Tag: omo-agege

For The Records: Keynote Address by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege at #TNGPIBConfab
A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, HE SENATOR OVIE OMO-AGEGE, AT A ONE-DAY NATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY BILL (PIB)ORGANIZED BY NEWSGURU.COM, HELD VIRTUALLY ON MARCH 10, 2021.
1. I am greatly delightedto deliver this keynote address at this august event. I feelboth privileged and honored to share my thoughts with you at this one-day National Colloquium on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). As the theme of this gathering confidently says, we are indeed finally getting it right and breaking the 20-year-old jinx eventually.
2. As we all know, the petroleum industry has been the backbone of the Nigerian economy. It is the highest contributor to the national wealth, accounting for about a third of our GDP, over 75 percent of government revenues and 95 percent of foreign exchange earnings.
3. Yet we left this critical sector of the economy to operate under outdated petroleum legal, regulatory and institutional structures. The current oil and gas code that governs the petroleum sector was adopted over half a centuryago in1969.
4. And now theindustry is underperforming.Production of crude oil has declined, just as the growth in the production of natural gas has plateaued and the country’s natural gas potential; the largest in Africa with unproven reserves estimated at 600 trillion cubic feet, remains underdeveloped.
5. The Nigeria Petroleum industry is further burdened by a global supply surplus. There is also a constrained demand growth for crude oil, competition from renewable energy and energy transition projects for international capital. Added to these is alack of refining capacity, gas flaringand environmental degradation,sabotage, pipeline vandalisation, oil theft,and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
6. On the brighter side however is that in spite of the increasing global shift towards cleaner, cheaper and renewable sources of energy, oil and gas is projected to still be relevant in global energy sector in the next three decades.What this demands is that nations that have abundance of oil and gas must be in a hurry to make maximum use of these resources.
7. With Nigeria’s estimated crude oil reserves of 37 billion barrels and over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, Nigeria’s wealth of petroleum resources has the potential to build prosperity and crucial infrastructure for the people of Nigeria.
8. However, the capital available globally to the oil and gas industry has been decreasing due to this paradigm shift. This is to say that available capital will only go to nations whose petroleum industries are most conducive for investment.
9. But because Nigeria failed to bring the regulatory framework of this critical industry up to speed with global standards,attracting the necessary impetustounlock this potential has, become more difficult as prospective investments have moved from the Niger Delta which was once the main investment destination for oil and gas exploration in Sub-Sahara Africa, to where they have reformed their industries or are in the process of reform.
10. According to reports, the last time any significant investment was made in the oil and gas industry was in 2000, as there has been no fiscal stability. For example, Nigeria has lost significant amounts of potential investment to other African countries because we now have one of the least competitive Deepwater fiscal terms in Africa.
11. As a result, Nigeria with more significant reserves, has attracted very little investment, whereas Egypt, Angola and Ghana with about half of Nigeria’s reserves combined, have attracted more investment for new projects, because they offer more attractive Deepwater fiscal terms to encourage investors.
12. Some of the projects that have been put on hold and awaiting final investment sanction by investors include the Shell-operated Bonga South West/Aparo field, Exxon’s Bosi, Owowo West, and UgeOrso fields, the Chevron-operated Nsiko field, and Eni’sZabazaba field. Together, these projects represent a reported USD 47.6 billion of investment and – at forecasted peak production rates – would add over 750,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day of production, an uplift of approximately 40% on Nigeria’s current rates of production.
13. Ladies and Gentlemen, apart from inherent challenges arising there from, Nigeria also faces unique and long-standing challenges that include the persistent calls for the deregulation of the downstream sector and agitation of the oil-producing communities. There are also issues of opaque licensing deals, unaccountable middlemen, graft and lack of electricity to power our homes, streets and industries, as well as calls for the unbundling of the NNPC.
14. Now, it is estimated that Nigeria loses $15 billion annually as a result of the delay in passing the PIB. According to a report by Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) the delays,through different administrations, in enacting the PIB have cost the country an estimated $235 billion.
15. All these underscore the urgent needto do what we should have done in 2008 to give Nigeria the great oil industry it deserves, when President Umaru Musa Yar’Aduasaw the need to overhaul the existing petroleum laws. These include the Petroleum Act of 1969, the Petroleum Profit Tax Act of 1959, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Act 1977, among other legislations.
16. The good news today is that help is on the way, as the 9th Assembly and the government of President MuhammaduBuhari, have boldly taken up the gauntlet and will soon enact the Petroleum IndustryBill 2020 into an Act.On the 29th of September last year, the government of President MuhammaduBuhari took a giant step forward in reforming the industry when he returned the Petroleum Industry Bill as an executive Bill to the National Assembly.
17. Subsequently, the Bill was read forthe first time on the 30^thof September, 2020, second reading on20^th of October, 2020 and public hearing was held on 27th January this year.Now we await the report on the public hearing from the Senate’s committees namely: Petroleum Downstream, Petroleum Upstream and Gas Committee, to be put forward for consideration by the Senate.
18. Through this Bill, the president plans to provide a framework to boost oil and gas output while enhancing sector attractiveness for international investors, thus increasing foreign direct investment. He also plans to streamline and reduce some oil and gas royalties, with the underlying objective to encourage international operators to invest in exploration and production, taking advantage of Nigeria’s extensive petroleum reserves.
19. The Bill also looks to drive environmental clean-ups and other green initiatives, gas monetization, including measures to encourage companies to explore and produce gas from discoveries, as well as a framework for gas tariffs and delivery.
20. Essentially, the present PIB is founded on two main pillars. The first is to run the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a business enterprise by transforming it into a private limited liability company – NNPC Limited. This will be followed by the scrapping of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
21. This approach is consistent with what is today’s best practice as we see in organizations such as Aramco in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi national oil company was floated on the country’s stock exchange in 2019, with the Initial Public Offer (IPO) raking-in $29billion. There is also Petrobras (PetróleoBrasileiro S.A.) in Brazil, Equinor in Norway, and Petronas in Malaysia. NNPC will be open to private capital and will drop the Minister of Petroleum from the Board of the organization. This is a clear demonstration as to the extent the reforms intend to go.
22. The second pillar is to establish separate regulatory authorities for the operations of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. These are the Upstream Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The “Commission” will replace the DPR and the Petroleum Inspectorate. The “Authority” will replace the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the subsidy body, the Petroleum Equalisation Fund will cease to operate.
23. Both regulatory bodies will be self financing, but while the Commission will be funded through the appropriation of an unspecified share of its revenues, the Authority’s funding, also via appropriation, will be based on a 1% charge on the wholesale price of petroleum products sold in Nigeria.
24. The PIB also seeks to decrease the royalty rate for offshore fields producing a maximum of 15,000 barrels per day to 7.5% from the current 10%. It also looks to raise the royalty threshold of crude oil price to $50 per barrel from $35 per barrel; reduce petroleum profit tax for onshore fields to 72.5% from 85% and decrease royalty payments to 18% from 20%. It will also discourage gas flaring by making its penalties non-tax deductible.
25. When passed into law, this landmark Bill will enhance competitiveness in the sector, aid the deregulation of the oil sector and help attract more investment, especially Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigeria. This will no doubt increase the contribution of this sector to the country’s economy. More FDI inflow will surely boost external reserves and strengthen the naira against foreign currencies.
26. The PIB will also help the development of oil infrastructure, which will boost Nigeria’s oil production and export revenue when passed into law. It is expected that private investors will help in the rehabilitation and development of the new oil refineries,by increasing aggregate oil output. Their investment will also help reduce and ultimately eliminate Nigeria’s reliance on imported refined oil.
27. For Host Communities, the Bill proposes a Host Community Development Trust scheme to receive a 2.5% fund based on the actual operating expenditure (OPEX) of the oil companies for the preceding year. I am aware that the host communities are requesting 10%.
28. The bill also seeks to end the flaring of gas; a major source of waste and environmental pollution, particularly at oil exploration areas. The fund will be used to support the development of healthcare facilities in the host communities, and enhance environmental protection and local initiatives, which are good for the overall socio-economic development of the host communities.The extant laws provide that penalties for gas flaring be paid into the federation account.
29. The Host Community component of the PIB is of utmost importance to us in the National Assembly and we believe it should be a win-win for all stakeholders. So, we are determined to ensure that we improve on what is contained in the Executive Bill.
30. We are dialoguing to resolve the disagreements on the percentage payable plus who receives the funds. I am confident that we have made good progress such that at the end of the day we will get something more favourable for the oil producing communities.
31. One argument that has been pushed for the high cost of production of Nigerian crude oil is security issues including vandalization of facilities. I believe that with passage of the PIB and adequate provision for host communities, there will be improvement of security and reduced expenditure on securing oil and gas facilities. More or all of the savings from the security expenditure should go to the host communities.
32. Therefore, a benchmark of10 percent of OPEX of the oil companies for the preceding year payable to the Host Community Development Trust scheme will be adequate, effective and fair to all sides to achieve peace and security in the Niger Delta region.
33. I also believe the penalties should be paid into the Host Community Trust Fund for use of the host communities whose environment are impacted by gas flaring.
34. The passage of the PIB would get us one step closer to our country’s ambitions to raise the country’s oil production to 3mn bl/d by 2023, increase its oil reserves, including condensates, substantially to 40 billion barrels by 2025 and gas reserves to 210 Tcf by 2025 and to 220 Tcf by 2030. It will also spur government revenue and economic growth as well as help host communities realize their aspirations.
35. I am so pleased that this National Assembly has prioritized this Bill that promises to enhance the growth of the oil &gas industry throughexpanding local capacity, strengtheningdomestic gas market,modernizing our fiscal system, encouragingcompetiveness,boosting investorconfidence and creatingharmony for all stakeholders.
36. With growing poverty, and millions out of work and rising insecurity from insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and a pandemic, Nigeria needs the Petroleum Industry Bill to be passed into law. It is exactly what Nigeria needs after the enactment of the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contract (Amendment) Act 2019.
37. I look forward to seeing the final passage of the bill soon. Once again, I thank you all for inviting me to this noble discourse, while I wish us all fruitful deliberations and the eventual optimisation of the full potential of the oil and gas industry.
38. Thank you for your attention, as I wish you fruitful deliberations.
HE SENATOR OVIE OMO-AGEGE

DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

(The Obarisi of Urhoboland)
March 11, 2021
#TNGPIBConfab: Nigeria lost $235 billion to delay in PIB passage – Omo-Agege

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege Wednesday said Nigeria has lost a total of $235 billion to delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

According to him, the nation loses $15bn yearly to the delay.

The Deputy Senate President said this in his keynote address during the #TNGPIBConfab held virtually on Wednesday.

Omo-Agege explained that before the pandemic and oil slump, the petroleum industry was the backbone of the Nigerian economy. According to him, it is the highest contributor to the national wealth, accounting for about a third of our GDP, over 75 percent of government revenues and 95 percent of foreign exchange earnings.

“Now, it is estimated that Nigeria loses $15 billion annually as a result of the delay in passing the PIB. According to a report by Nigeria Natural Resource Charter (NNRC) the delays,through different administrations, in enacting the PIB have cost the country an estimated $235 billion.

All these underscore the urgent need to do what we should have done in 2008 to give Nigeria the great oil industry it deserves, when President Umaru Musa Yar’Aduasaw the need to overhaul the existing petroleum laws. These include the Petroleum Act of 1969, the Petroleum Profit Tax Act of 1959, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Act 1977, among other legislations,” he said.

Highlighting the inputs of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration and ninth National Assembly to pass the bill, Omo-Agege said:

The good news today is that help is on the way, as the 9th Assembly and the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, have boldly taken up the gauntlet and will soon enact the Petroleum Industry Bill 2020 into an Act.On the 29th of September last year, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari took a giant step forward in reforming the industry when he returned the Petroleum Industry Bill as an executive Bill to the National Assembly.

Subsequently, the Bill was read for the first time on the 30^thof September, 2020, second reading on 20^th of October, 2020 and public hearing was held on 27th January this year.Now we await the report on the public hearing from the Senate’s committees namely: Petroleum Downstream, Petroleum Upstream and Gas Committee, to be put forward for consideration by the Senate.

Through this Bill, the president plans to provide a framework to boost oil and gas output while enhancing sector attractiveness for international investors, thus increasing foreign direct investment. He also plans to streamline and reduce some oil and gas royalties, with the underlying objective to encourage international operators to invest in exploration and production, taking advantage of Nigeria’s extensive petroleum reserves.

Dissecting the PIB and what Nigerians in generally stand to gain after passing it, the lawyer turned lawmaker said:

“The Bill also looks to drive environmental clean-ups and other green initiatives, gas monetization, including measures to encourage companies to explore and produce gas from discoveries, as well as a framework for gas tariffs and delivery.

Essentially, the present PIB is founded on two main pillars. The first is to run the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as a business enterprise by transforming it into a private limited liability company – NNPC Limited. This will be followed by the scrapping of the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

This approach is consistent with what is today’s best practice as we see in organizations such as Aramco in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi national oil company was floated on the country’s stock exchange in 2019, with the Initial Public Offer (IPO) raking-in $29billion. There is also Petrobras (PetróleoBrasileiro S.A.) in Brazil, Equinor in Norway, and Petronas in Malaysia. NNPC will be open to private capital and will drop the Minister of Petroleum from the Board of the organization. This is a clear demonstration as to the extent the reforms intend to go.The second pillar is to establish separate regulatory authorities for the operations of the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors. These are the Upstream Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The “Commission” will replace the DPR and the Petroleum Inspectorate. The “Authority” will replace the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the subsidy body, the Petroleum Equalisation Fund will cease to operate.Both regulatory bodies will be self financing, but while the Commission will be funded through the appropriation of an unspecified share of its revenues, the Authority’s funding, also via appropriation, will be based on a 1% charge on the wholesale price of petroleum products sold in Nigeria.

The PIB also seeks to decrease the royalty rate for offshore fields producing a maximum of 15,000 barrels per day to 7.5% from the current 10%. It also looks to raise the royalty threshold of crude oil price to $50 per barrel from $35 per barrel; reduce petroleum profit tax for onshore fields to 72.5% from 85% and decrease royalty payments to 18% from 20%. It will also discourage gas flaring by making its penalties non-tax deductible.

When passed into law, this landmark Bill will enhance competitiveness in the sector, aid the deregulation of the oil sector and help attract more investment, especially Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigeria. This will no doubt increase the contribution of this sector to the country’s economy. More FDI inflow will surely boost external reserves and strengthen the naira against foreign currencies.”

March 10, 2021
J.P. Clark: Buhari, governors, Omo-Agege, others pay tributes

President Muhammadu Buhari, governors and other eminent Nigerians have paid tributes to literary icon, Emeritus Prof. John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo, who died in the early hours on Tuesday.

He was 86.

The renowned poet and playwright was born on December 3, 1933, in Kiagbodo, Delta State.

The family, in a statement, said: “The Clark-Fuludu Bekederemo family of Kiagbodo Town, Delta State, wishes to announce that emeritus professor of literature and renowned writer, Prof. John Pepper Clark, has finally dropped his pen in the early hours of today, Tuesday, 13 October 2020.

“Prof. J. P. Clark has paddled on to the great beyond in comfort of his wife, children and siblings, around him.

“The family appreciates your prayers at this time. Other details will be announced later by the family.

The late writer is widely-acclaimed for his plays and poetry on traditional Ijaw myths and legends. He also wrote essays on African poetry.

President Buhari, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, said the death of the literary icon would leave a huge vacuum in the literary world.

The statement reads: “On behalf of the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari extends the deepest condolence to the Clark-Fuludu Bekederemo family on the passing of renowned writer and Emeritus Professor of Literature, Prof. John Pepper Clark.

“President Buhari pays tribute to one of Nigeria’s finest poets, dramatist and recipient of the Nigerian National Order of Merit Award for literary excellence, whose repertoire of published works depicts the hard work of a great man, devoted to a lifetime of writing, knowledge and promotion of the indigenous culture of the Ijaw nation.

“Acknowledging that Prof. J.P. Clark’s exit has, indeed, left an indelible mark in the literary world, President Buhari takes solace that his body of literary works, which earned him recognition and respect both at home and abroad, would continue to inspire upcoming Nigerian writers to pursue literary excellence and flourish in their chosen vocation.

“The President’s thoughts and prayers are with the family of the departed patriot, the government and people of Delta State and the literary community in the country.

“He prays for the peaceful repose of the soul departed.”

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has commiserated with the family.

He described Clark as “a great academic, celebrated poet”.

“His literary exploits brought honour and great respect to Nigeria and his contributions to literature and education, in general, will outlive many generations,” the governor said.

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has also mourned the passing on of the late writer, calling him as “a literary “colossus”.

“As we all mourn the transition of this great African to eternal life, our heartfelt condolences go to his dear family and our dear Papa, Chief Edwin Clark.

“Forever, the world shall recall the intellectual stature and contributions of Prof Emeritus John Pepper Clark-Bekederemo,” he said.

Celebrated Playwright Prof. Femi Osofisan also mourned the late poet.

He said: “He had a complex personality. He was an embodiment of contradictions in his personality, but what interests us is his talent as a poet and writer and conscience of society.

“He wasn’t a protest poet, but was very political in his writing. He was very concerned about the issues that pertain to society.

“We are going to miss him. I would personally miss him because he is my friend and mentor.”

October 14, 2020
#ENDSARS: Omo-Agege condemns killing of police officer in Delta

The Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, has condemned the reported killing of a policeman in Ughelli, Delta.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Etaga Stanley, a police corporal, believed to be an indigene of Ughelli South council area, reportedly lost his life on Thursday during #EndSARS protests in Ughelli town.

It was also reported that another police officer, Sgt. Patrick Okuone, sustained injuries during the incident.
Omo-Agege in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga in Abuja on Friday, described the incident as unfortunate.

While calling for thorough investigation of the matter, he, however, urged the police to exercise restraint and follow due process in fishing out the suspected killers.

The lawmaker condoled with the family of the deceased, the Nigerian Police Force and the people of Delta Central Senatorial District for the sad loss.

He said: “I humbly call on our highly-regarded traditional rulers to continue to urge our people to maintain the peace that we are known for in their various kingdoms and domains.

“Our royal fathers are a great force for peace in moments like this and we trust that they will help to ensure that those who wish to tear our communities apart are not allowed to succeed.

“We also call on our religious leaders to pray for our land. God will not allow the evil of bloodshed to reign in our land.

“Violence is never an option. No meaningful development can take place in an atmosphere devoid of peace.

“Let us embrace the peace initiatives by all stakeholders, as our state is not known for violence and jungle justice,” he said.

Omo-Agege said that he had the assurances of the state police command that due process, as dictated by law, would be strictly followed and that there would not be indiscriminate arrest of innocent citizens in the course of the the investigation.

October 9, 2020
Niger Delta leaders have failed – Omo-Agege

Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege (APC-Delta), has called on the Federal Government to shelve alleged plans to scarp the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), for ex-agitators in the Niger Delta region.

He also advised people of the Niger Delta region to come up with a new narrative on holding leaders in the region to account on utilisation of funds accrued to the region.

A statement on Sunday in Abuja, by Yomi Odunuga, his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, indicated that Omo-Agege spoke at the weekend, when he played host to a socio-political organisation, New Era Forum.

Omo Agege, who described the alleged plan as premature and ill-timed, noted that the scraping would truncate the fragile peace in the region.

“In recent times, there has been a debate for either the scrapping or retention of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, introduced by late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2009 for Niger Delta militants, who had engaged in armed struggle for a better deal in the oil-rich region.

“I don’t think that the timing is right for the Amnesty Programme to be scrapped.

“We have challenges right now in the North East, the ravages of Boko Haram, banditry in North West and North Central.

“Those are enough challenges already in this country. I don’t believe that this is the time to reawaken the agitations of militancy in the Niger Delta region.

“It is my hope and expectation that the policy makers, who are around Mr President, will convey this to Mr President that to the extent that there is any such plan at this time.

“It is premature and ill-timed.

“That is not to say that this programme must stay in perpetuity, but we don’t believe that the goals set have been completely achieved,” he said.

He urged the group to come up with a new narrative about holding leaders in the region to account.

According to him, leaders in the region have failed, having been unable to judiciously utilise funds released for the development of the region.

“I have been privy to all of the budgetary estimates that were passed both in the Eighth Assembly and in the Ninth Assembly. And all that we are entitled to as a region has been given to us.

“But we have failed Mr President because we have not been able to hold to account those to whom these resources have been entrusted.

“You don’t expect Mr President moving from community to community to ensure that the funds made available to us have been judiciously utilised,” he said.

He stated that it is up to the people of the region who cried out to insist that interventionist agencies like NDDC be created and properly funded to perform well.

“It is left for us to ask questions that to the extent that the funds have been released to us how have these been utilised?

“It is left for us to ensure we identify the projects that we believe will best meet the needs of our people.

“It is not in Mr President’s place to come to my community to tell me what project should be sited in my community to alleviate the challenges we face as a result of environmental degradation and oil exploration.

“It is in the place of my community to come to Mr President through these agencies to say this is our priority.

“And having provided those funds, it is left for us to get back to Mr President either through the National Assembly or the security agencies to say these are the projects that were provided in our communities, but not implemented.

“So Mr President has done his part, we are the ones that have failed our people,” he stated.

Earlier, leader of the group, Sunday Onyewonsa, called for a security summit that would fashion out solutions to challenges facing the region.

He also stressed the need to declare a state of emergency on Niger Delta roads.

Onyewonsa called on the Deputy President of the Senate to prevail on the Federal Government to drop the planned scrapping of the Amnesty Programme.

He added that it should be overhauled to run through to the end of the present administration.

August 24, 2020
Constitution amendment begins after Sallah – Omo-Agege

Works on altering the 1999 Constitution commence after the Sallah break, Chairman Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, said on Wednesday.

Omo-Agege, who is also the Deputy Senate President, made this assertion when two groups, Women Education Advocacy and Development Initiative (WEADI) and League of Women Voters of Nigeria (NILOWV), visited him in Abuja.

He explained the committee would swing into action immediately after the Sallah break.

The Senator pointed out that rights of women and the girl-child would be protected in the exercise, adding the panel would take into account experiences from other African countries.

“Immediately after the Sallah, we are going to hit the ground running with constitution review exercise. And there are a lot of bills dealing with women rights advancement.

“We will take the Ugandan and Rwandan experiences into account to see how we can meet up with the agitation of our women in the constitution review exercise,” he stated.

He also insisted the Sexual Harassment Bill recently passed by the Senate is not targeted at lecturers but meant to flush out the few bad eggs tarnishing the image of their colleagues.

The Delta Central lawmaker regretted that few educators are soiling the image of their colleagues, describing many of them described as ”decent.”

He commended the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, for providing leadership, while also applauding his colleagues for co-sponsoring the Bill.

He said: “This bill is not targeted at our lecturers in tertiary institutions. To the extent that it is targeted at anybody, it is targeted at the errant few, the few predators in their midst.

“And we have them everywhere. It is not only in the tertiary institutions.

“Majority of the lecturers, professors are good people. We know them, we went through the institutions. So we speak from experience.

“The majority of lecturers, professors in higher institutions are good and decent teachers whose sole objective is to impact knowledge so that we can have the enabling environment to prepare our leaders of tomorrow.”

He expressed optimism that given the level of overwhelming support from the Presidency, it would get presidential assent once it receives concurrence from the House of Representatives.

July 30, 2020
Court strikes out suit against DSP Senator Omo-Agege

The Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, dismissed the suit seeking the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return of Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

Justice Ahmed Mohammed, in his judgment, described the case as an abuse of court process.

Justice Mohammed, who held that the issue had already been laid to rest after Justice Uthman Musa of the FCT High Court, Bwari, delivered a judgement in the matter, awarded a N300, 000 cost against the plaintiff which must be paid to each of the defendants.

A group, the Incorporated Trustees of Empowerment for Unemployed Youths Initiative, had, on May 19, approached the court, asking to order the withdrawal of the Certificate of Return issued to Omo-Agege.

Also joined as defendants in the suit are the Clerk of the National Assembly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In a suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/510/2020 filed by its lawyer, Mr Edward Omaga, the group also prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining Omo-Agege from occupying the office of senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District and deputy senate president.

The group said its suit was based on the grounds that Omo-Agege was not a competent, fit and proper person to occupy such an office considering the conviction hanging over his neck.

According to the group, this is as per the judgement of the hearing of the Department of the State Bar Court sitting in Los Angeles, California, USA, delivered on Nov. 30, 1995, whereupon Omo-Agege was sentenced to jail and suspended from law practice for two years for felony involving moral turpitude, forgery of cheques amounting to $890 with which he intended to defraud the Bank of America, Ahined Mehone and Elpert Defrietas in violation of California penal code section 470.

The plaintiff prayed the court for interpretation of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution; to determine whether by the combined interpretation of Section 68(1) (b) of the 1999 Constitution, the judgement of the hearing of the Department of the State Bar Court sitting in Los Angeles, California, involving moral turpitude.

The plaintiff also prayed the court to award N500 million damages against the clerk of the senate for accepting to declare Omo-Agege deputy senate president after his nomination and election on June 11, 2019.

At the hearing of the suit on June 16, the respondents’ lawyers, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN, representing Omo-Agege, Chikosolu Ojukwu representing the Clerk of the Senate and the APC, as well as Taminu Inuwa, SAN for INEC, denied the alleged conviction, urged the court to dismiss the suit and award substantial cost against the plaintiff.

They all insisted that the appellate court in California in the US had cleared Omo-Agege of any wrongdoing in December 1996.

“Acquittal means legal certification that the accused is not guilty of the offence,” Izinyon had argued.

Justice Mohammed had, in the last sitting, fixed Junes 25 for judgment after taking arguments from parties in the case.

Delivering his judgment, the judge upheld the preliminary objection.

Mohammed noted that the plaintiff ought to have immediately withdrawn the suit on realising that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, a court with coordinate jurisdiction with the Federal High Court, had already decided the issue in the suit.

“It is manifestly clear from the judgment alluded to that, that there was no conviction as alleged,” he held.

The judge said that contrary to the contention of the plaintiff, it was bound by the FCT High Court judgment despite not being a party to suit in which the said judgment was delivered.

“In the light of the above, the plaintiff is bound by the judgment of my brother, Justice O.A Musa of the FCT High Court delivered on January 29 wherein it was declared that the defendant was not convicted.

He said what the suit intended to do was to bring up the issue already laid to rest by judgment of the FCT High Court.

He added that by refusing to take an immediate step of withdrawing the suit on being aware of the FCT High Court judgment, the plaintiff “lends credence to the contention of the counsel for the first defendant that the suit was filed in obvious attempt to annoy and irritate the first defendant.”

Justice Mohammed specifically ordered that the plaintiff and its lawyer must pay the sum of N300,000 to each of the four respondents – Omo-Agege, the Clerk of the National Assembly, APC and INEC.

June 25, 2020
Democracy Day: Nigeria must continue drawing lessons from June 12 – Omo-Agege

Nigeria and Nigerians must continue to learn from the lessons of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has said.

In a special message to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day, Senator Omo-Agege also commended President Muhammadu Buhari for officially declaring June 12 as Nigeria’s Democracy Day instead of May 29, adding that June 12 has deep historical significance for Nigeria’s democracy.

He also applauded the President for recognizing the winner of the election, MKO Abiola, by awarding him the highest honour, Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), usually reserved for presidents.

Omo-Agege who doubles as Chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Review, pointed out that coming generations will be inspired by what June 12 represents.

He also paid tributes to great heroes of the country’s democratic evolution.

“June 12, 1993 remains a poignant chapter in the political history of Nigeria and like millions of other Nigerians, I hold the date very dear. It was a date that an unprecedented multitude of Nigerians resoundingly spoke with one voice regardless of ethnic, religious or whatever form of differences.

“I remember too, the large-heartedness and great philanthropy of the central figure of the June 12 struggle, late Aare MKO Abiola whose friendships and generosity traversed the entire length and breadth of Nigeria and even beyond.

“Today, as I join all those who participated in the June 12 struggle to reminisce over the unforgettable moments that have left indelible imprints on our minds over the past 27 years, I also remember all the great heroes of Nigeria’s democratic evolution.

“The nationalists of late Herbert Macaulay’s era led the way towards the realization of an independent Nigeria, the exemplary selflessness of First Republic leaders like Sardauna Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Sir Ahmadu Bello was terminated with profoundly painful memories, we had icons like the great Nnamdi Azikwe suffering undue relegation to the sidelines and the truest and fairest elections ever achieved as of June 12, 1993 sadly culminated into the death and imprisonment of passionate activists, including the flag bearer of the now-defunct Social Democratic Party, Chief MKO Abiola and his dear activist wife, Kudirat Abiola.

“Needless to say, our collective pains and disappointments have only reinforced our resolute commitment towards democratic goals and ideals and daily, I find great lessons and inspiration in the struggles and sacrifices of our great heroes past,” he said.

While assuring that the 9th Assembly would continue to focus on engendering good governance for the people through synergy with the executive arm of government, the lawmaker also commended the media, labour and pro-democracy activists for their immense contributions in keeping the spirit of June 12 alive.

He also prayed to the Almighty God that the loss of all those who patriotically made the supreme sacrifice during the June 12 struggle, would not be in vain.

He said: “Strengthened by lessons from the past, life is better lived looking forward; while our party, the APC along with President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly leadership under Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan remain focused on our party’s pro-people manifesto, our individual roles also deserve to be imbued with such dynamism that reflect historical and current realities.

“On my part, I have pragmatically chosen to keep the spirit of the people’s June 12 aspirations alive through vigorous pursuit of populist grassroots development in my constituency, Delta Central Senatorial district where our welfarist projects and grassroots philanthropy eloquently speak for themselves.

“Also, as in all responsibilities assigned to my office, my chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Constitution review is not only determined to ensure a more robust democratic growth but the empowerment of the hitherto voiceless majority, especially our women and youth”.

June 12, 2020
The crab mentality and the minority junction of Nigerian politics – Mideno Bayagbon

By Mideno Bayagbon

I have spent countless hours pondering over the crab mentality among politicians from the Niger Delta region. It surprises me to no end, how they self immolate, inflict damages on themselves, their peers and their zone with selfish impunity. It usually starts out from failure to understand that there is unity in strength; that a self-appointed leader without followers is an unmitigated lone ranger, a disaster waiting to happen. No support in the face of tempest, and he goes down easily when the locust run in. The ambitious lure to engage in national politics, at the top end, is the firing engine that blocks their sense of history. It is little surprise, they end up at the minority junction of Nigerian politics.

For example, when a one time friend was getting carried away with the euphoria of being Managing Director of NIMASA, I cautioned him about the minority junction in Nigerian politics. He didn’t understand me. Not many people do. For the minority junction is a peculiar affliction that descends on people of minority stock in Nigerian politics, where an appointive position, or even an elective one, at the local or national level gets them all giddy and abnormally egoistic. They go into a frenzy, and a delusion of grandeur. They turn their backs on their people, except those who are yes men and women; people ready to go to the depth of hell to make the politician happy and get a mess of pottage in return. They assume their political and economic progress is made and lies in the hands of external forces, especially the northerners, and to some extent the Yorubas. They see them as the lords over their lives, who they must pander to, slavishly. And they delude themselves that their people do not matter to their dreams. Until the bubble burst and they come crashing down from their lilliputian heights.

Today, like my NIMASA DG friend, the current gladiators who are killing themselves over the Niger Delta Development Commission have forgotten what happened to others before them. They appear to be very poor students of history and seemingly know very little about playing Nigerian politics at the national level. Like most discerning people know, the on-going fight has little to do with how the agency can be stopped from being used to service the interests of others outside the Niger Delta. Or how an end can be put to it being the go-to-place for funding elections and the myriads other reasons it has been turned to the milk cow, the bastion of corruption that it is today. The forces at play, like I have mentioned in an earlier article, are trying to outdo each other, showcase themselves as the good boys to their external masters who behold them with scorn. This is especially so as 2023 elections are beginning to come into view. To position themselves, they must destroy their brothers and sisters. Like the slave mentality of old, or like the crab mentality, they destroy others hoping thereby to rise. Yet the NDDC and indeed the political and economic development of the South South are crying for salvation as the people sink deeper into poverty and misery.

Don’t mistake my views. I am all for the cleansing of the NDDC, which I have had cause to call for scrapping. Which means, currently, my hat is in the ring with Chief Godswill Akpabio and the forensic audit team. NO, he is not the cleanest of politicians. He comes with a heavy baggage. But how do you justify the wanton looting of the resources of the Niger Delta where a single individual has over a 1000 contracts awarded him? He collects hundreds of billions and nothing is on ground to justify even a tenth of the money collected. Or how does one justify the young man, who was a Special Assistant to one of the big wigs, who is under EFCC radar now, who collected billions of naira for spurious contracts but pocketed the monies? How does one justify the three trillion naira the commission is said to be owing contractors? But then Akpabio is half smart in illegally disallowing the Board from being sworn in. The NDDC law made no provisions for a perpetual Interim Management Board.

But then, behind the mask is a contest for power, for the leadership of the South-South region. The main gladiators are all currently Abuja based politicians. They are in several formations. There is the one led by Oshiomhole and Ovie Omo-Agege which incongruously, imposed the Deputy Senate President as the APC leader in the South South. There is the Akpabio group trying to bulldoze its way and hoist Akpabio as the leader of the APC South-South, like it audaciously tried to do and failed, in Akwa Ibom, which made leaders like Obong Attah to simply dump the APC. Then there is Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, the man who stuck out his neck and life to ensure victory for President Buhari in 2015. There is Timipre Sylva and a host of others. They can barely see eye to eye, talk less of coalescing forces to fight for the interest of the South South. It is a game of the self. The people are of little significance.

It is unfortunate that these leaders who emerged from the backwaters of the Niger Delta come with a crab mentality. As it has been proved, if you put ten, twenty or any number of live-crabs in a basket, none is able to climb out. Anyone making progress or attempting to climb out, is quickly brought down by others who believe that the fall of one of their own will enhance their own fortune or progress. This perhaps explains the unfortunate situation of the South-South politicians who daily relive this crab mentality in the process of pursuing individual advantage, hoping thereby to survive in this polity where the odds are stacked in mountain heaps against them.

At the local, state level, those of them who are governors cast a luscious, envious-green eye at Lagos state. They envy the one called the Jagaban, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and want to be like him in their states. To do this, they cast themselves as the unquestionable demigods, the be all and end all. They assume it is they, and no one else, who must decide who should be councillor, local government chairmen, assembly members, federal legislators and senators. They must decide who would succeed them as governors and deputy governors. They then go all out to look for supposed lackeys and imposed them, above every and any other rightful contender. In this, they are like most Nigerian ex-governors who believe they can still Lord it over their states, even when their tenures have ended. I am forced to think that sometimes they believe that even in death they can raise a hand from the grave to control the governor who sits on the ephemeral throne.

They arrogate so much power to themselves while they are in office. But the day after their tenure ends, they suddenly, surprise themselves. Confounded, they realise, to their great shock, they are mere mortals, after all. They wake up in their luscious mansions, glide down in their usual pomposity, only to find that their parlours and waiting rooms, and indeed their whole expansive houses are empty. They rush to their phones and not a single missed call. Armageddon. They make frantic calls to their supposed die-hard allies. No one picks or returns their calls. It suddenly dawns on them that the average Nigerian politician is treacherous and out only for his stomach. To their shock, they discover that their genuflecting lackeys have moved on to the latest gods, the new dispensers of the commonwealth. They realise, all too late, that they have become phantom leaders without a troop and without a home base.

Just take your mind back to the governors of all the states since 1999 till date. All played the Tinubu card, installed their lackeys and went ahead to attempt to lord it over them and the state. Of them all, only Bola Tinubu of Lagos, and James Ibori of Delta state succeeded in this quest. The rest, who successfully installed their successors, have lived to drink the bitter venom of the new gods in power. Take the three current cases, Godswill Akpabio and Udom Emmanuel, (Akwa Ibom), Rabiu Kwankwaso and Ganduje of Kano state and Adams Oshiomhole and Godwin Obaseki (Edo) as stark examples.

That has informed why almost all past governors now struggle to secure a seat and find relevance in the senate.

True, the politicians in the South-South or Niger Delta, as they are also called, do not have a franchise on the vices listed above. The ones in the South East are equally as bad, if not worse, despite having the umbrella Igbo social-cultural group, Ohaneze Ndigbo which aggregates their ethnic group. But unlike the politicians of the Niger Delta, they have the same ethnic identity, the gruesome civil war experience and other pluses completely missing among their peers in the Niger Delta, to fall back on when critical situations arise. Even their colleagues in the Middle Belt region have the Middlebelt Forum and Arewa Consultative Forum to conveniently run to as unifying factors. The Yorubas and the Core Northerners are at a different level altogether. They are the two most organised and most strategic of all the regional blocks in Nigeria.

Within states that make up the South-South, there are no shared ethnic bonds, no shared leadership culture, no known leadership recruitment and training and mentoring. It is an all comers field. There are no unifying strong traditional institutions that bind them. Rather a plethora of traditional institutions litter the landscape. Of course, there is the Oba of Benin, The Otaru of Auchi, The Orodje of Okpe, The Olu of Warri, The Asagba of Asaba, in the Midwest region. We all saw what our main man, the bulldozer governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, did to the collegiate group of traditional rulers in his state recently. Any governor can do same in Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Cross River; and get away with it.

Unlike most other regions in Nigeria, the South South is bedevilled by an agonising lack of leaders. Chief E.K Clark tried using his connection to the former President Goodluck Jonathan to mobilise the region under his leadership, while Anenih did the same under the Olusegun Obasanjo government. Today, you can hardly find one or two persons who can mobilise their states, not to talk of region, under their leadership. The South South is an open field filled with willing prostitutes who sell themselves, their states and region for selfish pittance. This is where the crab mentality comes into full play. They all end up at the minority junction.

June 9, 2020
N40bn fraud: I never instructed EFCC to probe NDDC, Akpabio – Omo-Agege

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has denied asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

According to Senator Omo-Agege, a letter said to have emanated from the Clerk of the Senate, acting on his behalf and requesting the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, Mr Ibrahim Magu to investigate the Minister did not come from him.

The National Assembly is currently probing allegations that the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC, allegedly mismanaged N40bn in three months and had demanded written explanations from Akpabio, whose Ministry supervises the activities of the intervention agency.

Describing the document as fake, the Deputy President of the Senate insisted that he never instructed the Clerk or any other person to contact the EFCC to investigate any individual.

A statement signed by Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the Deputy President of the Senate, reads: “The attention of the Office of the Deputy President of the Senate has been drawn to a letter dated 7th May, 2020, purportedly written by the Clerk of the Senate acting on behalf of the Office of Deputy President of the Senate requesting the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and monitor the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and one other.

“This Office hereby states that the said letter is false, fake, malicious, mischievous and vexatious.

“This Office never instructed the Clerk of the Senate, or in fact any person, to write to or contact the EFCC in relation to any person.

“In the light of the foregoing, we wish to urge the public to disregard the fake letter, same being the handiwork of a person or persons with criminal intents”.

June 7, 2020