The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Oil producing

  • ‘Oil producing communities marginalised in Abia’

    The two oil-producing communities in Abia State are alleging marginalisation by the state and Federal Governments. They would like their indigenes appointed into key positions and their frastructural deficit addressed, Correspondent SUNNY NWANKWO reports.

    DESPITE their contribution to the national purse, the people of Ukwa clan in Abia State say they are not being fairly treated when it comes to siting of development projects, and distribution elective and appointive positions.

    Ukwa is made up of two local government areas: Ukwa East and Ukwa West. They are said to have migrated from the Niger Delta. Apart from the abundance of food, the Ukwa people who also share boundaries with some parts of Rivers and Akwa Ibom States respectively are immensely blessed with natural resources. Like their neighbouring Niger Delta communities, the Ukwa clan has huge deposits of crude oil with various multi-national oil companies having their presence in the area.

    A recent visit to the two local governments shows a high level of abandonment and decay of infrastructure, despite their economic importance to the state and the nation at large.  The areas do not have roads or good source of drinkable water supply. This is even as the people have continued to live in darkness, despite the 132 kilovolt amperes (KVA) electricity sub-station in their area.

    But, in spite of the foregoing, Ukwa youths have not resorted to militancy, like their counterparts in the Niger Delta, by kidnapping oil expatriates or bombing oil facilities in their communities. They have remained peaceful and protective of the facilities of these oil companies, with the conviction that resorting to militancy was not the best option to push for agitation against the marginalization of their people.

    It is on record that from the inception of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s administration till the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, there has not been any report of activities of militants in Abia State, especially in the Ukwa axis.

    The highest elective position occupied by an Ukwa indigene was when Senator Adolphus Wabara was elected as Senate President in 2003. But, he did not last in that position; he was removed on trumped up charges. It took him 14 years to clear his name, following the ruling of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, in Maitama, last month which discharged and acquitted him and two others of allegations of bribery levelled against them.

    After Senator Wabara’s experience, several attempts have been made by Ukwa clan to produce another senator to represent Abia South senatorial district without success. Some sons of Ukwa who are members of the three dominant parties in the state that tried to contest for the governorship and senatorial positions failed to realize such dreams and ambition, leaving Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe who are from the same Obingwa Local Government Area to continue to occupy the two lofty positions.

    Following his recent victory, Abaribe would be returning to the Red Chamber for his fourth term when the ninth National Assembly is inaugurated next month. This is however contrary to the principle of fair play, equity and justice, as power ought to be evenly distributed among the Ukwa Ngwa brothers.

    The Ohuhu clan, in Abia Central senatorial district, appears to have been favoured in appointments by the Buhari administration. For instance, one of their sons, Mr. Okechukwu Elenamah, is the Minister of Trade and Investment. Another Ohuhu indigene, Dr. (Mrs.) Uzoma Elizabeth Emenike, was also appointed as the ambassador to Ireland.

    Yet, the clan that lays the golden egg has been relegated to the background in infrastructural development and appointments, even when it has sons and daughters that eminently qualified. Some indigenes of the area have started canvassing for a redress of the situation, by siting of development projects there and by appointment of indigenes into the next Federal Executive Council.

    Such indigenes recently staged a peaceful demonstration along the Aba/Port Harcourt Expressway, under the aegis of Concerned Women of Ukwa land. The spokeman of the group, Mrs. Odochi Onuegbu, said it is unfortunate and very regrettable that they were suffering untold hardship, because their farmlands that hitherto gave good yield have become unproductive due to the harmful effects of oil exploration and ongoing gas flaring in the area.

    She said the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which was established by the Federal Government to intervene in both infrastructural and human capital development of the area, has not done much to ameliorate the sufferings of their people. She said if the Federal Government appoints an indigene of the area as minister such person would be in a position to influence the appointment of a credible Ukwa indigene into the board of the NDDC.

    Onuegbu alleged that non-indigenes of the area have influenced the appointment of people from outside Ukwa land into the commission, ignoring qualified indigenes of the oil-producing community.

    The Secretary General of Asa Development Union (ADU), the umbrella body of all groups and associations in Ukwa West Local Government, Dr. Ikechi Ajuzieogu, said it was embarrassing that an area that has continued to produce oil for more than 60 years does not have much to show for it.

    He said the NDDC has not been fair to his people, as it is not committed to serious infrastructural development of Ukwa land. He added: “Even in the area of scholarship awards, you may not believe that in the last post-graduate scholarship awards by the NDDC, no single Ukwa West child benefited from the award. Even the petition that our union sent to the House of Representatives on the matter has not been properly attended to, almost two years after lodging our complaint.”

    Ajuzieogu said it is a sad commentary that Ukwa people has been denied a voice in the political front, as they have not had the opportunity to represent the area in the National Assembly in the last 12 years. He said by 2023 the people of Ukwa would have been left in lurch for 16 straight years.

    The ADU scribe said the concern of right-thinking sons and daughters of Ukwa is whether their people can ever represent Abia South again in the Senate, because the Ngwa people who are the majority in the senatorial district have vowed not to vote for any Ukwa son or daughter who aspires for the seat.

    He agrees with the women and other groups that a ministerial position for an indigene of Ukwa would assist to ameliorate the plight of his people and help keep restive youths at bay.

    Another group, under the aegis of the Ukwa Consultative Assembly (UCA) has also called for the appointment of an indigene of the oil-rich area as a minister for the sake justice and fairness.

    With the emergence of former Governor Orji Kalu as Senator-elect, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha and Benjamin Kalu as members-elect of the House of Representatives, there is no gain saying the fact that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has become very strong in the Abia North senatorial district.

    The Abia Central district that currently has a minister and an ambassador cannot be said to be a push over in the scheme of things in Abia politics. As such, the district appears to have more clout within the current APC-led Federal Government.

    It seems that the weakest link of the APC in Abia is the Abia South district, which is the most populated and the only oil-producing area of the state.

    Observers believe that appointing an indigene of the district into the next Federal Executive Council or any other federal appointment could help to strengthen the APC in the area. Regrettably, Ukwa land that has the oil and contributes the most economically to the coffers of the state, but it has been marginalised in terms of federal appointments over the years.

  • Nigeria, not an oil producing economy

    Sir: It has long being said that oil is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy and often times, the budget of Nigeria is prepared in line with benchmark from the sale of the nation’s crude. However, a recent study by Afrinvest, a leading investment banking firm has since found that Nigeria is not an oil producing country but a human capital producing country as diaspora flows exceed gross oil revenue.

    Diaspora remittances as at 2018 stood at $25.1bn while gross oil revenue for 2018 was $18.2bn just as the 2019 capital expenditure budget is $6.7bn. Gross oil revenue comprises of crude oil and gas sales, petroleum profit tax and royalties. Based on these figures, Nigeria is a human capital producing country because diaspora flows far exceeds gross oil revenue receipts.

    Human capital is the collection of the knowledge, talents, skills, abilities, experience, intelligence, training, judgment, and wisdom possessed individually and collectively by individuals in a population. These resources are the total capacity of the people that represents a form of wealth which can be directed to accomplish the goals of the nation or state or a portion thereof. In the context of Nigeria, these human capitals are being exported daily due to non-availability of accommodation of such individuals in various respective sectors of the economy. Doctors, nurses, engineers, ICT professionals, academics, researchers, and a host of others leave the country in search for greener pastures due to unfavorable circumstances in the Nigerian job market space.  Our educational system is one of the cheapest in the world, our medical schools or legal institutions are very affordable compared to universities abroad. We produce brilliant minds that end up leaving the shores of the country and become key players overseas in their respective industry. We lose the best minds to the international job market every day thereby being one of the leading countries in human capital export.

    Human capital is the fundamental source of economic growth. It is a source of both increased productivity and technological advancement. In fact, the major difference between the developed and developing countries is the rate of progress in human capital. The underdeveloped countries need human capital to staff new and expanding government services to introduce new systems of land use and new methods of agriculture, to develop new means of communication to carry forward industrialization and to build the education system. How then do we attain sustainable economic growth and development when we continuously lose our human capital assets?

    Policy makers should seek modalities in which the need to seek greener pastures overseas will be less attractive through the building of strong institutions which will accommodate merit as a tool for job placement or growth rather than the continuous existence of personal rule paradigm and patrimonialism.

     

    • Folawiyo Kareem Olajoku, PhD <folajoku@gmail.com>
  • ‘Oil Producing states’ll support NGO to end poverty in Niger Delta’

    ‘Oil Producing states’ll support NGO to end poverty in Niger Delta’

    The Deputy Governor of Imo State, Prince Eze Madumere,  has reiterated the commitment of oil producing states to work with development partners to lift indigent Nigerians of Niger Delta extraction out of poverty.

    Madumere gave the assurance when he received the Team Leader of the Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE), Mr. Tunde Oderinde, who was in the state to officially launch the N80 million Technology Adoption Grant (TAG) to support palm oil processing, fish smoking and improve harvesting technologies in the region.

    The Deputy Governor said the nine states in the Niger Delta – Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers were ever willing to work with development partners especially DFID in the quest to alleviate poverty in the region.

    He said it was for the importance that the Imo State Government attached to the various interventions by development partners that it mandated the state’s Directorate for Employment and Job Creation to always work closely with stakeholders to ensure that benefitting local governments and communities reap maximum gains from all interventions.

    Earlier in his address, the Team Lead of MADE, Mr. Tunde Oderinde said the launch of   the N80million Technology Adoption Grant (TAG), was meant to serve as intervention aimed at stimulating performance in select agriculture value chains in the Niger Delta.

    Oderinde said the TAG fund which is managed by Market Development in the Niger Delta (MADE) programme of the DFID will be awarded to eligible individuals and enterprises with focus on palm oil processing, fish smoking and improving harvesting technologies through a competitive grant process.

    He said the opportunity was open solely to individual businesses and enterprises domiciled and operating in the Niger Delta, explaining that successful bids can receive up to a maximum of N1,100,000.00 (One Million, One Hundred Thousand Naira) depending on the funding window.

    Shedding more light on the funding windows available for the grant, Oderinde said the first funding window was for small scale business people with focus on fish smoking.

    He said the funding window will give fish smokers access to new fish smoking kilns with its attendant benefits which include safety from fire hazards, improved efficiency (the time it takes to smoke fish), improved smoking capacity and reduction in the cost of doing business.

    Oderinde explained that 80 units of 50-75kg kilns, 20 units of 100kg kilns and 4units of 200-250kg kilns were available for Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo and Cross River States under the first funding arrangement.

    He said for palm oil processing technologies, MADE was working on getting fabricators to collaborate with leading commercial millers to organise demonstrations on the benefits of the use of improved processing technologies and practices targeted at other millers and mill users and farmers, provide good quality machines and also after sale support services.

  • ‘All Ilaje communities are oil producing’

    A group in the coastal area of Ondo State, Ilaje Kitikiti Development Association (IKDA), says the entire Ilajeland is endowed with crude oil deposit.

    This is contrary to the claim by the Executive Director, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), Ibuchukwu Ezike, that only Ilaje constituency 1, Ugbo, has the natural resources.

    Besides, the group kicked against the agitation that Ondo State should produce the next Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    IKDA noted that the statement by the CLO boss was ignorant on the workings of the NDDC Act, 2000 and the even distribution of oil production in Ilaje Local Government.

    A statement signed by the group’s Chairman, Comrade Bode Asogbon; Secretary, Emorioloye James and Public Relations Officer, Adeyemi Orimisan, noted that the current Board of the NDDC was inaugurated in December 2013 for a fixed period of four years.

    On the position of the MD and the two Executive Directors, the group said it is provided for under Section 12 of the NDDC Act and that it should be rotated in the order of quantum of production starting from the highest Ondo State with five in that order Executive Committee cutting across the entire Ilaje Local Government Area.

  • Oil producing communities youths seek more benefits from oil

    Youths from oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region have advocated for the implementation of the community content in the oil and gas industry. They said the Nigeria Content in the Local Content Law as passed does not give much right to oil producing communities to actively participate and benefit from the operations of oil companies in their communities.

    This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a one-day workshop organized by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) with the theme “Local Content: Youth Involvement and Benefits”.

    In the communique signed by President of the Ijaw Youth Congress, (IYC) Udengs Eradiri, and National President of Edo Youth leaders, Igho Ovie, they youths commended President Goodluck Jonathan for initiating and signing the Local Content Bill into law and the subsequent inauguration of its pioneer Board.

    The youths noted that opportunities offered by the Local Content Law were more than the benefits derivable from the 13 percent derivation if properly utilised.

    It reads: “Hence, there is need for continuous enlightenment campaigns across the Niger Delta states on the functions of the Board and how people especially youths can take advantage of the provisions of the Local Content law.”

    “That it is the right of the oil producing communities to actively participate and benefit from the operations of oil and gas companies in their communities.

    “In order to sustain the gains made in the promotion of local content in the oil and gas industry, the youths of oil producing communities of the Niger Delta expressed their support for the re-election of President Jonathan for a second term and thereby adopted him as their sole candidate for the March 28, 2015 Presidential elections.”