Leadership (Abuja)
Golu Timothy
1 July 2008
Niger Delta — Vice President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday blamed the escalating restiveness in the Niger Delta region to the activities of those he described as "oil thieves", who, he added, have taken over the genuine agitation for the emancipation of the people.
He also blamed oil smugglers as the brain behind the sponsorship of militant activities in the region.
Speaking at a meeting of the Honorary International Investor Council, at the State House, Jonathan said the genuine agitations of the Niger Delta people have been hijacked by criminals.
He said, "Naturally, at the beginning, people were quite friendly with the oil companies, no security was deployed to guard the oil facilities. Over the period people began to believe they were not getting enough.
"What is happening today is that genuine agitation has been taken advantage of by people who want to make money through stealing and smuggling crude oil.
"Those people who are interested in stealing and smuggling crude oil sponsor most of the aggressive activities in the area. People are now exploiting it and making big money".
He blamed the oil companies for their failure to invest in the production of their production inputs in the oil-producing communities.
According to him, if the oil companies had established industries for the production of their inputs locally, the youth in the area would not be free to engage in militancy.
He said, "It is unfortunate that all the inputs in the oil industry are imported. The bulk of their materials are imported. How do you stimulate the local economy?
"If the operators can invest in the manufacturing of some of the inputs in the oil industry locally, that would generate a number of employment opportunities.
"We must look for ways to reduce the number of free men that can be used for militant activities".
Jonathan called on the oil companies to invest and establish companies in the region.
The Vice-President also informed the investors that the Federal Government has been consulting with stakeholders towards a final resolution of the crisis in the region.
Jonathan said the items on the agenda of the meeting include the Niger Delta, transportation, telecommunication, food security and investment opportunities.
The Vice-President appealed to the Council for help and advice.
According to him, "The essence of the proposed Niger Delta Summit is to take a major step forward from previous reports and recommendations on Niger Delta development. We are not going back to design another master plan.
"The Summit, among other resolutions, will give a specific time frame, outline targets and establish a framework for actualising the already existing roadmap".
This is how the Vice President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, captured the essence of the upcoming Niger Delta Summit during the weekend at a crucial meeting with governors and leaders of ethnic nationalities of the nine oil producing states that make up the Niger Delta, at the State House, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He pointed that the upcoming summit is not meant to merely add to the existing tons of documents, position papers and resolutions on the region, but to collate them into a single, generally acceptable document endorsed by the Federal Government.
Jonathan used the occasion to emphasise that the full participation and endorsement of the resolutions by the Federal Government, as well as an agenda for full-scale development of the Niger Delta region, would distinguish this effort from previous summits.
"Previous recommendations, from the well known Willinks' Report till date, had no compelling force for government's action and commitment. Even the current masterplan does not compel anyone to action.
"Mr. President and the Federal Government will be part and parcel of the final resolutions", he stated.
Jonathan explained that the choice of Prof. Ibrahim Gambari as Chairman of the Steering Committee was hinged on the consideration of his remarkable credentials in conflict resolution and his international presence. He spoke against getting a foreigner to chair the Summit since no two sections of the country were at war.
"We believe Gambari carries with him the United Nations. More so, the chairman is meant to moderate and not to override, and there are other skilled professionals in the Steering Committee," he said.
After lengthy deliberations, the Niger Delta leaders agreed to a Summit, but rejected Gambari as its chair on the grounds that the sentiments already expressed against his choice are enough to scuttle the entire process.
In his contributions, Ondo State Governor, Chief Olusegun Agagu, advocated a standing secretariat of credible persons to monitor the implementation of the Summit's resolutions and expedite action on the development of the Niger Delta.
Professor Sam Oyovbaire harped on the need for a technical committee of between five to nine persons to collate and scrutinize various recommendations and reports, from Willinks' to the latest, with a specified period to receive additional submissions from Niger Deltans.
He said what the region needs is outright development, noting that had the Federal Government been executing specific developmental actions in the Niger Delta region on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, a Summit might have been out of the question.
Speaking in the same vein, Chief E.K. Clark called for an implementation committee to look into all the reports that have been produced on Niger Delta development with a view to ensuring a full-scale implementation.
Concurring, Senator Uche Chukwumerije said the committee will serve to synthesise all reports and prepare a programme of action. He also noted that headship of the committee should be anyone fully trusted by the people of the Niger Delta.
The meeting was attended by over 100 political and opinion leaders from the Niger Delta, including members of the National Assembly from the region, Clark, former Delta and Akwa Ibom governors, James Ibori and Obong Victor Attah; King Alfred Diette Spiff; former Petroleum Minister Chief Don Etiebet; former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alexander Ogomudia; Senators Uche Chukwumerije, Aniete Okon, Stella Omu; Ledum Mittee of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People, MOSOP; Madam Rita Lori Ogbebor and a host of other dignitaries.
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2008 Leadership. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
Call them anything Militant, oil Thieves, Miscreants and Lawless these are called freedom Fighters from where I came from. It is true that some bad eggs will infiltrate for their own personal gain but it does change the original goal. If their cause was not valid how come you the VP was ask to mediate prior or the President has set up a commission headed by Amb. Gambari.
The VP will be best served to desist from calling names because these are people that are hurting by desperate action. The Oil has produced more Northern Presidents than Southern and in each instance they walk out with Billions of Dollars at the expense of the oil producing areas. If these Freedom Fighters are not doing what they are doing who would speak for them. VP was seen as the one to broker the impasse but he is now dinning with Northern Hegemony as a token to make it look like his brothers and sisters back home are doing the bad things but not the North exploiting the people.
Yar'Adua could not send warship to defend Bakassi but only sent one like Obasanjo sent soldiers to deal with Ode people. The armed forces of a nation is used to defend her people from outside aggression. The biggest battle the Nigeria Army has fought was against a section of the country called Biafra for the same unfinished business as we see in the Delta region today. The only way to solve the problem is for the North to come clean and stop this exploitation and become aware that Nigeria is more than Hausa and Fulani