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Tag: Niger Delta

  • Zamfara gold: Only a bastard won’t support resource control – Festus Keyamo

    Zamfara gold: Only a bastard won’t support resource control – Festus Keyamo

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo has said any Niger Delta son that does not support resource control and fiscal federalism is a bastard of the region.

    Keyamo made the statement on Tuesday as Governors of the South South and leaders of the region met to state their position on the sales of gold by the Zamfara State Government to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the leaders of the South South region dropped 7 demands on the federal government at the stakeholders meeting that held at the Government House in Port Harcourt with a Federal Government in attendance.

    In his remarks Keyamo said, “The Federal Executive Council has approved the Coastal Rail line from Lagos to Calabar. The loan for the coastal Rail line from Lagos to Calabar is actually being processed now.

    “The other Rail line from Bonny to Maiduguri which is the Eastern flank has also been approved. That rail line begins from Bonny to Owerri, Makurdi and all the way to Maiduguri and the loans are being processed right now with the Chinese.

    “Congratulations to Governor Okowa because the rails incidentally will begin from Warri and it will either go east west or west west but it will certainly begin from Warri.

    “As for the Ports, Governor Okowa mentioned the issue of the deep sea port and as we speak here, I can show you a message from the MD of RCCI, the contract has been awarded already for the Warri port. It is the deep sea port that they want to establish in Warri.

    “For you to have a deep seaport you need at least 14 meters deep of water but the old Warri Port is about 8 meters deep and it will cost about $100 million dollars to dregde.

    “So what we want to do is that we have been mandated to work with traditional rulers like Olu of Warri and others to try and get a location that is at least close to 14 meters deep and that is where I will beg my brother the Hon Minister of Petroleum, because the channel to go in is also barricaded by the NNPC pipelines and some of them are obsolete so we are thinking of sinking or relocating the pipes for the ships to come in because the pipes are already under the water.

    “In a few days time, myself and the Chinese people will leave for Warri to make some of those investigations. Pessu was actually pencilled down for the port but it is 8 meters deep and I am sure Governor Okowa knows about this.

    *We are all part of the same region, I’m Urhobo like most of you here and when they tell you that the Federal Government should not take loan, tell them that they are taking loans to build railways in other parts of the country, so let us take loan to build our own too so don’t oppose it, we should build our own too with the Chinese loan as well.

    “My elder brother Professor G. G. Darah, let me add to your demands because being here today, also part of you too, making demands from the Federal Government.

    “You didn’t mention the Warri airport which is also very important. Shoreline that was managing the Warri Airport couldn’t pay up all its bills to FAAN. So the Federal Government had to take over the Warri airport, and some of us pursued it here and credit must be given to the Minister of Petroleum and myself because we pursued it all the way.

    “A proposal has been written to the Federal Government for the Ministry of Petroleum to take over the Warri Airport and the President has approved that.

    “They are working on it now and in the next few weeks the Warri Airport will become functional again.

    “So on a last note, I want to say that most of the demands if not all the demands of Governor Okowa as a child of the region who was born and bred in the region, I also support those demands because it is only a bastard who is not born of a father from the Niger Delta that will not support those demands.

    “It is not because we are here today. We will come back home tomorrow and any Niger Delta son that does not support resource control and fiscal federalism is a bastard of the region.

    “So we support it. But I must caution that it must be a collective effort. Do not think that it is the fault from this government. It has always been there. Our son was President. A southerner was President as a Yoruba man.

    “Luckily for us, the Deputy Senate President is the Chairman of the Constitutional Review Committee. Let us take our demands there, let us go and fight our case there.

    “Nobody should dall for the narrative that it is President Muhammadu Buhari that caused the problem why they have not amended the constitution.

    “Let us take all our demands there and let us go and fight it there”.

  • UPDATE: Governors, people of South South demand restructuring, fiscal federalism

    UPDATE: Governors, people of South South demand restructuring, fiscal federalism

    Governors and people of the South-South geopolitical zone have demanded for restructuring in line with the principle of true federalism, to guarantee peace, security and stability of Nigeria.

    The governors observed that the country is not at peace with itself and not working as it should, particularly, for the people of the South-South region.

    Chairman of the South-South Governors forum and Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa stated this as the position of the zone during the regional stakeholders meeting with presidential delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

    Governor Okowa, explained the people of the South-South are committed to restructuring of Nigeria in a way that guarantees true federalism and devolution of powers to the states to create and manage their own police and security architecture under a federal structure.

    “True federalism guided by the principle of derivation, revenue sharing and control of resources by each State of the federation as it was the case in the first republic.”

    He said the kind of federation the South-South geopolitical desires, is one where federating units are constitutionally empowered to create their own structures like Local Government Areas, manage their elections and control their judiciary.

    “We are all aware of the huge endowment of this country. As such, it is imperative to stress that with a little bit of efforts, imagination, hard work, sacrifice and leadership, every state of the Federation as of today, has the ability and capability to contribute to the national purse. This should be encouraged rather than the whole country depending substantially on a region of the country.

    “What is worse and even more painful in this ugly situation is the deliberate lack of understanding, empathy and the uncompromising attitudes of some Nigerians, who have refused to understand the challenges of the South-South region of the country especially, the degradation of the environment and our waters. As a result, most of the demands of the region have remained unattended to while the resources of the region have been used continually to develop other parts of the country”.

    The governors reiterated the call for the relocation of the headquarters of major oil companies, NNPC subsidiaries from Lagos and Abuja to the South-South region.

    Governor Okowa requested for immediate implementation of the consent judgment entered in the Supreme Court Suit No: SC/964/2016 to enable the South-South region get its share of $55billion shortfall of collection on deep offshore and inland basin production sharing contracts.

    The governors further called for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region’s major seaports in Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri in order to enhance the economic development of the South-South region.

    In addition, they demanded that the two refineries in Port Harcourt and one in Warri that have continued to bleed the country’s resources in the name of turn around maintenance, should be privatised. According to him: “Enough is enough. Let us now privatise them and in doing so however, allow the States and the region among others, considerable equity in the name of fairness and justice”.

    Concerned about the rot in the NDDC, the governors observed that one of the major failures of the intervention agency is its refusal to forge and foster synergy, consultation and cooperation with the state governments especially, on project location, development and execution.

    “We have resolved and we, as the State governments will no longer allow NDDC to execute any project (s) in any state of the region without it consulting State governments. Frankly, enough is enough and we have a court judgment to back our position.”

    In his remark, the Chief of Staff to the President, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari, said the stakeholders meeting was at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari, to the presidential delegation comprising of all the Ministers from the region to visit and consult with representatives of the people regarding the recent EndSARS protest.

    Gambari, noted that reports indicated that there were instances , where breakdown of law and order was reported across various locations in the South-South states. He lauded the governors of the South-South States for their quick response and actions in addressing the EndSARS crisis.

    Beyond the EndSARS issue, he said, the President acknowledges that the citizens in the region have also been dealing with other concerns that are particular to the region such as the degradation of environment due to decades of mishandling and adherence to environmental standards.

    The chief of Staff said he will convey the demands of the region to the President

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, said excuse of insecurity by the multinationals for not relocating to the South-South region is not tenable.

    He stressed that the relocation of the multinationals oil companies to the region will help stem restiveness.

    He urged the Minister of state for Petroleum to make history by ensuring the oil companies relocate to the region during his reign in office.

    The Deputy President of the Senate, Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege, urged the leaders of the region to avail themselves of the on going review of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly since most of the issues contained in their demands are constitutional matters.

    The Director General of Department of State Services, DSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, lauded Governor Nyeson Ezenwo Wike, for his stance against the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) which hijacked the EndSARS protest and killed 10 security operatives, torched stations and court buildings in Oyigbo.

    The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, said fake news gave impetus to the nationwide EndSARS that culminated in the death of civilians, police personnel and their assets.

    Adamu alleged that intelligence has confirmed that the EndSARS protest was funded from within and outside the country. He further added that one of the primary objective of the protest was to effect a regime change.

    Present at the meeting were: Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River; Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akw Ibom; Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State; and Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.

    Others are: Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta; Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum; Goddy Jedy Agba ,Minister of State, Power; Festus Keyamo, Minister of State, for Niger Delta; Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammad. The Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi was however , absent.

    Other eminent persons present included: the National Chairman of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga, rtd; former President, Nigerian Bar Association, Onueze Okocha (SAN); among others.

  • Zamfara gold: South South leaders drop 7 demands on FG

    Zamfara gold: South South leaders drop 7 demands on FG

    Leaders in the South South region of Nigeria have dropped 7 demands on the federal government.

    The leaders made the demands at a Presidential meeting held in Port Harcourt following the sales of gold by the Zamfara State government to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    The Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Ambassador Ibrahim Gambari led the federal government delegation to the meeting.

    The six Governors and leaders in the zone in a common position presented by Chairman of South South Governor’s Forum, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, made the following demands:

    1. Immediate relocation of headquarters of oil multinational to their operational bases in the South South region.

    2. Immediate relocation of government -owned oil subsidiaries from Lagos and Abuja to the South South region.

    3. Immediate completion of East-West road under construction.

    4. Immediate privatisation of the two refineries in Port Harcourt and the one in Warri for effectiveness.

    5. Call for release of all funds due NDDC and that henceforth, all NDDC projects MUST be done in consultation with State Governors.

    6. Reactivation of sea ports in Calabar, Port Harcourt and Warri. Then, the Lagos to Calabar railine.

    7. True federalism, resource control, fair revenue sharing and State Police, the best ingredients to achieving a better Nigeria.

    South South leaders insist on restructuring, true federalism

    Leaders of the South-South on Tuesday, insisted on restructuring of the country and true federalism, including devolution of powers to the federating units.

    The leaders made the demand at a consultative meeting with a Federal Government delegation with governors, ministers and other stakeholders from the region at Government House, Port Harcourt.

    Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum and Governor of Delta, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who presented the region’s demand, said that the nation was not at peace because the country had failed to practice true federalism.

    Okowa said that it was time to restore the country back to a true federation with all the attributes and nuances of a federal state.

    “For us in the South-South, the #ENDSARS protest is a metaphor of almost all that is wrong with us, our refusal to properly understand issues, and imbibe and entrench the virtues of justice, fairness and equity.

    “The previous system of true federalism was jettisoned and it created a powerful center controlling and distributing all the resources unevenly.

    “There was now a strong desire to restructure the country in order to guarantee peace, security, stability and progress of the nation.

    “The region demands true federalism and devolution of powers to the states, including creating and managing their own police and security architecture, true fiscal federalism guided by the principle of derivation, revenue sharing and control of resources by each state,” he said.

    He decried the deliberate lack of understanding, empathy and uncompromising attitudes of some Nigerians, who refused to understand the peculiar challenges of the South-South region, especially the degradation of the environment and the pollution of our waters.

    “All we demand and ask for is fairness and equity and as we await actions to restructure the country, we hereby renew our demands for: ‘The relocation of the headquarters of major oil companies in Nigeria to the region; relocation of several NNPC subsidiaries from Lagos and Abuja to the region.

    “The region further requested the completion without delay of the East-West Road and all federal roads in the region; Construction of the Lagos-Calabar railway, reconstruction and rehabilitation of the region’s major seaports notably the Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri”.

    The leaders also demanded the privatisation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries after several failed turn-around maintenance attempts.

    The region called for the release of all funds owed Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and for the amendment of the NDDC Act to place the commission on a first-line charge.

    The stakeholders decried annual flooding challenge in the region and called for the establishment of buffer dams to control flood waters in the region.

    They also called for the completion of the abandoned Gas Revolution Industrial Park at Ogidigben and the stepping down of electricity at the Okpai and Utorogu gas plants.

    Leader of the Presidential delegation and Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, thanked the people of the South-South for their co-operation, and assured that all issues raised at the meeting would be communicated to the President.

    Gambari apologised for the failure of the meeting to hold on Nov. 17 earlier slated, and said “we are here on behalf of the President as part of the ongoing and continuing conversation on how to make our nation better and I must thank the Governor of Delta, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, for his tireless effort in ensuring that this meeting held.

    “Our youths took to the streets to express their bitterness on ill-treatment meted out to them by the police and the President, recognising the importance of the demands made by the protesters agreed to implement the five demands.

    “All over the world, people have right to protest but in doing so, the respect for law and order must be adhered to and they must also respect the rights of others.

    “The President commends governors, traditional rulers and other stakeholders for their role in handling the protesters,” he said

    Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, on his part, commended the youths of South-South for their peaceful disposition during the protests.

    He assured that all constitutional issues canvassed would be addressed by the Constitution Review Committee and urged the governors to prevail on their Houses of Assemblies to give the necessary concurrence at the appropriate time.

    Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in his remark, said aside the massive economic effects of the protests, 243 public facilities were burnt, 71 warehouses looted, 610 vehicles destroyed, 134 police stations burnt,164 police vehicles destroyed and 136 firearms carted away.

    He added that 65 civilians were killed during the protests and

    37 policemen gruesomely murdered while 196 persons were seriously injured.

    On his part, Director-General, Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Yusuf Magaji-Bichi, said the unity of the country, in spite of the diversity, remained the strength of the nation, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure that peace returned to the country.

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in a vote of thanks, commended the Federal Government delegation and stakeholders of the region for attending the meeting and urged the federal authorities to ensure implementation of the region’s demands.

  • Prof Godini Gabriel DARAH at 73: Town and gown in dialogue

    Prof Godini Gabriel DARAH at 73: Town and gown in dialogue

    By Ogheneochuko E. Arodovwe (M.A. Unilag)

    Days are days but some days hold more significance than others. This day, the 22nd of November is very special to the Darah dynasty because on it 73 years ago, a baby was born whose life-time voyage and achievements would transform the status of the family from the obscurity and anonimity of a household in the southernmost stretch of one of the Owawha island communities of the Ughievwen people of Urhobo to a national and global brand that would become a popular name in Esaba, Ughievwen, Udu, Urhobo, Delta State, the Niger Delta, South West Nigeria, Africa and the world.

    Godini G. Darah’s achievements were built on his rare academic prowess which began with his admission on scholarship to St Vincent’s Grammar School Okwagbe in 1963, thanks to Chief T.E.A. Salubi’s approval of the school on his first day of resumption of office as Education Commissioner under the hurriedly asembled interim government in the Western Region led by Dr Moses Majekodunmi. But for Salubi’s whimsical intervention, the world would never have heard of G.G. Darah. He had been home for two years after primary school because his parents could not raise the amount of money required for his secondary education. He sat for and passed the scholarship examination into the newly approved College. He was a pioneer student of the college in 1963. His leadership qualities were immediately spotted and was made senior prefect from Form 1 to 5, before he left for Federal Government College Warri for his A levels in 1968.

    Darah was admitted to the prestigious University of Ibadan in 1970. The period is significant because of the global ideological antagonism between the capitalist west and socialist east at the time fondly described as the ‘Cold War’. The first generation of post-colonial African thinkers at the time were largely influenced by the socialist thoughts of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels, and thus adopted an African variant of socialism. Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Julius Nyerere of Tanzania and Leopold Senghor of Senegal led the path. Nigeria was somewhat indifferent in these ideological directions. (She still is till date unfortunately).

    However the University of Ibadan provided the avenue for productive intellectual and dialectical interactions on these matters. Darah learnt quickly from his teachers such as Omafume Onoge, Eskor Toyo, Ola Oni, et. al. and soon became a recognised Marxist revolutionary teacher in Ile-Ife with other colleagues like Oladipo Fashina and Biodun Jeyifo. G.G Darah was on the Nigeria scholar delegation to London in 1983 to mark the 100th year anniversary of Karl Marx’s death. (Marx had lived from 1818-1883).

    G.G Darah while a lecturer at University of Ife (now OAU) was at different times Secretary and branch President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). For his “troubles” and radicalism, the Buhari military regime had him arrested and imprisoned in an underground facility in Dodan Barracks, Lagos.

    Timely press conferences and media pressures forced the government to get him released before any damage had been done to his health in that terribly sordid condition in the Nigerian prison.

    Darah’s insatiable ambition for broader avenues to spread his ideas drove him into mainstream media where he was Chairman, Editorial Board of The Daily Times and The Guardian from 1985 to 2001. At the Guardian, he maintained a weekly column where he contributed over 400 articles. He was a consistent advocate for the end of military rule, the restoration of democratic government, true federalism, and economic and environmental justice for the Niger Delta peoples.

    Darah was a close associate of the undisputed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election Chief M.K.O Abiola and his wife Kudirat Abiola. He consulted for the late chief in his Reparations agenda for former slave victims, and flew with him to Goree, Senegal severally on research trips. Darah was a likely candidate for ministerial appointment had Chief Abiola attained his dream of being the president of Nigeria. Unfortunately, General IBB had other plans.

    Darah was also a close associate of Chief Frank Kokori, arguably the most influential comrade Nigeria has ever known after the unbeatable Chief Micheal Imoudu.

    Darah’s return to the classroom at Delta State University, Abraka in 2000 was both a loss and a gain. It was a loss to the media world in Nigeria especially his immediate constituency, The Guardian, where he and his revolutionary colleagues had used the power of the pen to influence policies of government, shapened public opinion and in some cases dethroned maximum dictatorships and despotic governments in Nigeria and other parts of Africa. Unfortunately, Darah’s generation left shoes too big to fill in the Nigerian print media up to this day.

    But it was a gain to his Urhobo people and Delta State, and to the students who were lucky to have been taught by such an intellectual Iroko at Delsu. Darah had spent over three decades in western Nigeria as student, lecturer, activist, union leader, media executive and international correspondent. He had travelled widely and had, by some evaluation, attained the peak of his career. He was friends with virtually everyone that mattered in society at the time across various walks of life, and the complementary social life that Lagos afforded could have easily made anyone forget about one’s roots.

    But not so for Darah. Although he could speak the language fluently and his Yoruba friends would have readily ‘adopted’ him as one of their own, he, like his mentor J.P Clark, never forgot his roots. For one thing, Darah’s doctoral research in far away Ibadan had been on the Udje dance tradition of his Urhobo people. J.P Clark had pioneered the academic documentation of the tradition with a published paper in 1968, which Darah had read and which influenced his doctoral research interest in it. And so a divorcement with his Urhobo people whom he loved passionately could not have been possible. He had always maintained a close communication line with the home front all the while he was in Lagos. For instance, Darah literally relocated to Warri and Sapele during the Idjerhe Fire holocaust of 1998 to ensure proper media coverage of the event, maximal compensation for the victims and commensurate sanctions for the oil companies with their government collaborators for the environmental desecration they had caused.

    And so it is hardly surprising that when he decided to get back to the classroom, he esteemed the pleasure of impacting his people in the modest town of Abraka greater riches than the fleeting glamour and bustle of city life in Lagos and Ibadan.

    He fought hard with others of similar passion at Delsu to develop and introduce the B.A in Urhobo language programme that has become one of the fastest growing departments in Delsu today. He has supervised several PhD theses on Urhobo themes, with the former students now senior lecturers. Most of the students he taught, mentored and in some cases secured openings for in several universities now consult with him almost on weekly basis on various research themes.

    But Darah’s vast experience, sagacity and ideological depth did not go unnoticed by the then government of Delta State led by Chief James Ibori. When the Governor thought to set up a think-tank of men and women of wisdom to provide a comprehensive Development vision for the state, Darah was one of the men on the list, with the indefatigable Deacon Gamaliel Onosode as head. More significantly, when Chief Ibori decided to consistently pursue the resource control mission and true federalism alongside his compatriots from the other South South states, he was advised to get Prof Darah in his team if he was to make a success of the vision. This he did by appointing him communication consultant to the government. The facts about how that administration awed the federal government at the time with intelligent arguments based on facts and figures is common history. The federal government had no choice than to raise the derivation to 13% after initially proving stubborn. Through out the period, Darah and Ibori with his colleagues such as Alameiseigha, Donald Duke, Victor Attah, Igbinedion, gave sleepless nights to the Abuja oppressors. Darah was the intellectual arrowhead of that crusade from 2003 to 2007. He gave speeches in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, South Africa, London, Carlifornia, Georgia, Texas, Germany, etc in the mission of actualising a stable equitable Nigerian society.

    As a deserved compliment, Darah is arguably the most sought-after Nigerian intellectual in public discourses in matters of governance, social justice, security and national development in the last two decades. To substantiate, Darah has given over a hundred public lectures, keynote addresses, reviews, etc in the last twenty years. His public tours has seen him travel to the 194 countries recognised by the United Nations except 4! He is perhaps the most widely travelled intellectual of the Niger Delta living today. Prof is a perfect example of the conciliation between “town and gown”, a practice that must be encouraged in our educational system in Nigeria.

    Prof may be 73 today but he is still as passionate, ambitious, cerebrally robust and optimistic of a better life for our people as he has always been, if only the government can listen and apply scientifically tested principles to governance.

    Prof still teaches but now includes consultancy, mentorship and community leadership to his tasks as the years add up. His home is always a beehive of activities from people seeking one help or the other on diverse matters covering Urhobo issues, community matters, cultural clarifications, academic matters, Niger Delta, Nigeria and international politics. He also travels often to attend to pressing national issues. He is also seen often on zoom conferences sharing ideas with participants. At 73, Prof has maintained an incredible work ethic that sees him sit up at 5am daily studying and writing till late in the afternoon. He credits his professional life in the media with that discipline. Prof is at present collating several of the speeches he produced during his most fertile period into books of several volumes that should soon be available for the reading public. He thinks that posterity would benefit immensely from the ideas. Prof’s bosom friend and popular author Mr Odia Ofiemun has been a constant motivator of Prof to put his uncommon ideas and vast experiences into books for the benefit of the present and future generation.

    As he marks the beginning of another year today, we, his academic children and mentees can only wish him sound health, Ufuoma, Aridon, Omaosasa, Efe and Otovwe.

    Congratulations sir!

     

    Ogheneochuko E. Arodovwe is a Research Assistant to Prof Darah.

  • PIB: Niger delta host communities demand ownership, control of trust funds

    PIB: Niger delta host communities demand ownership, control of trust funds

    …demand increase in company contribution to 5%

    …say proposed law fails to address fate of environmentally ravaged, gas flare-impacted communities

    Stakeholders in host communities of the Niger Delta Region have demanded ownership and control of the host communities trust funds proposed in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for the development of oil-bearing areas.

    The stakeholders also demanded an increment in the contribution of 2.5percent of the Operating Expenditure (OPEX) of companies to 5percent even though they expressed concerns that the proposed funding is subject to manipulation and discretion by the entities.

    The host communities however noted that the PIB failed to address the fate of impacted communities, especially those that suffer the consequences of gas flares and other environmental damages and demanded that this lacuna be provided for in the passage of the bill.

    These were some of the highlights of a communiqué issued at the end of a Host Community (HostCom) Colloquium organized by OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative in Owerri, the Imo State capital during the week.

    The communiqué, which had a total of 10 resolutions, was endorsed on behalf of participants drawn from oil bearing areas by the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Federation of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta (FENND), and Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN), among a dozen other group representatives of host communities.

    While stating that the PIB “should be designed as a tool for resolving development challenges rather than as palliatives to host communities,” the stakeholders said the PIB “must clearly define what constitutes “host” and “impacted” communities, rather than leave that to the discretion of the companies.”

    On the question of ownership, the stakeholders said the Bill “should make it compulsory for members of the Board of Trustees of the Trust to come from host communities and give communities a stronger role in the selection process, financial management and administrative procedures of operating the Trusts.”

    They also said “Needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation for projects and programmes should be jointly conducted by both the communities and companies,” and that the PIB “should clearly set out timelines for implementation of projects and penalties for defaulting companies.”

    They further said the PIB should “adopt clearly defined incentive-based measures for protection of oil and gas assets rather than current punitive measures that leave wide room for abuse,” and that “the contribution of companies to the Trust Fund should be increased from 2.5% to 5% of OPEX.”

    On the legislative process which has seen the PIB gone through second reading in the Senate and awaiting consideration in the House of Representatives, they said “the National Assembly should consult widely with host communities in the current process of passing the PIB to deepen ownership of the resulting legislation. This would include visits to host communities by the Committee members and holding some of the public hearings on the Bill in the oil-producing Niger delta region.”

    They further demanded that “members of the National Assembly from the Niger delta region have a responsibility to make granular consultations with their constituents and record their positions accordingly during debate and voting on the Bill.”

    In terms of inclusiveness, the stakeholders said the “Bill should recognize gender dimensions in the development and constitution of host communities structures in line with the 2019 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard.”

    Recall that the Colloquium was declared open by the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, who in his opening remarks, admonished that Nigeria must hurry to make the best use of its hydrocarbon resources now because in a few years’ time, the world would move away from fossil fuel to emerging alternatives.

    Participants were treated to expert presentations and a panel discussion before a robust interactive session led to the adoption of the 10-point communiqué.

    See full communiqué below:

    COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE HOST COMMUNITIES COLLOQUIUM ON THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BILL (PIB) HELD AT THE PROTEA HOTEL OWERRI IMO STATE ON NOVEMBER 17 2020 ORGANISED BY ORDERPAPER ADVOCACY INITIATIVE

    PREAMBLE

    OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative organized the Host Community (HostCom) Colloquium to deliberate on the relevant sections of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and draw up common positions for oil bearing communities in the Niger Delta region. The Colloquium had in attendance Oil Host Communities’ representatives, members of the National Assembly, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), and the Media.

    A welcome remark was made by Oke Epia, Executive Director, OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative, in which he explained the rationale behind the Colloquium and encouraged participants to deploy the learning garnered from expert presentations to interrogate the bill and offer submissions that could influence consideration of the draft law at the National Assembly.

    The Colloquium was thereafter declared open by the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, who in his opening remarks, admonished that Nigeria must hurry to make the best use of its hydrocarbon resources now because in a few years time, the world would move away from fossil fuel to emerging alternatives. Noting that the Bill makes Host Communities’ development one of its cardinal objectives, he averred that it has potentials to unlock huge potentials of the petroleum industry and urged participants to take advantage of the deliberations to make inputs into the law-making process.

    In his remarks, the Deputy Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta, Rep. Henry Nwawuba, said the PIB is at the top of the agenda of the House. He assured of a speedy passage after a thorough consideration by parliament; and expressed expectations that the outcome of the Colloquium would be promptly forwarded to the lawmakers as inputs from host communities.

    Three expert presentations were made at the colloquium. The first was by Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director, Centre LSD, titled: ‘The Host Communities Development Challenge: What’s Broken that Needs to be Fixed?’ He situated the theoretical framework of development challenges facing host communities around the political economy of oil and the resource curse paradox. Dr. Igbuzor listed government responses over the decades and offered suggestions on way out of the persistent problems plaguing host communities of the Niger delta region.

    The second presentation was by Engr. Joe Nwakwue, Lead Partner at Zera Advisory and Consulting, who reviewed the Host Community Provisions in PIB 2020 and Beneficiation Best Practices. He drilled down on how host community issues have been regarded and presented in the Bill while calling attention to and laying emphasis on the dichotomy between host and impacted communities on one hand.

    The third presentation was by Prof. Wunmi Iledare, globally acclaimed petroleum industry expert, who spoke on ‘The Host Communities Trust Fund: Understanding the Details.’ He dwelt on the nuances of the trust fund especially the Operating Expenditure (OPEX) of companies while drawing parallels with the Royalty model of beneficiation, among others.

    The presentations were followed and sometimes interjected with questions and comments which helped to provide needed clarity and enriched deliveries by the resource persons.

    The Colloquium proceeded with a panel session which had Dr. Charles Achodo, Consultant and Advisor at the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs; Ms Faith Nwadishi, Executive Director of Women in Extractives; Chief Douyi Douglas-Naingba, representative of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF); and Rep. Henry Nwawuba; as panelists. They added varying perspectives to the discourse in their various contributions after which the over four hours Colloquium came to a close with a Vote of Thanks by Mr. Oke Epia.

    Observations:

    In the course of the Colloquium, participants made the following observations:

    · Oil and gas host communities are faced with persistent development challenges associated with the political economy of oil which over the years has resulted in a resource curse characterized by underdevelopment, poverty, neglect of industry and agriculture, conflict and crisis

    · Up until now, government responses to these challenges (whether regulatory, military or project-based) have failed to address questions of human development, environmental remediation, equity and justice

    · The PIB shies away from the fundamental ownership question which has lingered and agitated host communities for decades

    · The PIB in its current form appears to be a palliative measure rather than a tool for solving real problems and supporting sustainable development in host communities

    · The options of equity holding and royalty payments to host communities were identified for consideration as more appropriate beneficiation models

    · The contribution of 2.5% of previous year’s Operating Expenditure (OPEX) of companies to the Host Communities Trust is subject to manipulations by companies

    · In any case, the contribution of 2.5% of OPEX is insufficient to address the risks and consequences of petroleum exploration and exploitation

    · The level of discretion accorded to companies in organizing the Trusts is of concern to host communities

    · The Bill appears to be unclear as to the fate of impacted communities, especially those in upstream operations of the Niger delta region

    · In spite of the above shortcomings, PIB 2020 is seen as a welcome development due to the inclusion of Host Community Beneficiation and should be thoroughly engaged by communities with the objective of making informed and cogent representations to the National Assembly

    Resolutions:

    · The PIB should be designed as a tool for resolving development challenges rather than as palliatives to host communities

    · The Bill must clearly define what constitutes “host” and “impacted” communities, rather than leave that to the discretion of the companies

    · The National Assembly should consult widely with host communities in the current process of passing the PIB to deepen ownership of the resulting legislation. This would include visits to host communities by the Committee members and holding some of the public hearings on the Bill in the oil-producing Niger delta region

    · In line with the above resolution, members of the National Assembly from the Niger delta region have a responsibility to make granular consultations with their constituents and record their positions accordingly during debate and voting on the Bill

    · The Bill should make it compulsory for members of the Board of Trustees of the Trust to come from host communities and give communities a stronger role in the selection process, financial management and administrative procedures of operating the Trusts

    · Needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation for projects and programmes should be jointly conducted by both the communities and companies

    · The PIB should clearly set out timelines for implementation of projects and penalties for defaulting companies

    · The PIB should adopt clearly defined incentive-based measures for protection of oil and gas assets rather than current punitive measures that leave wide room for abuse

    · The contribution of companies to the Trust Fund should be increased from 2.5% to 5% of OPEX

    · The Bill should recognize gender dimensions in the development and constitution of host communities structures in line with the 2019 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard

    Conclusion

    Participants unanimously agreed that the resolutions should be forwarded to National Assembly leadership and Committees seized with the responsibility of processing the PIB. They expressed appreciation to OrderPaper Advocacy Initiative for organizing the Colloquium and to the Facility for Oil Sector Transformation (FOSTER) for providing support.

    Endorsed By:

    1. Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF)

    2. Stakeholder Democracy Network (SDN)

    3. Federation of Ethnic Nationalities of Niger Delta (FENND)

    4. Eruemukovwhoarien Host Community, Ughelli North LGA, Delta State

    5. Diebu Community, Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa State

    6. Akpoti Badinugian, Youth Leader Ogbia LGA, Bayelsa State

    7. Comrade Oloko Ibiba Gbobo, President-General, Idama/Ekulama Youth Organization Worldwide – Idama/Ekulama Kingdom & Satellite Communities, Akuku-Toru, Rivers State

    8. Youth leader of Kolokuma/Opokuma LGA, Bayelsa State

    9. Comrade Afam Ogbolu, Youth Wing of Ndokwa Neku Union, Ndokwa Ethnic Nationality, Delta State

    10. Joint Association of People Living With Disabilities (JONAPWD), Akwa Ibom State

  • FG restructures Presidential Amnesty Programme – Dixon-Dikio

    The Interim Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), Col. Milland Dixon-Dikio (rtd.) has said the programme has been restructured to positively impact on the socio-economic lives of the people of the Niger Delta region.

    Dixon-Dikio disclosed this while briefing journalists shortly after a closed door meeting with the Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa at Government House, Asaba.

    He said the policy thrust of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was to take the programme back to the people of the region.

    He disclosed that his visit to the Government House, Asaba, was to brief the Governor on the programme and projections of the federal government towards addressing issues relating to its amnesty programme.

    “My mission in Delta is to brief the Governor on the vision of taking the programme (Presidential Amnesty Programme) back to the Niger Delta Region.

    “The programme that I administer is a DDR programme, meaning disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration. However, there is a larger conversation to be heard about the amnesty package and that is not my remit,” – Dixon-Diko said.

    The Interim Administrator stated further that the disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) policy of the federal government would receive a boost in his tenure and sued for the support of all in the actualisation of set goals.

    According to him, payment of bursary to students from the Niger Delta Region in tertiary institutions both at home and abroad would be sustained as well as other legitimate demands that would strengthen peace and sustainable development in the region.

    He affirmed that his tenure would ensure that all lapses in the past were effectively handled to the satisfaction of everybody in the region.

    Speaking on the alleged exclusion of some persons from the amnesty programme, which led to protest, he said protest at the drop of a heart was not the way to go, adding that there are better ways of addressing grievances .

    “As a region, we have to be clear that protests upon protests have a very negative impact on the economy of the region and so, our appeal is that the people who protest must be very conversant with the effect of their protest on the overall economy of the region.

    “For instance, a lot of them are talking about payment of allowances but some of these allowances are not even documented. They talked about housing allowance that was not envisaged to be a long term thing.

    “There are other legitimate demands which I am looking into. One of the issues on the front burner has to do with regular payment of stipends.

    “For the past two months, we have been paying the stipends to students from the Niger Delta region in tertiary institutions both at home and abroad,” he said.

  • FG stops South South Governors from meeting over Zamfara gold, Niger Delta oil

    FG stops South South Governors from meeting over Zamfara gold, Niger Delta oil

    Leaders of the South South geopolitical zone have demanded public apology from the Federal Government over botched stakeholders meeting in Port Harcourt on Tuesday.

    Governors of the South South led by its Chairman and Governor of Delta, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who were in Port Harcourt for the meeting, had informed the stakeholders comprising traditional rulers, religious leaders, opinion leaders, youths and women from the zone that the Presidential delegation which convened the meeting, had cancelled it.

    Okowa, who spoke for the governors, informed the people that the Presidency gave an emergency security meeting called by President Muhammadu Buhari as reason for cancelling the PortHarcourt meeting.

    Irked by the information, the stakeholders expressed displeasure with the development, describing it as disrespect to the people of the region and called for an immediate public apology from the Presidency.

    They said that the action of the Federal Government amounted to treating the South-South and its people with disdain, and warned on the consequences of undermining the zone.

    But in a solemn appeal to douse tension, Governor Okowa implored the people to remain calm in the face of the disrespect and embarrassment caused by the cancellation of the meeting.

    He said that the governors were as pained as the other stakeholders over the disappointment, and assured that the governors would definitely convey the feeling of the people of the region to the Presidency.

    “We understand the anger in you, and on our own part as governors, we are also angry because the South-South zone is a very important part of this nation.

    “There is no doubt that we the governors also feel insulted and we feel very sad and touched at what has happened.

    “We felt it was necessary to consult with you as critical stakeholders because if we had acted on the information without consulting you, that would have added to the insult already meted to us.

    “Together we call for a public apology because the meeting was not called at our instance; it was called at the instance of the Presidency.

    “Some of us didn’t sleep trying to put things in order to make this meeting a reality.

    “We will convey this message to the Chief of Staff to the President that as a region we deserve public apology, particularly to our traditional rulers and opinion leaders and also to the Governors that you voted into office.

    “This is the least we expect before this meeting can be reconvened,” Okowa stated.

  • ‘Zamfara gold sales may hamper passage of PIB’

    ‘Zamfara gold sales may hamper passage of PIB’

    Financial expert, Mr Pedro Omontuemhen has argued that the sales of gold by the Zamfara State Government to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) may hamper the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Omontuemhen expressed this fear on Monday at the Pre-Conference Workshop held ahead of the 38th Annual International Conference of the National Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE) even as South South Governors meet to debate this issue.

    Omontuemhen, a Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers lamented that already Nigeria has suffered a loss of over $30 billion investments in the oil and gas sector due to the delay in the passage of the PIB.

    He stated that the country cannot afford any further delay in the passage of the bill that is currently before the National Assembly as an Executive Bill, and which has suffered delay for almost 20 years, and had led to uncertainties in the petroleum industry.

    “Investment in the oil and gas sector has reduced and Nigeria has lost about $30 billion investments due to the uncertainties in the regulatory environment.

    “As a country, we need to urgently pass the PIB into law so that we can attract Foreign Direct Investment to the oil and gas industry, ” Omontuemhen said.

    He warned that the PIB would face challenges despite the assurance given by the legislature and the executive on its quick passage.

    According to him, opposition to the bill may likely come from Niger Delta governors who have expressed dissatisfaction with the alleged freedom given to Zamfara State to manage its gold resources.

    TNG reports details of the outcome of the meeting of the South South Governors over the Zamfara State sales of gold are still sketchy at the time of filing this report.

    Meanwhile, Mr Roger Brown, Chief Executive Officer, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc at the pre-conference workshop said the COVID-19 pandemic had made it imperative for the oil and gas companies to develop innovative ways of survival.

    Brown said these include reduction in cost of crude oil production to $10 per barrel, capital efficiency, utilisation of technology and strategic partnership among companies.

    He also called on the government to look for further ways of supporting indigenous companies in the sector and create a conducive operating environment.

    Earlier, Mr Alex Tarka, President, NAPE, said the Nigerian economy lost billions of dollars to the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic and crash in the price of crude oil.

    Tarka said Nigeria should therefore brace up for the impact of the second wave of Coronavirus on its economy as some countries had introduced fresh lockdown measures to contain the disease.

    TNG reports the Pre-Conference Workshop of the 38th Annual International Conference of the NAPE has as its theme “Levers for Optimal Cost Reduction in Nigeria’s Oil and Gas Production: Positioning for the New Normal”.

  • Ken Saro-Wiwa: 25 years After – Ajiri-Oghene Oreh

    Ken Saro-Wiwa: 25 years After – Ajiri-Oghene Oreh

    By Ajiri-Oghene Oreh

    The 10th day of November, 1995 was an unusual fateful day. The world froze! The world stood still as agony filled throbbing hearts. Lamentations rented the air. Hopes and aspirations were dashed. Eyes became tear-glazed. Ground reeled. The “wretched of the earth” shuddered with cold just as the atmosphere was eerie. Why the melancholy and lachrymal in the air? It was because the poor people’s hopes and aspirations were hanged to death in a broad daylight by their collective enemy of progress on that day, the tyrannical and murderous military regime of General Sani Abacha then Head of State (1993-1998) despite pleas from home and abroad. The rising sun was eclipsed by Abacha’s devilry. The rising sun that was murdered by the General was Ken Saro-Wiwa, and his eight ebullient compatriots, Baribor Bera, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuine, Nordu Eawo, Saturday Dobie, Daniel Gbooko, Paul Levera and Felix Nuate of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) for the ideals of autonomy, economic self-determination, and environmental justice. These nationalists were the hopes and the aspirations of the people and nations of the fabulously oil-rich but long-neglected Niger Delta region.

    The black continent of Africa is renowned for killing her sun, and her most populated black country Nigeria has an unbeatable records of having the most brutal rulers as represented by the likes of Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Sanni Abacha, the insensitive Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Mohammadu Buhari, and more recently, Bola Tinuba and Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State. The casualty list has Moshood Abiola, his wife, Kudirat, Papa Alfred Rewane, Dele Giwa, Saro-Wiwa, and the recent armless peaceful protesters at Lekki tollgate in Lagos, all mowed down in cold blood by insensitive agents of the military (and civilian) juntas. Also, through obnoxious structural adjustment programmes, Nigeria, nay, Africa has eliminated and eclipsed her sun. The killing spree has taken a new trend manifested in the increasingly intractable unemployment rate and poverty, all giving rise to socio-political turmoil.

    Although i never encountered the personage, Ken Saro-Wiwa physically, but as a student of African literature, i encountered him and his choices he made in favour of the oppressed people of the Niger Delta in particular and Nigeria in general in literary books and narratives often regaled by my teacher, Professor G.G Darah. Saro-Wiwa was charitable, compassionate, optimistic and radical. He was an accomplished writer, fearless scholar, profound columnist, democrat, multi-talented intellectual, intransigent critic, ebullient environmentalist, human rights activist, ideological rebel and other well earned sobriquets.

    He was born on October 10th of 1941 in the then sleepy Bori, River State as Kenule Beason Saro-Wiwa to the family of Chief Jim Wiwa. Ken Saro-Wiwa as he is often called was a child prodigy. He attended Government College, Umuahia, where he displayed academic wizardry and left with an excellent result. Next citadel for Ken Saro-Wiwa was at Ibadan, the University of Ibadan, where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English. Ken Saro-Wiwa had a brief stint at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) as a graduate assistant. Thereafter, he was employed as a civilian administrator for the port city of Bonny.

    As a man of regenerative ideas with the milk of patriotism, Ken Saro-Wiwa was first appointed as the Regional Commissioner for Education, River State in the early 1970s to use his ideas to revive the comatose education sector in the State. But his revolutionary ideas, thoughts, approaches and actions offended the ultimate ruler and that led to his dismissal in 1973! General Babaginda appointed him to his military government. But the restless radical Ken Saro-Wiwa resigned his appointment sensing the dictator’s witchraftcy and satanic intents not to relinquish state power.

    As earlier noted, Ken Saro-Wiwa was a writer, a prodigious writer who wrote works that empathise with the marginalised and wretched of the earth. Some of his works are satirical. From his fertile imagination includes works such as, Songs in a Time of war (1985), Sozaboy, a novel in Rotten English (1986), On a Darkling Plain: An Accounts of the Nigerian Civil War (1989), and Africa Kills Her Sun (1989) which only did not reflect the socio-political mood of the 1980s. His artistic works align with the great issues of local colonialism, the systematic plunder and the dispossession of the natural resources of the minority Niger Delta and the resultant social and environmental disasters which constitute the central themes in the literature and arts of the region. Saro-Wiwa’s last work of art aptly titled Africa Kills Her Sun foreshadowed his premature death in 1995, twenty-five years ago!

    It is now precisely twenty-five years since the environmentalist and activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa was judiciously murdered/hanged by the Nigerian state, yet the country has not quell dehumanizing and killing its helpless citizenry and depriving them the fundamental rights of good living. The daily experiences in Nigeria reflect how our beloved country has descended into a Hobbesian state of terror where life is short, nasty and brutish.

    Yes, the death of Saro-Wiwa and his eight patriots resulted in both local and global outrage. Saro-Wiwa and his compatriots died for the Niger Delta region whose history of resource agitation can be traced back to the 19th century, bearing in mind the tragic fates of heroes such as Jaja of Opobo, Nana Olumu of Itsekiri, Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi of Benin, Major Isaac Adaka Boro, Samuel Owonaru of which Saro-Wiwa belonged to this revered pantheon of revolutionaries.

    The Niger Delta region to which Ken Saro-Wiwa hailed from was edenic and pristine before it was rendered degraded and impoverished by the environmentally unfriendly activities of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Chevron, AGIP and other multinational oil companies with the unstinted support of the various Fulani Government of Nigeria (FGN) ruling oligarchy from the North for primitive greed which has and still reproduces both rural and urban poor.

    As the eco-activist, Sunny Awhefeada put it, what has become the “conflictual experience of the Niger Delta is also one of the consequences of the presence of Shell in the region. Having been born into an edenic ambience which Shell ruptured, a generation that was conscious of the company’s exploitative and destructive tendencies in contrast with the economic boom in Europe, came of age to halt the environmental holocaust. Ken Saro-Wiwa remains the arch representative of that generation. Saro-Wiwa, an acclaimed writer took on the role of an environmentalist struggling to remedy the degraded Niger Delta beginning with his native Ogoniland. The Nigerian state in cahoots with Shell spurn a web of intrigues which led to the execution of Saro-Wiwa and eight other Ogonis in November 1995. By the time of Saro-Wiwa’s martyrdom, the indigenes of the region had come to a level of awareness that made them to kick”.

    For the federalist and public intellectual, Professor Darah, ” The martyrdom of Ken Saro-Wiwa and other Ogoni, the heavy casualties suffered by the Ijaw, the Ogbia, Engeni, Itsekiri and other nations of the Niger Delta testify to the currency of the resource control theme in Nigerian politics”.

    Suffice to say that, it is the resistance and relentless struggles and the demands for the reversal of the economic injustices against the people of the Niger Delta that have generated all the uprisings such as the Adaka Boro Revolution of February 1966, the Ogoni-Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) uprising of 1996, the death of 1000 innocent children and women of Jesse in pipeline fire disaster in September 1998, the Kaima Declaration by the militant Ijaw youths of 1998, the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) led by Asari Dokubor in the early 21st century, the activities of the MEND led by Henry Okah and Tompolo of Gbaramatu in Delta State, the Greenland of Justice Movement of Isoko and Urhobo, the Odi massacre by Obasanjo’s soldiers in November 1999, the Bakassi boys and lately, the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA). All these guerrilla movements arose from the positive determination of the people of the embattled and endangered Niger Delta region to broke the yoke of economic conquest imposed by the imperial Federal Government of Nigeria.

    True, some of the resistance movements have yielded some token of ameliorations. Notable among them is the 13% derivation recommended by the 1994/1995 National Conference convoked by the late dictator, General Sani Abacha which is enshrined in section 162 of the 1999 Constitution. The implementation of it suffered some setbacks as it was deliberately delayed by bogey called General Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo which led to the resource control agitation at the beginning of democratic rule 1999-2001.

    There is the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), an interventionist agency created in 2001 which is headquartered at PortHarcourt in Rivers State and, the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) in 2007 first headed by Chief Joseph Ekaete, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation during the Obasanjo tenure (1999-2007). These ameliorative measures put in place have slightly changed the condition of economic apartheid inflicted on the oil rich Niger Delta region by the avaricious exploiter, the Federal Government of Nigeria and made messed of thieving politicians.

    Also quite significant is the presidential amnesty programme put in place by the Yar’Adua/Jonathan’s administration in 2009. Of course, the uncompleted East-West Federal highway maybe be counted as one of the gains of the decades of bloody struggles.

    However, it is not yet UHURU as the people of the Niger Delta region anxiously awaits remediation and total cleaning of their environment despoiled by Shell and the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference which deals with the many cases of injustices particularly the resource ownership and control and enhanced derivation principles, devolution of powers to both state and local government areas (LGAs) and the idea of state and Local Government policing system to curb crimes and insurgencies. These progressive matters are now advocated for under the umbrella term called RESTRUCTURING. For this how we make irreversible the ideals and cumulative gains of the revolution sustained by Ken Saro-Wiwa, and all the other revolutionaries departed…

     

     

    Oreh writes from Lagos State.

  • JUST IN: FG finally agrees to repair Benin-Sapele-Warri expressway

    JUST IN: FG finally agrees to repair Benin-Sapele-Warri expressway

    The federal government (FG) has finally agreed to carry out repairs work on the ever busy Benin-Sapele-Warri expressway.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) had earlier reported on the bad state of the road from the death trap fringes of Benin City through the horrible Ologbo axis to gully-prone Oghara, wobbly Sapele bridges and the outskirts of Warri.

    Also, during a debate recently on the floor of the Senate, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege had lamented the current state of the road, stressing the road is nothing to write home about.

    However, following constructive and fruitful engagements between the Delta Central Senator and the Minister for Works, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, the road would now be fixed.

    According to a statement by Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser to the DSP on Media Matters, the Federal Ministry of Works was finalising preparations to undertake major works on this very important national corridor.

    Omo-Agege commended the Minister’s responsiveness, understanding and assurances on the need to urgently overcome the obvious and very serious challenges that the present state of the road poses to citizens.

    TNG reports the deplorable state of the Benin-Sapele-Warri expressway has caused untold hardship on the people and businesses operating in large parts of the Niger Delta region.