PDP STILL BIGGEST PARTY IN AFRICA - HON REYENIEJU

                 HOW POLICIES TO PREVENT COUP CRIPPLED MILITARY, AIDED BOKO 
                  HARAM - HON REYENIEJU

       *SAYS PDP STILL BIGGEST PARTY IN AFRICA

    

Hon Daniel Reyenieju is a 3rd term member of the House of Representatives representing Warri Federal Constituency.  In this interview, Reyenieju, who was a member of various committees, including Navy, Airforce and Petroleum (Upstream), in the 6th and 7th assemblies, explained how past administrations' policy to cripple the Armed Forces in order to discourage coup plots hampered the Boko Haram fight, why the PDP lost the election and the PIB, among other issues.

EXCERPTS:

Your Party, the PDP has gone from the ruling party to being the opposition...

Interestingly, we are in the minority, yet we remain the biggest party in Africa, irrespective of being the minority party. Yes, being the minority is not a negative point to democracy; it is part of the evolution of democracy. Our party was in government for the past 16 years and we have done creditably well to the best of our ability. It is subject to other peoples' view about it, but for me, as a PDP member, who has represented the party for the past eight years, I wouldn't say we have done too badly. Yes, in some areas we weren't able to meet up the expectations of Nigerians, but you must not forget that we had some challenges after the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Beginning with the president who with thought would be there for up to eight years, but unfortunately we lost him and Goodluck Jonathan took over from him, who did about six years.

There were so many challenges: of infrastructure , dwindling oil prices, governance and most challenging one was the Boko Haram insurgence. It was something we had never experienced before. We had various domestic challenges - kidnapping, robbery and others, but international terrorism was not something we were used to. It was difficult for us to combat it and I think that was the sour point of our regime. Unfortunately we couldn't combat it with a credible approach. We tried our best towards the tail end of the administration and do not forget that the elections were shifted for about six weeks to enable us tackle Boko Haram. Whether we like it or not, I think that was a turning point in the history of the fight against the insurgence because within the six weeks we were able to deplete the flanks of the insurgents.

That also goes to show that at some point our military was ill-motivated and the equipment were not there to fight because within that six weeks a lot of things happened; funds were taken out of the country, huge cash, to directly procure arms and ammunition from the international market for the military. When it started arriving was when we started making some substantial inroad in the fight and this was something we couldn't fight in five years.

--(cut in) A section of the country and the international community wondered why it took that long for the PDP-led FG to take the fight seriously, particularly on the eve of the elections?

Firstly, there was that desperation to get vote for PDP, that was key. Also, the insurgency was becoming something very unbearable and we needed to do something to manage them from that point on. Thirdly, I would say that the inability of our country to manage the Boko Haram as at when it started and when it began to grow up was the fact that our military was depleted by successive governments in the past. There was this sense of getting down the military so that they don't become too powerful to plan coup and take over government. It became an issue which later costs us dearly. 

The military was actually down; all we had as military men were just men in uniforms without arms as Girls Guide and Boys Brigades. 

People might not know this, but we (lawmakers) knew it because we interact with them. As a member of the House Committee on the Navy and the Air-force, we interact with them and they used to tell us in closed door meetings that the military was ill-equipped. At that point it was too sensitive to bring to the public because it had many negative dimensions to it. We are a country, a sovereign nation for that matter, if we start to expose our military as ill-equipped then we are at risk of being attacked at some points by our neighbors. So we kept quiet and hope that we would be able to manage it. So, while we had it that bad was a result of very many factors.

Even before the death of Gen Abacha, successive military government tried to cripple the military to make them unable to plan coup and take over government. That turned out to be a very sour point in our the history of our military. 

But today, I think we are doing well, a lot of arms have been procured and we still need more to be able to combat this menace. 

I think we (PDP) were also desperate as a party and it became an issue because people were saying if we have a government that cannot provide security, secure lives and property then of what use is that government. We knew were having challenges with the electorates so we decided to come out very frontally and we did our best.

To what extent would you say the embarrassing situation of Boko Haram contributed to your party's electoral defeat?

I will take it front the political point; don't forget that the North - Northwest, East and Central formed more than 60percent of the aggregated vote of the entire country. I can tell you that for sure. I will give you an example, if you take the votes from Kano State, you have nearly five million votes, juxtapose it with the votes of the entire South-south, which is about six million, you will find out that you have one state taking care of an entire region. It is like that even in the Southeast, take Katsina that could have 2.4 - 2.6million votes and that is almost half of the entire votes from the Southeast region. So, that area (North) was political key in terms of voters' strength in the country. Now, don't forget that it was that same area that was being ravaged by the Boko Haram insurgency.  People (there) were becoming very tired and it was obvious that it was going to be a problem for us. People were not happy because their loved ones were being killed and their towns being devastated, their economies of those areas were completely down and they (FG under PDP) could not do much and ultimately it was an issue, an electoral issue, which any right-thinking political party would see as dangerous to its success..

Okay, away from your party's electoral loss, do you think the leaders of your party as it is now is capable of providing strong opposition to the APC?

It is subjective, but I think we are doing well, considering that we have never been in opposition before. Now that we are there, it is nothing new because we saw people doing it and we knew what they were doing. If they were doing it negatively, I think what we need to do is be constructive; constructive criticism of the governing party, because Mr President said he doesn't want his party to be seen as a ruling party. We are going to give robust and constructive engagement - we are not going to be opposing, we are going to be engaging the government on issues. We are all Nigerians, whether you like it or not, elections have come and gone. Opposition, ruling or whatever party are all nomenclatures because what affects an APC man as a Nigerian is what affects me as a PDP member. So, we should be looking as one Nigeria people to be able to frontally confront the challenges. Our experiences are common; if there are no roads, power, good healthcare, it is not just for PDP members, it is same for APC or apolitical Nigerians. At some points our fears will also be the fears of the governing party. So, there is nothing that we should be fighting and killing ourselves for on daily basis.

We must at some points continue to prick the consciousness of the ruling party so that they do not derail because we have been there before and we know the challenges and that is why they must consult us in taking some policy actions. We have been there for 16 years and we know the problems of this country. What we need now is just engagement and reminder so that they are not carried away by the victory of an election that has come and gone. I don't like the idea of saying we are opposition party; no, that is not it.

Having resolving the internal crisis that rocked the House at the inception of the 8th Assembly, what are the issues you think the House should now make its focus?

Unfortunately, we started very unfairly to Nigerians. As a member of the House, I use this opportunity to apologize to Nigerians for that unfortunate incident; it was too early in the day, it shouldn't have happened in a house of 360 members. Nigerians were expecting so much from this Assembly, unfortunately we started with crisis and I think it is better to have had the crisis when we had it so that we can now settle down to business. 

The House is always very vibrant, but we want to see this better than the 7th. I can assure you that with the crop of people I have seen in the House and the leadership we have as at today, we are going to hit the ground running. The crisis in the House was an issue, which ordinarily, I would have said was uncalled for, but it is natural to have disagreement at some point. I am not in the APC and I won't want to blame them for having such disagreements. I have seen them trying to pick the bits and pieces and get going; they are trying their best. At some point, I saw it as an issue that would have been easily resolved by the APC. I stayed off it because it was my party issue and the only thing I offered, as a ranking member of the House, is to advise those interested parties within the APC to give them some level of guidance based on our experience as a ruling party in the past. We, PDP, at some point also had same challenge.

In terms of our legislative duties, last week we rounded off debates on our legislative agenda as put forward by the Honourable Speaker of the House, whom I must say is a very stable character. I have known him for the past eight years and I know he is of impeccable character. He is capable and able of delivering the House at the end of the session. We debated on the legislative agenda, which is the cardinal points of activities for the next four years and it was unanimously adopted by the House and we are set to get running.

What we need to do as Nigerians, because we have a new government in place, is to support, as members of the House, the executive to be able to discharge its responsibilities in terms of making good laws for the governance of the country, security and protection of lives and property, food security and power. These are critical areas which we need to focus on. 

In saying that, I would want to say that there is over-stigmatization of Nigerians, everyone is being seen as corrupt. People are being pushed out of government on a daily basis and we just say they are corrupt. I don't want to say that all Nigerians are corrupt. Not all Nigerians are corrupt and most of these Nigerians being kicked out of offices are entitled to jobs. 

The drive, which is one of the key points of this administration is anti-corruption. The president has no tolerance for corruption and we would support him with good laws and strengthen those in existence to support the executive in this drive. 

Unfortunately for us, economically, oil prices are tumbling on daily basis. As at the last time, it was about $49 and that is exceeding very low. So, it is good that the President has come out to talk about diversification of our economy. It has been a mono-economy that depends about 90percent on oil. That is risky for our nation and when the president said we need to go back to the land and cultivate it, to see how we can use agriculture to sustain the economy, I was very happy. We would be ready to give him all the support he needs to achieve this.

The oil sector has not done too well a couple of years back and it is something Nigerians need to review and that is why we are ready to support Mr President in that regard by passing good laws to enable him carry on with his reform agenda in the oil and gas sector. I sympathize with him about the time he is taking over the rein of governance when our economy is not so rosy, we are facing challenges and the funds are not there. All we need to  do as an arm of government that makes laws and monitors them in terms of oversight, we will do our very best to see that he gets the maximum support from us. This is the rebirth of our nation and taking over from one government.

Nevertheless, I want him to know that the days are not waiting for us; the minutes are counting into hours, into days and months. Eventually, the years will start counting and the four years that we think are enough may not be enough if we do not start early enough. I am saying this because I listened to APC National Leader, Asiwaju (Bola) Tinubu, recently and he said that the president is on honeymoon with Nigerians. I think that  honeymoon needs to be cut short and I need to tell the president that he needs to sacrifice his honeymoon for the sake of this nation. The nation is need of action.

What is the state of the Petroleum Industry Bill? Do you think it will ever see the light of day?

I apologize to Nigerians once more on the PIB, which has been in the parliament for almost 16 years of the PDP. The PIB had always been in the front burner. I was opportuned to be a member of the Petroleum Committee (Upstream) in 2007-2011 and I was a member of the committee that was set up to look into the bill. We worked very seriously and we got to a point where we started considering it on clause by clause basis. Unfortunately, it was aborted because our time ran out. Then in the next assembly, I was also a member  of the Petroleum Committee from 2011 to 2015. We did creditably well; we did anything that needed to be done. I was the only returning member of the committee to handle the PIB so I was in the driving seat. We did a lot; all consideration of the bill and harmonized all considerations and came out with the report and it was presented to the House. Sadly again, we started and finished the consideration almost on the day the House was winding down, which was about the same thing that happened in the 6th Assembly. Although in that assembly we couldn't conclude the clause by clause consideration, but in the 7th we actually did complete it, but almost the same day we were winding down the House. It became like it was jinxed.

The issue is that the bill needs to concur with the progress in the Senate, but the Senate couldn't get to the extent which we got to. The PIB was passed by the House (7th Assembly) now we have to wait for the Senate to conclude because we definitely have two different versions and we have to come back again to gavel-to-gavel table where we need to harmonize the two positions. After harmonization, it doesn't take anything more again, we merely need to adopt and it goes and become law. 

However, because we have a new government in place, we may have the government of the day coming up with some input, fresh ideas, which 'may' affect us. But I think it is one issue we need to take up. I  promise I will be one of those that will bring it up as soon as possible.

How has the non-passage of the PIB affected the oil bearing communities and the oil sector?

I will take that of the communities first. The bill is for the entire country; it is to reform and allow our oil companies to run in line with best practices all over the world. It is not an oil producing environment bill; this is where we get it wrong and this is where the wrong perception that the bill is fashioned towards supporting the oil producing states or region. A law made by the National Assembly is never sectional. Don't forget that oil could also be found in the north or any other part of the country today and the bill covers it; if it goes to the Southwest, Southeast or any other part, it is the same thing. So, the laws are not for the South-south or the oil producing communities; it is not for the Warri Federal Constituency because they have oil, it is a law that is meant to govern in the acceptable best practices all over the world. I don't want people to see it as a law that is made for particular section of the country because that is where we sometimes have challenges with our brothers and members from other parts of the country. 

In terms of how the bill would have helped the oil producing communities: I have looked at the bill, apart from the aspect of the environmental issues and host communities fund, there is nothing fantastically to the benefit of the oil producing communities and states. Unfortunately for us too, the host communities fund aspect of it, which was to be a 10percent aftertax profit of the oil producing companies - it is not coming from the government. That again lost its value in so many ways. One thing people don't seem to understand to is that the 10percent is coming from the profit after tax of the multinationals and oil producing companies. That again lost its value because what was passed was that all parts of this country are host communities to oil. I find it very laughable to say that the entire country is host to oil. Yes, in terms of our federal law, it says all resources etc belongs to the country. But then do not forget that there is a derivation principle and definition. If you drill deeply, like they do when drilling for oil, into the meaning of derivation, you will find out that the entire country cannot be host communities because there is a point from where that oil is derived. It is that point and adjoining environment that is mostly affected by the oil activities. As such, what i suffer as somebody sitting right now in Warri talking to you in terms of the adverse effects of oil exploration and exploitation activities, is not what a northern who is thousands of miles away from Warri would suffer from the impact of oil exploration. In terms of environmental damages too, what I suffer here may not be what other somebody in other parts of the country like South-west or South-east or North would suffer. I suffer more. What we are  going through in Warri as we speak is something we need to evaluate and take measure to actually put to rest, if not, this is going to be very dangerous to the generations yet unborn.

But that is how it was passed and that is how it is with parliament; we have a loud minority, but the majority would have their way. The law has been passed that way and even if it is not right, we said, 'let's not throwaway the baby and the bathwater.' That is for some of us who are against the principle of having the entire country as host community. We cannot say just because of that alone, let us throw away a bill of more than a thousand clauses. We would come by way of amendments to some aspects of this bill sometimes in future. That is if it is eventually passed and if it will ever be passed.

The PIB, as it seem, is like the controversy generated by the DESOPADEC Law amendment in your state, especially with regards to the nomenclature and its definition; whether host communities or host ethnic nationalities. What do you think about the state's law?

I am a stakeholder from an ethnic nationality that produces oil and I will always be ready to speak on any law that has to do with oil in the state or any other because at the end of my tenure as a federal lawmaker, I am coming back to Warri and in that sense I am a stakeholder.

Having said that, I would say that the fund that is propelling the DESOPADEC is called the 13percent derivation fund. So, I tell you again, drill into derivation and you will understand what I am saying. The 13percent derivation fund is a constitutional issue. It is in the constitution that 13percent of X amount of money must be made available to the host communities. Why I say I like people to look into the meaning of derivation is that the place from where oil is source, the point from where it is sourced, must be taken care of  and it has to be taken care of by whichever way. I am not saying that the bill is saying No, we cannot take of it, the bill has been passed, I have not seen the final copy, so I am not going to be able to make comment. But all I will continue to say is that the area from which that oil is derived must not be forgotten. They must be given adequate attention because the area is being bastardized, the ecosystem is being completed polluted on daily basis. What I suffer as somebody from Warri is not what somebody from the upland in some areas suffer. That was why the FG was magnanimous to say 'You can have 13percent', although we are saying it is not enough, but if it comes to the state we should be able to be magnanimous enough to reconsider those areas that produce the oil. The emission that I suffer, environment damages to health and property as someone living in Warri, is not what somebody in say Okpella suffers; it is quite different.  So, we should look at those areas; it is not just the money. What people are looking at is the money, but they are not looking at the existence and adverse effects suffered by those people closer to these exploration and exploitation activities and it is so sad.

The bill, to quote the governor, is to make DESOPADEC become a more robust and effective in terms of operation than as it used to be. Let us see how that works out. The NDDC, which it is being modeled after, is another issue. I would say that at every given point, that we think about the policies of oil production, we must think about the definition of derivation and how oil production affects the people closest to its source.

How do you think these various intervention agencies (DESOPADEC, NDDC and others) can have more impact in the lives of the people for which they are set up?

The people have to demand for adequate attention by way of agitation. This does not mean that they have to be violent or a call to take up arms. Agitations are in various forms: There is the peaceful violence, intellectual approach to agitation and finally, the violence, which I will not subscribe to, because I don't want lives lost, I prefer the other two.

What you should know is that a northerner is not on the management board of NDDC; they are all people from the Niger Delta, who know what the issues are with these areas. They must have lived here and people that lived here before their appointments as members of the management team. So, they know. The people should demand their rights from these people.

I want to take you to an NDDC project, which you facilitated in your state - the Koko-Ogheye road project. - what is the state of the project?

The road construction is ongoing. It might be slow, but work is going on there. As we speak, we have accomplished about 6km and we are getting close to the first critical aspect of the job, which is the bridge over the Ologbo River. There is progress towards sand filling to the river. By the time we get to the other side, I think we would have completed close to 15km to the Ologbo Bridge. The bridge is a very massive one, which is the next most critical stage of the bridge. There is something I would say and I have suggested it to people; the road should be divided into sections as it is with the East-West highway for quicker accomplishment. It should be for two or three construction companies: one at the beginning, another at the middle and finally one working from the Ogheye end of the project. That would have gone a long way to expedite action on the road. But because we have one contractor and issues of funding is also a major problem; funds are not readily available to all the mega projects around the Niger Delta. Irrespective of these challenges, the project is ongoing, although as I said before, maybe not so satisfied with the pace. 

That road is one of my dreams and I often asked myself if I have to leave office without the completion of more than 50percent of that project. I ask myself: Would somebody who is taking over from me have the same passion for it as I have? That road is very important and I will tell you why. I have looked at developmental strategies in terms of infrastructure, housing. roads, lights and others and I chose road as one of the most important and primary fundamental process to development. Why do I say this? It may be difficult for an ordinary man to put a motorable road into the thick of the forest, but once that road is built, people would start moving in there and they would build their own houses. That is what you are seeing in the Koko-Ogheye road, for the first 6km that we have accomplished, go to the entire area it is been bought up; people are building, tank farms are springing up and they are growing on a daily basis. That is just within two years and the place is opened up completely. 

I want to use this is a forum to advise our governors that what you need to do for the people is to give them infrastructure in some of these areas. What are these infrastructure? A few of them - road with good drainages, light etc -  and you will see the people moving in with their funds to build. There are some instances where I don't think the FG should be engaged in some of these other ventures like building of houses and others. The people want to build their houses to their tastes but give them the necessary facilities for the people to move in. You can take the Ifie road (in Warri) for example, before the construction of Trans-Warri road, it was a one-street village, but today the whole area has become an urban city because of that single road that crosses to the river, it has opened up the entire Ifie. That is the same thing that the Koko-Ogheye road will do to both the Ijaws and Itsekiris on that road because in-between, there are Ijaw and Itsekiri communities - you have Ijaw villages from where you cross into Itsekiri villages and so on until it ends in an Itsekiri village. So, although it starts from an Itsekiri town (Koko) and ends in an Itsekiri village (Ogheye) you have more Ijaw communities in-between with the likes of Ogbudugbudu, Tsekelewu, Opuama and other major Ijaw communities in Egbema Kingdom in the Warri North and that is the beauty and importance of that road. It is a road that will open up the entire area. If you take a drive through the road, you will find out that from the left down to the 6km even beyond that has being bought. Even ahead, developers are buying in anticipation of the road's completion.

The economy  of the area is now shifting focus to Koko because of that road because there are a lots of potentials in the river ways and people don't seem to know. For instance, it is easier to get to Escravos from Koko, so people are moving now and getting ready for the boom. If you go there and look for a piece of 100x50 land along the first 6km, you won't get it. That is why I am worried about that road project; would the person who takes over from me have the same spirit and zeal for it?

You sound like you don't expect the road to be completed before the expiration of your tenure in 2019?

I doubt it would be completed, but that won't stop me from pushing and hoping. Whatever it is, I hope whoever takes over has the same passion and drive to push it through because of how much it means to the people in this area. 

END

THE INTRIGUES, POLITICS BEHIND DESOPADEC LAW AMENDMENT

Indications that the planned restructuring of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission may not be easy appeared after Governor Arthur Okowa presented an executive bill to the House of Assembly for amendment of its law. Okowa’s predecessor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, also failed with a similar attempt.

DESOPADEC is very dear to the people of oil-bearing communities in the state, despite its shortcomings and turbulent eight-year existence, they see it as a half bread that is better than none.

•Protesting Ijaw host communities

It was against this background that Ijaw youths threatened to shut down oil facilities in Warri, Ogulagha, Egbema, Odidi, Batan, Ogbe-Ijoh and other parts of the state over disagreements with part of the new law that they view as being against their interests.

DESOPADEC came into existence in 2006, pursuant to Section 162(2) of the Nigerian Constitution, which deals with revenue paid into the Federation Account, which provided for the development of oil producing communities. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo had directed states receiving the 13 per cent derivation fund to establish agencies, similar to NDDC, to cater for the communities.

Yet, the commission was not constituted until the last weeks of ex- Governor Ibori administration in 2007.  Uduaghan, who succeed him, incessantly complained of financial shortfall resulting from giving half of oil revenue to the commission.

Chief Wellington Okirika, a founding member of the Host Communities Oil and Gas of Nigeria (HOSTCOM), which fought for the creation of the commission, was made the chairman, while Andi Osawota, lawyer, was appointed secretary.

In 2009, Uduaghan appointed a commissioner to oversee the activities of the commission due to infighting between board members, allegations of administrative ineptitude, financial recklessness and corruption. Yet, reports of mind-boggling expenditures on hotel and medical bills continued. Uduaghan once cried out over a bill of over N10million presented to the commission for the treatment of malaria which was beautifully wrapped in the medical term Plasmodiasis.

It was not only such scandal that dogged the commission under the Okirika-led board.

Due to the huge fund accruing to it, top official of the state government and House of Assembly members inundated chairman and other members with financial requests.

A member of the Assembly abandoned his legislative duties and ‘decamped’ to the commission headquarters in Warri as soon as he became chairman of the House Committee on DESOPADEC.

Allegation of underpayment

It was against this backdrop that at the expiration of the three-year tenure of Chief Okirika board in July 2010, a caretaker committee headed by Mr Reginald Bayoko, was set up to clear its mess.

After cleaning the Augean stable, a new board-led by Oritsua Kpogho, was inaugurated, with Henry Offa, Joseph Ogeh, Michael Diden, Johnson Boro, Rev.Chukwudi Eke, Benedicta Osakunih Izuegbu, Mr. Kingsley Otuaro (now Deputy Governor) and Dr. Peter Egedegbe representing the various nationalities.

Through all these processes, the leaders of oil-bearing communities had constantly checkmated the government and commission; they raised alarm when they felt the government was taking step detrimental to the commission and their interests.

In spite of their close watch, rumours of underpayment to the coffers of the commission were rife; there were also allegations of government ‘releasing funds with the right hand and taking it back with the left hand’. Various sources say the past administrations underfunded it by N300billion.

It was against the backdrop that Uduaghan’s amendment bill faced stiff opposition from the oil-producing communities.  While some accused Uduaghan of attempting to cover up alleged misappropriation of its fund, contractors who had executed jobs for the commission feared sinister plot to avoid payment for jobs they did.

However, the resistance against the Uduaghan amendment bill has been a child’s play when compared to the vituperations and reactions toward Okowa’s. The incumbent governor hails from the non-oil 

producing Ika area of the state and it was against this backdrop that some parts of his bill were viewed with intense scrutiny and suspicion, particularly in the face of rumours that he planned to scrap the commission to free up fund for the development of his area and the state capital.

His bill proposes the scrapping of the office of the executive secretary, while appointing a managing director, with executive powers to carry out day to day running of the commission.  The hazy details of how the MD would be appointment led opponents of the bill fearing an ominous plot and agenda. They prefer the old system where communities have a voice in appointees

The amendment recommends: “The MD shall be the Chief Executive and Accounting Officer…responsible for the day to day running of the commission… Executive Director shall be in charge of the three directorates.”

“What this means”, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, spokesperson of the Ijaw Wellhead and Flowstation host communities youths,  told Niger Delta Report, “is that management of the oil fund is again shifting back into the hands of the governor and politicians who have being mismanaging the oil revenue over the past decades.”

Also, the replacement of ‘Oil Producing Communities’ with ‘Oil Producing Ethnic Nationalities’ is a contentious issue in the proposed law. Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko host communities view it as a move to rob them in favour of the governor’s area.

Documents sourced from the commission indicate that Itsekiri produces about 29 percent of the state’s oil; closely followed by Ijaw and Urhobo with 27 and 23 percent respectively with (12) Isoko and Ndokwa (nine) percent.

In view of the above, the southern part of the state accounts for 68 per cent of the state’s oil revenue, while the central and north have 23 and nine percent.  This too explains why the south is against part of the bill which provides for the appointment of directors from across the three senatorial districts on equal basis.

A leader of the Delta Ijaw Oil Producing Communities, Chief Favour O Izoukumor, who spoke with Niger Delta Report when he led a protest  to the House of Assembly, explained: “What this means is that although the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko produce the bulk of the oil revenue, we will be at disadvantage in the sharing of position, as it is already being done.

“The bill does not address the present injustice were Urhobos have three commissioners,  Ndokwa has two and Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko together have one each on DESOPADEC board. What this means is that the people that produce about 70percent of the oil revenue enjoy less than 40percent appointments, employment and contracts while those with will barely 30 enjoy over 60percent.”

The Urhobo ethnic group, on their part, viewed the amendment as a move to rob them of their right to produce the executive chairman of the commission. By the provisions of the existing law, the position is rotated among the oil producing nationalities. With the Ijaw (Okirika) and Itsekiri (Kpogho) having produced chairmen, the next in line is Urhobo.

Public hearing turned public combat

But no arena has produced as much anger towards the amendment as the public hearing, which was dogged by protest, scuffle and violence.  Blood literarily flowed at the House of Assembly with various interest groups clashing among themselves and with security operatives.

The Chairman, HOSTCOM Delta Chapter, Benjamin Eweta sustained injuries from attacks by members of a faction of HOSTCOM. Police had hectic times containing stakeholders who insisted on being part of the public hearing. On more than one occasion, the police had to wield the stick and throw punches.

Proceedings suffered incessant disruptions as various interest groups held entrenched positions refusing to budge. Inside the chamber, the Chairman of the ad-hoc committee, Hon Dennis Omovie, threatened to send those who breached the peace to jail.

In a presentation, on behalf of Host Communities Oil and Gas, Ndokwa Chapter, former Speaker, Dr Olise Imegwu, noted that the problem with interventionist body was not its structure, but inadequate funding.

A leader of the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko Elders and Leaders Forum (I3S), Mr Amorighoye Mene, argued that the interventionist body has been unfair to the three ethnic groups, adding that projects and social works to benefitting communities should be based on volume of oil produced by such communities.

Izuokumor, agreed with that position and also reaffirmed his group’s opposition to the bill’s lack of equity in representation on the board of DESOPADEC. He also rejected the overbearing influence of the State government in the affairs of the interventionist agency.

Who produces what, how much?

An underlying grievance brought to light in the latest attempt to amend the DESOPADEC is about the production of each ethnic nationality. Some of those who spoke at the public hearing and others who confided in Niger Delta Report expressed concern that their groups were not credited with their true production value.

For instance, a representative of Ndokwa Elders and Leaders Council, Mr Oyibosochukwu Nwabueze, noted that the current nine percent allocated to the Ndokwa nation is incorrect. He said available data suggested that Ndokwa nation contributes 18 per cent. He urged the legislators to investigate the reduction.

The Ijaw and Itsekiri also  expressed suspicions about the 23 per cent allotted to the Urhobo ethnic nationality. An anonymous source hinted that the figure was inflated by former Governor James Ibori to favour his kinsmen, to which he also allotted three (highest) commissioners slots.

An Ijaw further said, “Before Uduaghan became governor (2007), the Ijaw had the highest production; how did the Itsekiri jump from number two to one? Did they discover new oil wells in Itsekiri land?”

An Itsekiri leader insisted that Ijaw are not a close second as records indicate, insisting that oil wells in Jones Creek, Odidi and other parts of Warri South West Local Government Area are owned by the Itsekiri of Omadino.

Okowa’s peace shuttle, suspension of ultimatum

Worried by the avalanche of opposition to the bill,  Okowa tried to calm fray nerves by meeting with the various interest groups.

“We are not repealing the old law. It is not a new bill. The amendment we are proposing is to structure DESOPADEC in line with the NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) model.

“This is democracy and I am not expecting that the amendment bill will come out exactly as we proposed it. There will be public hearing and people will make their contributions. I don’t believe in forcing the hands of the legislators,” he explained.

Last Friday, two days before the expiration of the Ijaw’s ultimatum, he met with traditional rulers and leaders of the Ijaw Oil Producing Communities.

A reliable source at the Friday meeting disclosed that Okwa expressed shock at opposition from the Ijaws, who passionately supported him during his race to become governor.

“One of the revelations from our meeting with the governor was that some prominent members of the House of Assembly are trying to take advantage of the bill for their selfish interests.”

It was gathered that the Ijaws reaffirmed their opposition to the change of nomenclature of the law to oil producing nationalities, instead of communities and they also insisted on fair representation, overbearing influence of government official and misapplication of fund accruing to each group.

“A situation whereby a member of the board, because of his powers, corners funds for a particularly group to his group would not be tolerated. We have made that absolutely clear.”

Based on the meeting with the traditional rulers, the Ijaw youths agreed to suspend their ultimatum. Confirming the development, Izoukumor told Niger Delta Report, “Due to the intervention of the 

traditional rulers and some Ijaw leaders, which culminated in a meeting with the governor, the traditional rulers pleaded with the Ijaw Oil Producing Communities and those that gave the ultimatum to shelve the ultimatum and give room for further dialogue.”

Mulade also confirmed the development, adding that the group had relaxed its warning to foreign missions and urged oil firms to go about their normal duties.

At the time of going to press, peace had returned to the state, yet many are skeptical that the controversies will continue unabated regardless of the final outcome.

Tags:DESOPADECLAWpolitics and fight

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POLITICS: OKOWA SNUBS ISOKO, ITSEKIRI IN KEY APPOINTMENTS

Okowa Snubs Itsekiri, Isoko in Key Appointments

The new administration led by Senator Ifeanyi Okowa In Delta State may have started on a wrong note as it ignores the Itsekiri and Isoko ethnic nationalities in key appointments.

SOB gathered that the two ethnic groups were overlooked in key positions as the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Secretary to the State Government and Chief of Staff Government House.

It was authoritatively gathered that an Urhobo and former Commissioner for Finance in the preceding administration, Mr George Orogun is set to be named SSG.

Similarly, it was learnt that Tam Brisbe, an Ijaw and former member of the National Assembly representing Burutu Federal Constituency, an Ijaw, would be named chief of staff.

It was further learnt that the Speakership has been zoned to the Urhobo ethnic nationality in Delta Central Senatorial District of the state.

The Governor, Dr Okowa is an Ika from Delta North while his Deputy, Kingsley Otuaro is an Ijaw from Warri South West.

At the time of this report, political leaders of the PDP from the Isoko and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities were said to be lamenting their fates.

 
 

OYEDEPO SERMON: APOSTLE OGU WARNS COLLEAGUES AGAINST "UNWHOLESOME ALLIANCE WITH POLITICIANS" Fiery Port Harcourt, Rivers State based clergy and former Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria in the state, Apostle Eugene Ogu, has warned religious leaders against unguarded and inciting utterances in the run-up to next month's general election. Apostle Ogu, founder of the Abundant Life Evangelical Mission, lamented perceived infiltration of churches by politicians, warning that the trend portends bad omen for the offices of men of God, which he said, should naturally be the last hope of the ordinary citizen. Speeaking with SOB against the backdrop of recent statement credited to the Bishop David OYEDEPO in Port harcourt on Tuesday, he said, "I want to warn Christian religious leaders on the unwholesome alliance with politicians. The manner in which some Christian leaders have given themselves wholesale to politicians is inspiring and compelling them to speak without caution, fact and consideration for the will of God, without consideration of the laws of the land. It is becoming a great concern and can create an integrity question to the entire body of Christ in Nigeria. "The office of a man of God is more of the last hope of the common man than the court because even the woman caught in the act in the bible and the condemned armed robber at the cross all met Christ and found life, freedom, peace and were accommodated. He did not order that stone should be thrown at the woman." Apostle Ogu further warned adherent of the Christian faith in the various congregations to be careful not to regard the words and utterances of their pastors and church leaders above those of the God, adding that Christians must be focussed on the words of God and not on the teachings of men. The man of God described the run-up to the general election as very challenging moment in the annals of the country, likening it to a "war between light and darkness, between the rich and the poor, the oppressed and oppressor and a battle of the corrupt and masses." He warned against sentiments fanned under the embers of religion, tribe, sectional interests, stressing that wisdom and sincerity must dictate what is right and wrong about the nation as well as help voters to discern between black and white. "No Nigeria needs a prophet to tell him what is white or what is black. Under no unction or prophesy can a sincere, enlightened citizen of this country believe that God has said what is black is white and what is white is black. "This kind of political atmosphere will be charged with high level desperation, which will lead to fabrications, inventions, manufacturing of all manners of lies both scientifically, spiritually and demonically all in a very subtle way to mislead the already oppressed and impoverished citizens of this great country. "It is not in doubt that Nigeria's problems is leadership or that over N200 naira now exchanges for one dollar and there is no doubt that there are no jobs. The only business that works today is government. The rich are becoming richer and the poor are getting poorer and there is no doubt that 60 -70 percent of university students are involved in what is called 'school runs' to survive. "No doubt that Nigerian has blown billions of dollars in the power sector, yet we still do not have light. A peaceful Nigeria has seen more bloodshed than other African countries in full blown war and we don't know what to believe when our leaders and government speak to us. "It is not in doubt that our hospitals and schools are nothing to write about when compared to even other African countries. The money being spent by Nigerians in schools in Ghana is now funding that country's education sector. "I use this medium to appeal to those of us in the altar to concentrate and pray for God's intervention; educate and enlighten our sons and daughters in this critical moment in time to vote rightly in order to express whether we are being properly led or not and not to use it to cajole, intimidate and frighten congregation in order to make us remain in this long time captivity that yearns for change. "What Nigeria needs today is those that will tell the truth the way it is; those with passion and courage to contribute their quarter to the freedom of this country. Just as I believe that our days of freedom is near, I pray that the day comes fast. God who knows the hearts and feelings of the oppressed will not allow falsehood to keep us longer in this terrible state we find ourselves. "Let's watch and be careful of what we hear see or read on TV, paper and altar because even an 'angel' may be hirelings or have deceitful intention to deceive the masses. So, let us rise gallantly, vote rightly, vote away darkness so that God may save us."

Bayelsa, Delta communities threaten to halt crude export

Bayelsa, Delta communities threaten to halt crude export 

The people of Agge and other neighbouring communities on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, Ramos River and its estuaries in Bayelsa and Delta states have threatened to halt crude oil export from the area over devastation of crude oil spillages the facilities of a local oil firm in the area.

It was learnt that the aggrieved Ijaw people are unhappy at the slow pace of the company’s handling of the issue of compensation resulting from two incidents of crude oil spills from the facilities of Sterling Oil Exploration & Energy Production Company.

They threatened to shut down SEEPCO’s facility unless the compensation is properly and urgently handled by the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the lead agency in crude oil spill matters.

The Chairman of Agge and its Federated Communities, Mr Stephen Fiyepade who led the community leaders and representative of the traditional council to NOSDRA’s Warri Zonal office on Monday, lamented that his people lost their sources of livelihood to the incidents.

He said, “It is regrettable that after damaging our fishing materials and sources of livelihood through consistent pollution and spills from SEEPCO operations, the company has refused to pay compensation to our people.”

Fiyepade called on NOSDRA to facilitate the payment of compensation so that people of Agge and its environs can recover from huge losses and get their lives back on track.

In his reaction, Chief David Omaghomi, the Government and Community Affairs Manager - Marine Operations for Sterling Oil blamed the delay on bureaucracy and urged NOSDRA to expedite the process.

He said, "We have further gone through the mandatory reporting, clean-up and remediation of the Impacted sites, provision of relief materials and free medical screening exercise stages under the guidance of all concerned government bodies.”

 “While (we) commend NOSDRA for their professional handling of the incidences, we urge the agency to expedite action for an early close-out of this matter. We likewise wish to appeal to the communities to exercise patience and allow due process to be followed, as NOSDRA remains the only arm of Government with the exclusive powers and jurisdiction to handle all oil spill related issues in Nigeria.

The Zonal Director of NOSDRA, Warri - Mr. Bunmi Akindele who presided over the meeting, also appealed to the people of Agge and their neighbouring communities to exercise patience, promising that the agency is seriously addressing the issue.

Interview: Paul Odili, Governor Uduaghan's aide, speaks on Delta Green Economy initiative

Why Delta State is blazing the  trail on Green Economy – Odili

Odili

What is the Green Economy initiative of the state about?

The point about sustainable development and climate change has been a major part of this administration’s agenda. When the governor talks about ‘Delta Beyond Oil’, there are a couple of critical pillars that support that initiative. Beyond just diversifying the economy of Delta State from reliance on crude oil as a major source of revenue, it was important that we also think in terms of sustainable development initiatives. It simply means the ability to consume resources in a more efficient and environmentally friendly manner, such that we do not waste resources and it does not compromise the ability of the future generation to also have access to those resources.

The governor has being doing a lot. There are different ministries and MDAs that have been pursuing green initiatives – Ministry of Energy has done a lot of work in solar street lighting, Ministry of Environment has done a lot with waste recycling plants, Ministry of Transport is also doing quite a bit of it.

There have been pockets of these kinds of initiatives but it was important that it is consolidated further.  It has been an ongoing process and I need to also add that since 2009 when he (governor) began to speak out on climate change, he was the first governor to have spoken out very forcefully, calling the attention of the nation to the issue of climate change and our apparent indifference to it. He was also one of the governors that formed the R20 Region of Climate Action, which is an international NGO that is led by the former Governor of California (Mr Arnold Schwarzenegger). The governor is the Vice Chairman of Africa and Middle East of this body.

 We have had all kinds of different initiatives. We have had various reports and studies that have been done, for instance, the IEA report that looked at the Delta State Renewable Energy opportunities, a very interesting report and everybody acclaims it as a very solid work. We have had partnership with UNDP to produce the TACC Report – Territorial Approach to Climate Change. It is a vulnerable report that looks at the impact of climate change on the most vulnerable segments of the society. It also takes cross-sector approach to the effects of climate change and has issued the Integrated Territorial Climate Report (ITCP). We have also had a partnership with Phillips; they did an energy audit of some government facilities on and renewable energy and efficiency system in the state. Today, we have some ideas of the investment this require, the emission reduction and the payback if we adopt this measure. A couple of things have been going on just that it makes sense to now consolidate that and coordinate it. The only way to do that is to have a structure, which is why the governor decided that it is more effective if you have everything put together in a structured form such that even beyond him, if it is back by law, it can continue to have a lot of effect on the state.

Is there an enabling law right now for all these?

There is no enabling law right now, but what has happened is that the step the governor has taken is to initiate a process of consultation and brainstorming. We had a series of workshops that culminated in producing the Delta State Green Economy Policy document. This is a policy document that articulates the requirements of the state, the current position, what it needs to do, the strategies it needs to adopt and the structures it needs to drive forward the sustainability initiative of the government to be able to promote green development in the state. It is not just about green development; it is about also creating an economic structure that is sustainable. The way to do that is you have structure that is able to do a lot of research, attract investment, coordinate green economy policies and implement green economy projects and programmes in the state, working with existing ministries, which also in many respects have mandates that are related to green initiatives.

We know already that there is a lot of business models and technologies out there that is accessible and that is interested to partner with us. The point then becomes if you need to do all that, you have to have a formal structure and policy in place and it has to be backed by instrument of law. What the governor now did after the workshop in February, was to very quickly send it to the House (of Assembly). That bill is in the House and we are hoping that very soon it will be passed into law. When it is now backed by law you are now in a position to engage any stakeholder or business interest.

The GGEI  (Global Green Economy Index) assesses, not just on leadership and structure, but also on cleantech, what have you done in this regard?

We have commissioned a lot of studies to be done, we are expecting a technical mission in May to do waste characterisation study amongst other studies. For instance, it will look at the trend and scope of waste in Delta State and recommend a strategy for developing waste into economic resource. You know for  the average business interests involved in sustainable development as a business, they understand the value chain of waste and  as such they do not see waste as it is, they see waste as an economic resource. There are conversion technologies that can turn your wastes into commodities and becomes resources to other business interests that will convert it into a final product at a profit. From the front end, if you have the right technology, you can convert your waste and at the backend, it becomes an economic resource that somebody uses. The technical mission will work with our project team in the ministries. For water for instance, the issue is not just about water, but you will look at how do you access water in an efficient and sustainable manner. Those are the things that the study will cover.

Does the state have plan to explore cleaner alternative power source?

The IEA report on renewable  energy in the state identified three very promising energy sources - solar, wind and it looked at waste as also an energy source. Waste can be converted to energy use.  For now what we are looking at from the studies we conducted are solar PV, which will convert sun light to electricity; solar thermal, which is water heating and drrying for residential and commercial use. The point is ultimately, there is the need for renewable energy in order to be able to bridge the energy gap in the state, which is why it is very critical that we move in that direction, especially for off-grid and rural areas we could have off-grid energy solution whether it is wind or solar. The model that we will use may be in partnership or government will have to go into it solely as a social responsibility to support economic activities in those areas. These are things we would come to at some point and we are looking in that direction; we already have a report and we are taking it to the next level to do a detail analysis.

What are some of the provisions of the bill setting up this commission?

The law intends to set up the commission and the mandate is simple. It will initiate, coordinate and implement green economy policies and programmes in Delta State. It will collaborate with existing ministries and MDAs.

Deltans, like most Nigerians are sceptical about commissions, they see it as avenues to siphon public fund….

No, no, no. This is a very unique strcuture in that its mandate is to attract investments, initiate programmes and implement projects…

..It will also spend money

It will spend money but we have adopted a self-funding model, which is to say that government will fund the commission for 10 years and after that it will become self-funding. It will become a source of revenue for the state.

Will government fund it wholly during the 10-year gestation period?

No, we expect that it will be deescalating. In order words, by the 5^th year government will only fund half of the cost and as the years go towards 10^th year it will be self-funding. As the funding from government decreases, the agency is actually earning money to be able to offset some of its costs and operations. That is an indication that it is growing towards that self-funding target. We see tremendous promise and potential.

How does it benefit the state and ordinary Deltan?

It is very beneficial.  You see when we talk about Delta Beyond Oil, it simply aims to end overdependence on oil, diversify the economy, expand the industrial base of the state, create employment and reduce poverty. When you are going green, you are also promoting an economic development that recognises and reduces environment risk of development. Traditional ways of economic growth and development have always been done at the risk of environmental sustainability. This is saying it can be done taking into account the fragility of the environment. That is how this initiative compliments the overall objective of government.

The social component is it will empower the people; it will create employment and economic growth. It would also improve the public welfare. A fully embedded green economy is one that recognises the welfare and wellbeing of the people first. It does that across a whole range of sectors – agriculture, transportation, water, energy, public health. Ultimately, it is about the welfare and wellbeing of the people. In urban planning, if you are eco-friendly, you recognise that one of the major challenges of developing society is rapid urbanisation that leads to congestion and pollution. But if you are eco-friendly in your planning and practice, you factor in such that you prevent urbanisation that will pollute the environment and create public health issues for the people.

Why did the governor wait till the tail end of its administration before initiating this? Also, there are some activities of this government have been everything but eco-friendly…

That is not true.

Instead of investing huge sum of money on the IPP, you could have put it into wind or any of those clean and green sources

We are using gas, an energy source that is very eco-friendly. Gas has a very low emission so it is not correct. But the point is, we have not gone into full green economy, the process is on that is why you need to have some awareness and structure that will coordinate and guide policy making. But in the future, the standard would change whether in construction, production, consumption and whatever we do in the state some of these things would change. It would be much more environmental friendly. It will be much more efficient in terms of resource use and resource effects on the society. We are making the right steps. In a short while people would see the effect.

ADAPTED FROM THE NATION'S NIGER DELTA REPORT ON 25/04/14