FG: Perennial Violence, Underdevelopment in Niger Delta Caused by Failure of Govts, IOCs

Peter Uzoho and Ugo Aliogo

The federal government has blamed the perennial violence and underdevelopment in the oil producing Niger Delta region on the neglect and failure of government at all three levels and the international oil companies (IOCs).

The Minister of State for Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clem Agba, stated this yesterday in Lagos, in his remarks at the unveiling of the book, “No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: The Contentious Search for Peace in the Niger Delta.”

The book was written by three retirees of Chevron Nigeria Limited – Mr. Jide Ajide, Mr. John Ashima and Mr. Oluwole Agunbiade, and published by Jijowo Publishers, a company jointly owned by the authors.

Represented by the Director General, Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Prof. Anthonia Taiye Simbine, Agba stated that a fundamental dimension to the protracted Niger Delta crisis was the factor of geography, which had historically posed objective difficulties for the development of the region.

He noted that several policies and programmes had been initiated by the federal government to address the challenges of the Niger Delta including the establishment of the Niger Delta Development (NDDB), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), and the Oil Mineral Producing
Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC), but they yielded minimal positive outcomes.

He added that the feeling persists in the Niger Delta that federal authorities hardly understand and appreciate the peculiar development challenges of the region, pointing out that the unveiling of such important book could not have come at a better time, given the significance of the Niger Delta region and its centrality to revenue generation in Nigeria.

Agba said, “Permit me to say that the rising spiral of violence in the Niger Delta region is traceable to the underdevelopment and neglect of the region by the governments- federal, states and local, and that of the multinational oil companies operating in the area.

“Indeed, the region has become an enclave of intense social strife. Every day, the media is awash with reports of hostage taking of foreigners and Nigerians working in oil companies, illegal bunkering, oil theft, vandalism of pipeline and oil installations, and numerous other heinous crimes that threaten the daily existence of citizens and the corporate integrity of Nigeria.

“Yet, there is no gainsaying the fact that the stability of the Niger Delta is critical to the economic wellbeing of Nigeria, especially given the overdependence of the economy on oil and gas resources.

“It is, therefore, commendable that the authors of this book have latched on the need for enduring peace in the Niger Delta and have expertly interrogated a range of issues from illegal bunkering, militancy, community relations, operation of illegal refineries, kidnapping, environmental impact and remediation efforts, inter-ethnic violence, land ownership and host community syndrome.”

 Together, the minister noted that the issues and many others alike have continued to plague peaceful coexistence of citizens in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region, with grave implications for national cohesion and national prosperity.

He said the importance of the Niger Delta to Nigeria was underscored by the centrality of the oil and gas sector to the Nigerian economy, which he noted had depended and still depends on oil and gas resources for revenue, export earnings, and energy generation among others. 

As an oil dependent economy, with crude oil being the most important contributor to national wealth, he stressed that the Niger Delta constitutes a treasure trove to the Nigerian economy.

In view of the foregoing, Agba posited that the task of finding an enduring solution to the restiveness in the Niger Delta region becomes an essential national assignment, describing that as a task that must be done.

“It is from this prism that this book, which analyses the ‘often stormy, but occasionally cordial relationships among key stakeholders in the oil-rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria’ becomes timely and relevant”, the minister noted

He maintained that the 315-page, 13 chapters book presented in lucid prose and compelling narratives, constituted a noble attempt at resolving some of the vexed issues popularly referred to as ‘The National Question’.

He said one critical issue that was also addressed in the book was the issue of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), a legislation he said took several decades to make and upon which the prospects for a lasting peace in the Niger Delta was currently anchored.

Agba, however, concurred with the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Mr.  Gbenga Komolafe, who described the book as, “highly innovative and an essential manual for stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.”

“I join millions of well-meaning Nigerians to commend the efforts of the three authors of this book, and to recommend this book to all lovers of peace and development, the academia and oil industry operators not just in the Niger Delta region, but in Nigeria as a whole and the world at large”, the minister added.

The chief host and Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho, in his remarks said the coming of the book was timely as Nigeria was currently in search of peace and security, adding that peace was necessary for business to thrive.

Sanwo-Olu lamented that despite all the money Nigeria made from oil exploration and production, many people in the country still wallow in hunger and starvation while security had become a major problem facing the country.

The governor added, “And from the clips of the book I have seen, I’m sure so many questions about why we cannot achieve peace in the Niger Delta will be answered. And as part of this answer, we are going to be able to see how we can find solution to the peace that has been so elusive in Nigeria.

“So I feel that people who have seen it all in the industry with several years of service are coming out to write about why we are not having peace in the Niger Delta, why oil that is supposed to be a thing of joy for us has become a metaphor for tears in so many ways.”

The book reviewer and Director of Communications, Babcock University, Dr. Joshua Suleiman, said with clarity and impact, the authors had explored how the challenges of the Niger Delta should be addressed.

He added that the authors had specifically used guided questions to interrogate the issues investigated, supported by the various accounts of the respondents and validated by the experiences of the authors.

Suleiman said the authors aimed to solve the complicated issue of community development across the region as well as oil pipe vandalism, oil bunkering, degradation of the ecosystem, militancy and illegal refining.

“In conclusion, it is an extremely powerful story with a breath of freshness in its masterful execution of subject, elegance of style, perspicuity of delivery and thematic choice.

“It is a good resource material for Africa researchers and investors in the Nigerian energy sector. As an incredibly well researched book, it is an outstanding contribution to the local and international history of oil exploration activities in oil producing countries.

“It speaks to the centrality of natural resources in the history of the 21st Century and to the underlying conflicts between producers and consumers of this natural resources. Scholars of energy and geopolitics will find this very helpful”, the reviewer noted.

Other dignitaries at the occasion were the Chief of Staff to Delta State Governor, Mr. Festus Agas; Managing Director of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr. Eniola Bello; and Vice Chancellor, Caleb University, Lagos, Prof. Nosa Owens-Ibie amongst others.