empowerment: they want Brass LNG and fertiliser plant project including the Train 7 implemented, reviewing and updating the national gas master plan to integrate the economic interests and industrialization of the region, creating a Niger Dekta industrial corridor that would process some portions of the bat hydrocarbon natural resources, expediting work on the export processing zones, harnessing the huge rain-fed agricultural potentials of the area through the development of farms estates, fishery development projects and Agro-Allied industrial clusters etc.

    “Inclusive participation in oil industry and ownership of oil blocs. They want the federal government to enunciate policies and actions that will address the lack of participation as well as imbalance in the ownership of oil and gas assets.

    “Restructuring and funding of the NDDC: The restructuring will ensure it refocuses as a true interventionist agency to respond swiftly to the yearnings of the grassroots of the Niger Delta. Communities must be able to have a say in what projects come to them and also want full implementation of the funding provisions of the NDDC Act.

    “Strengthening the Niger Delta Ministry: they say the era of abysmal funding should end. The ministry should be adequately funded and strengthen to fulfill the purpose for which it was created.

    “The Bakassi Question, recommend a comprehensive resettlement plan including development for the host communities and displaced population to reduce the risk of making the into a stateless people.

    “Fiscal federalism, the region supports the call for true federalism and urged that federal government should treat the matter expeditiously.”

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu said that the meeting was largely a courtesy call to bring to the front burner the issues of the Niger Delta and the concerns from the Niger Delta Leaders and what they believed the federal government should do to bring down pressure, stress and militancy to the barest minimum if not eliminated.

    According to him, it was a fairly good and civilized dialogue between all the parties, noting that it was a beginning of a process.

    He said: “We had over a hundred representatives. So, it was a very well attended function. Opinions given were very honest, very frank to the point. But I think at the end of the day, we exchanged enough thought processes to go back to the drawing board to begin a process of work.”

    The Minister said that a lot of behind-the-scene talks have been going on which has boost oil production to 2.1 million barrels.

    “One, we put a lot of moment on the fact of these incidences that happen. But I think the time has also come as members of the fourth estate of the realm to begin to put a lot of emphasis on the successes that have been recorded.

    “The reality is that as of today and this morning, we are at 2.1 million barrels production. That’s substantial. That would not have happened without efforts that went behind through the royal fathers and leaders, through the militant leaders. A lot of behind-the-scene engagements had taken place and will continue to take place.

    “If you look at 7 big wins that we set up last week, part of the expectations by 2017 is to target a zero shut as a result of result of militancy. What that means is that it is going to be an ongoing engagement. It will never finish. Different from what teams were setting up to do negotiations after the president had looked at this and given a strata, we also be the fact that on a roll on basis, the Ministry of Petroleum is continuing a quarterly meeting involving the oil companies who fairly beaten up  a little bit today and the governors and the stakeholders which will happen once every 3 months.

    “The first one is going to happen in Uyo in December and we are going to rotate that between the states so that we will have a platform irrespective of the negotiation that’s going on to deal with the issues and continue,” he added.

    On his part, Chief Edwin Clarke disclosed that the meeting was arranged by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources and all interest groups were represented.

     

  • Buhari meets Niger Delta stakeholders, Govs in Aso Rock

    Buhari meets Niger Delta stakeholders, Govs in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met with some Niger Delta stakeholders including state governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting holding at the Council Chamber have stakeholders from nine states including Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Edo, Cross Rivers, Imo, Akwa Ibom and Abia.

    Also at the meeting are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, governors of Edo, Cross River, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Akwa Ibom.

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachair David Lawal, some ministers, Service Chiefs and the National Assembly members are also present at the meeting.

    Amongst the stakeholders from Niger Delta included Chief Edwin Clarke, His Royal Majesty, Chief Diette Spiff, former governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, former governor of Akwa Ibom, Obong Victor Atta, Ankio Briggs, Alabo Graham Douglas, Timi Alaibe and Mr. Nduka Ogbegbena.

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and Tompolo were however absent at the meeting.

  • Changing the Niger Delta narrative

    From the multi product economy of the 1960s, Nigeria has metamorphosed into a mono product economy, completely reliant on oil.  Every other source of revenue has been systematically abandoned by successive governments.  All emphasis has been on oil, oil, and more oil.  Scant attention was paid to other sources of government income because oil money was pouring in as global oil prices soared.  For years the boom continued. No one dared imagine Nigeria and indeed the Niger Delta, the proverbial cash cow, without oil. It was inconceivable!

    And then there was a burst. Oil price crashed. And for a long time it stayed crashed and refused to rise.  The cost of producing oil became more than the price it was sold. It was a harsh reality everyone had to grapple with.  Other sources of government revenue had to be found and quickly. The inconceivable had not only become possible.  It had become a reality, a harsh reality for many.  A Niger Delta whose oil could no longer save Nigeria.

    For organisations like the Niger Delta Development Forum (NDDF), which envision a Niger Delta where all persons are able to live sustainable livelihoods, generate income and employment, and create economic opportunities unhindered by constraints from within and outside the market system in the region and beyond, who have advocated and continue to advocate a self-sustaining non-oil dependent development in the Niger Delta, it was a validation that the Niger Delta can exist and develop without relying on oil and that sustainable development is not dependent on oil. In the five years of its existence, the NDDF has provided a platform for information sharing and collaboration opportunities for government, private sector, and civil society organisations pursuing approaches for equitable and inclusive economic growth in the Niger Delta.

    This year’s edition of the forum, the fifth in the series, was held in Owerri, the capital of Imo State on October 19-20. The forum was sponsored by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), in collaboration with Niger Delta Development Initiative (NDPI), the Imo State Government and DFID funded Market Development for the Niger Delta (MADE).  Technical partners for the Forum include USAID Nigeria, DAI, NSRP, BRACED Commission and DEMAND Alliance.  The theme of the two days event was ‘Towards Self-Sustaining Development in the Niger Delta: Narrating and Showcasing a Re-Imagined Niger Delta’. Participants were drawn from government, the private sector and Civil Society Organisations all over the Niger Delta.  Those in attendance include the governor of Imo State, the NDDC Chairman, representatives of the governments of the nine Niger Delta states and the federal government, development partners, academicians, activists and people from all works of life.  Celebrities of Niger Delta extraction were not left out. Tee Mac, Nigeria’s maestro Concert Flutist, Hilda Dokubo and Monalisa Chinda, renowned Nollywood actresses and Mike Nliam, composer of the new theme song for the NDDF, were in attendance.

    In his welcome address, Sam Daibo, the Executive Director of PIND stated that ‘with each edition, the attendance at NDDF increases, the number of stakeholders interested in the forums increases, and in the last two years, we have been able to involve the governments of the host states directly in the planning of NDDF in order for them to take ownership of and drive the policy recommendations that come out of the forums. We no longer need to convince anyone as to the importance of dialogue and collective action for the Niger Delta, as our partners now on their own individually take on policy recommendations and decisions reached at the NDDFs into their own respective work plans’.

    While acknowledging the current challenges facing the Niger Delta, especially the re-emergence of violence by new militancy groups resulting from the hardship caused by the crash in global oil prices, Daibo stressed that PIND has been working towards a more peaceful and equitable Niger Delta for over five years and that they had great confidence in the region’s ability to realize its fullest potential. ‘In the face of these challenges, it is important to understand how we got here and to articulate our vision of how to move from where we are to where we want to go. We are putting NDDF to the service of this need to re-imagining a possible future, beginning with changing the narrative of the Niger Delta. We must promote a Niger Delta that ranks high in inclusive citizen participation in governance; where state governments operate with the concepts of transparency, accountability, and effectiveness; where diversity in economic pursuits are championed by state governments and executed openly; and a region that no longer grapples with violence but where peace reigns’ he stated.

    Several goodwill messages were delivered by different partners and government representatives, including the new NDDC chairman who noted that the problems bedevilling the Niger Delta were as huge as they were multifaceted and that the crash of the oil price and renewed militancy have further compounded the woes in the region.

    In declaring the 2016 NDDF open, His Excellency, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, the  governor of Imo State, represented by his deputy Prince Eze Madumere, stated that the outcome of the round table meeting with all partners was the most important aspect of the NDDF and promised to drive all the projects to be implemented by PIND and the Demand Alliance Partners in various agricultural value chains in Imo State.

    Proceedings at the Forum focused on four key topics of peace, conflict mitigation, elections and development; regional cohesiveness – The role of federal, regional and state government institutions; climate change and the green economy; and economic diversification and the digital economy, in the form of presentations, discussions, and syndicate sessions. While the sessions focused on different topics, one recurrent theme in all the sessions was how to increase actionable opportunities for sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

    Lately, the Niger Delta has been in the news for the wrong reasons especially with regards to oil spills and militancy. For fora like the NDDF and other initiatives working to change the narrative in the Niger Delta, the major task is to create an enabling platform for dialogue on a way forward for the region and to facilitate collaboration among key stakeholders in the region including the government, the local communities, CSOs, the private sector and donor communities. It is only when they succeed in this that a Niger Delta that ranks high in inclusive citizens’ participation in governance and development can emerge.

     

    • Christopher wrote from Abuja.
  • Buhari vows to return Nigeria to past years of accountability

    Buhari vows to return Nigeria to past years of accountability

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday restated the determination of his administration to restore the country to the “good old days of accountability”.

    Speaking at a meeting with the Director, Global Upstream of Shell Oil Company at the State House, Abuja, Buhari said he will leave a legacy of improved infrastructure, particularly in the power sector, and also ensure better security in the Niger Delta.

    The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said: “It is only by doing this that investor morale and confidence will return, and the economy will be positioned on the path of growth,”

    Commending Shell for their faith in the economy and staying power, he gave assurances on some issues of concern raised by the company.

    On the protracted issue of cash calls, the President assured that the Federal Executive Council will soon consider a proposal for the easing of unpaid arrears owed by the government.

    He said that the security of oil infrastructure will continue to be prioritized side-by-side with dialogue with the stakeholder-communities in the Niger Delta.

    The President, however, urged oil companies to take more responsibility in the protection of oil installations to complement the efforts of Nigerian Navy in the region.

    In his remarks, the Shell Director, Mr. Andrew Brown, informed the President of the resumption of oil exportation through the Forcados terminal following its restoration.

    He called for continued protection by the Nigerian Navy in view of repeated threats of attack by militants.

    Brown commended the anti-corruption posture of the Buhari administration and the efforts to streamline and stabilize the economy for long term projects.

    He said that all the efforts will go a long way to reinforce Shell investment plans in Nigeria.

  • Governors decry exclusion from amnesty programme

    Governors decry exclusion from amnesty programme

    …Communities, OICs disagree on $141 million CSR
    A bill seeking to provide a legal and institutional framework for the implementation and management of the Presidential Amnesty Programme in Nigeria was Tuesday criticized by stakeholders.

    While giving his opinion on the “Presidential Programme on Rehabilitation and Reintegration (Establishment and implementation) Bill, 2016 Tuesday,  the Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa in his submission before the Essien Ekpeyong Ayi- headed House of Representatives committee on Niger  Delta Affairs said there is an urgent need to restructure the programme.

    This was as communities in the Niger Delta insisted on getting 2 percent of the annual budget of the international Oil Companies operating in their Communities. They also called for the use of security votes to support youths “who surrendered their arms but were not captured in the amnesty programe.

    Nearly all stakeholders at the event wanted a clarification on the supervisory role of the National Security Adviser in the proposed Amnesty Bill.

    Okowa in his submission presented by Pascal Adigwe said: ” One of the things that need to be urgently looked at is the structure of the programme, which at the moment is solely run by the federal government . This needs to change. The state governments in the region need to be engaged as partners with the federal government.

    “This partnership should take the form of involvement of the states in the selection, training and empowerment, while the federal government takes charge of the funding.”

    He decried a situation whereby those captured in the amnesty programme were sent to study courses that had no bearing on local needs.

    “I strongly recommend the model encapsulated in my administration’s S.M.A.R.T agenda where unemployed youths are trained in select disciplines relevant to local industries and the needs of the society,” he said.

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC in a presentation signed by its Group Managing Director, Maikanti Baru said it would not support that collection of gifts and donations as parts of the funding for the amnesty programme to avoid conflict of interest.

    “We recommend that loans, gifts and donations from individuals and private companies should be discouraged. Gifts of land from Communities for field offices should also be permissible. Other gifts and grants should only come from national, bilateral and multilateral agencies and the three tiers of government.”

    The chairman of the Oil Producers Trade Section (OPTS), Clay Neff, while giving their opinion on the bill rejected section. 15.2( e) of the Amnesty Bill.

    His words: “OPTS’ 24 members operate approximately 90 per cent of Nigeria’s oil and gas production.

    “In 2015 alone, OPTS contribution amounted to over US$ 141 million in support of voluntary corporate social responsibility initiatives on infrastructure development , education, and medical facilities to mention a few. As you’re aware, we also pay the required Niger Delta Development Commission levy.

    “Currently, government takes approximately 95 percent of net revenues from joint Venture Oil production. This includes corporate taxes, production royalties, NNPC share of production and a plethora of taxes and levies to the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies.

    “It is our view that the additional obligations sought to be imposed by Clause 15.2(e) of the amnesty bill will increase the burden on industry- thereby weakening Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global oil and gas industry.”

    He therefore submitted that section 15.2(e) should be deleted from the amnesty bill.

    But the communities faulted OPTS’ submission especially its assertion that they had spend over $141 million on CSR.

    Prof. Jasper Jumbo who spoke for the oil producing communities said what the Oil producers said they have done with such an amount is not visible to anyone.

    He said Security votes should go into programmes for other youths who surrendered arms and were not included in the amnesty and that the 5 percent of the Ecological Fund in the bill should be increased to 10 percent.

    The National Civil Society Consultative Forum in Peace and Security represented by Jaiye Gaskiya proposed a clear exit date for the amnesty programme. And that peaceful communities should be identified and provided incentives under the programme to encourage other communities to remain peaceful.

    The Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, represented by deputy Minority leader, Chukwuka Onyeama, noted that the passage of the bill will end militancy,,pipeline vandalism and bring business back to the Niger Delta by increasing the crude oil production output.