Opinion
13% Derivation; DESOPADEC and Oil and Gas Host Communities.
By Jerome-Mario Chijioke Utomi.
A cursory look at the Oil and Gas host communities in Delta state reveals an area tensed up with a lot of issues, intrigues and hiccups. Their anger in the present moment, going by media reports, is precipitated by the alleged opaque manner the former governor of the state, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, managed the 13% Oil Derivation Fund that accrued to the state.
Correspondingly, It will not be characterized as hasty to conclude that there is presently in Delta state no agency or commission that is troubled as the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission(DESOPADEC), an agency created by the enabling Act in Delta state, to secure 50% of the 13% Oil Derivation Fund accruing to Delta State government and the received sum used for rehabilitation and development of oil-producing areas of the state as well as carry out other development projects as may be determined from time to time.
Supporting the above assertions is a recent statement by Edwin Clark, convener of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), where he alleged that Ifeanyi Okowa, former governor of Delta, misappropriated the state’s derivation fund amounting to N1.760 trillion. Pa Edwin’s bombshell was followed in quick succession by protest staged in Abuja by representatives of the Delta state Oil and gas host communities, calling on Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), to investigate the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, for allegedly misappropriating over N1tn oil derivation fund belonging to the state during his tenure.
While the coastal dwellers in their statement insisted that the former governor unlawfully diverted the aforementioned sum, the former Governor’s men are at work, thwarting every attempt to rubbish the reputation of their former boss. For instance, the immediate-past Commissioner for Information in Delta State, Ehiedu Charles Aniagwu, recently told the world that all the money Okowa’s administration got from Federation Account Allocation Committee, including derivation for the whole period in office amounted to N2.1trn and therefore described as wild goose chase HOSTCOM’s narrative on N1trn.
But in all this, what this piece observed could be safely categorized into three parts; first, Senator Okowa’s led government brought to the oil and gas host communities flashes of streets/internal roads.
Beyond this acknowledgement, there exists also in the state a deeply neglected coastal area which doubles as oil and gas host communities where poverty, disease and illiteracy walked their creeks, rivers and estuaries and as a resultant effect, forced many children out of school not because of their unwillingness to learn, but occasioned by non availability/provision of schools in the area by the government. These are verifiable facts!
A movement by boat from Egbema Kingdom in Warri North Local Government Council to Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South, from Ogulaha Kingdom in Burutu Local Government to Kabowe in Patani Local Government Area, down to Bomadi Local Government Local Councils, among others, reveals a seemingly similar experience. They are all oil and gas bearing kingdoms and communities and play host to major crude oil platforms operated by the International Oil Companies (IOCs), but they have nothing to show for it.
Secondly, without going into critical analysis of claims by the immediate past Governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, that DESOPADEC got what was due to it according to the law establishing it, this piece believes that such declaration on DESOPADEC receiving a total of N208 billion in the eight years of his administration, as its rightful statutory funds appears inaccurate and, therefore, cannot hold water when faced with embarrassing arguments.
DESOPADEC, as noted in the first paragraph, is to secure 50% of the 13% Oil Derivation Fund accruing to Delta State government. With this in mind; is the former Governor saying that it was only 416 Billion naira that accrued as 13% derivation to the state in the past 8years, which summed DESOPADEC’s statutory 50% to N208 billion? Again, instead of giving a cumulative amount received from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, what stops the former Governor and his supporters from specifying the exact amount received as 13% derivation?
While answer(s) to the above questions raised is awaited, the third and most dramatic point is DESOPADEC-specific. The non satisfactory development of the area within this period under review in my view remains an emblematic sign that the affairs of the coastal areas of the state was handed over to a bunch of politicians masquerading as leaders but lack public leadership acumen and orientation. To use the words of a public affairs commentator, they were people that ‘spend more time with wines than with books’.
Aside from turning the coastal part of the state to an endangered species via wicked human capital neglect and infrastructural abandonment, these ‘leaders’, in turn, neglected community relations and communication. And because of this non-participatory leadership style and engagement, each time communities ask for bread, the agency makes ‘stones’ available and when the communities ask for fish, DESOPADEC provides a ‘snake’.
This piece will highlight two recent separate but related examples to support the above claims.
In October 2022, it was in the news that in the face of grave developmental challenges confronting the coastal dwellers in the state crying for attention, DESOPADEC leadership against all known logic opted for the donation of 50 grass-cutting machines to the people of Okerenkoko community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-Local Government Area of Delta state. Presenting the machines, the DESOPADEC commissioner noted that the donation of grass-cutting machines to the community was statutorily captured in the commission’s 2021 budget; adding that the project was principally influenced by him”.
For those that are not conversant with the Okerenkoko community and may be tempted to believe that the donation was a right step taken in the right direction, they may see nothing wrong with the donation. But for someone that is familiar with the aforementioned community, the decision to donate these machines qualifies as a misguided priority.
In fact, there is everything wrong with the development. For instance, there is evidence which points to the fact that the community was neither consulted nor carried along before the decision was made. The grass-cutting machine donation, in the opinion of this piece, failed the NEEDS assessment stipulations.
The words of the youth leader from the community support this assertion.
Reacting to the development, the youth leader who spoke on behalf of the community among other things, said, “We heard about the skill acquisition that is ongoing. We are appealing to the Commissioner to at least create some avenue for those skill acquisitions for our ladies, for the youth in this community so that they can go out there and learn skills to back themselves, put themselves in order.”
From the above comment, one thing stands out; the fact that if given the opportunity, these knowledge-hungry youths in the community, who will provide the future leadership needs of the country, would have opted for skill acquisition. Instead of grass-cutting machines, the youths in the community would have preferred access to good schools where they will learn and compete with their peers across the globe. They were not just asking for more, rather, they asked for something new, different and more beneficial to their future.
Similarly, in November 2022, barely one month after, It was again reported that DESOPADEC leadership, invited the Local Government Chairmen of Burutu, Bomadi, Patani and Warri South West Local Government Areas of the state, to a shop in Warri city, Delta state, where it handed over relief materials purchased for the victims of the flood that ravaged almost all the communities/villages in the afore mentioned local Government councils.
The items distributed to the affected local governments were bags of garri, bags of rice, and bags of onions, bags of beans, noodles, vegetable oil, palm oil, toiletries, and foams, among others.
While the donation to flood victims is understandable, commendable and appreciated, some questions immediately come to mind as to why DESOPADEC management decided to be compassionate by proxy? What prevented DESOPADEC management from visiting the real victims of the flood to personally empathize with them? Is DESOPADEC management unaware that in the applied sense of the word, the real empathy lies more in the visit and emotional consolation of the flood victims than the so-called relief material sent through proxy? What will it cost DESOPADEC to pay a visit to these villages/communities in creeks?
What is the distance from Warri to Patani, Burutu and Bomadi that DESOPADEC management cannot send delegation? How will DESPODEC management ensure/ascertain that the relief materials got to the targeted beneficiaries without getting lost on transit or misdirected? If DESOPADEC management cannot visit the creeks in this period of crisis, what time will be more/most suitable to visit these people?
Even as this ugly leadership situation ‘blossoms’ in the coastal communities of Delta State, the truth remains that if we look hard enough at the moment, we shall as a people discover that the challenge confronting the region is not too difficult to grasp. Rather, the challenge flourishes because agencies such as DESOPADEC and their administrators have routinely become reputed for taking decisions that breed poverty.
For me, While it is important that DESOPADEC’s new leadership commits to mind the above admonition, this piece holds the opinion that to sustainably solve the problem of the coastal dwellers in the state, a compelling point the state government must not fail to remember is the present call by stakeholders on DESOPADEC management to emulate the Chevron Nigeria Limited template in community engagement. A template that deals directly with the host community and an approach the communities claimed has worked perfectly in the area of infrastructural provision.
On his part, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State should within this period execute for the oil and gas host communities legacy projects that will stand the test of time. In fact, it will not be out of place if a bridge is constructed to link and open these oil bearing communities.
Utomi Jerome-Mario is the Programme Coordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), A Lagos-Based Non Governmental Organization (NGO). Jeromeutomi@yahoo.com/08032725374
The president of Ijaw National Congress ( INC) Prof Benjamin Okaba has criticised the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, over his recent apology to the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Wike had apologised following a walkout by women during an empowerment event in Port Harcourt, where the First Lady was represented by the wife of the Sole Administrator.
Prof Okaba described the minister’s apology as unnecessary and misplaced.He strongly defended the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, saying the governor had no role in the protest.
He said Wike was the one undermining ongoing peace efforts and was creating roadblocks to reconciliation in the state.
According to prof Okaba, Wike had shown clear signs of dissatisfaction with the peace process and was looking for ways to disrupt it.
He noted that Wike had previously stated that Fubara should have been removed completely, which he saw as evidence of Wike’s unwillingness to accept any compromise.
He also referred to a recent protest by nursing students in Delta State as an example of how people express dissatisfaction without political sponsorship.
Okaba said the Rivers women simply wanted to be addressed by the First Lady herself or the governor’s wife.
Their actions, he explained, were based on disappointment after being told to expect the First Lady, only for the wife of the Sole Administrator to appear.
Okaba stated that the protest was not meant to insult the President or the First Lady, he said the women were reacting to what they saw as a deception and that their actions were aimed at rejecting what they viewed as an illegitimate administration in the state.
He also insisted that the women’s message was clear and targeted only at the Sole Administrator, not the federal authorities.
According to him, the protest was justified and should not be linked to any wrongdoing by Governor Fubara.
“So, for me, it does all show that Wike is the one who is double-tonguing, looking for every excuse to truncate the restoration process.”
“The women only expressed their disgust at the evil perpetrated by one sole administrator. He is an illegality, and nobody is afraid of saying so.”
“So, if they can say that anywhere, then the wife of the sole administrator wants to come and address who? As what?”
“The same women who demonstrated against the sole administrator, will you expect them to go and listen to the ‘rubbish’ that will come from his wife? I support what the women did, and I don’t see any confrontation against the Federal Government,” he said.
Follow Us Ijaw Matters View Point
By Admin
Niger Delta, born human rights activist and development advocate, Chief Comrade Mulade Sheriff, has called on political job seekers to stop distracting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and state governors from focusing on good governance to Nigerians.
The renowned peace and environmental justice advocate made the appeal at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, recently to Nigerians, particularly highly influenced individuals whom he alleged were doing so for their selfish interests to protect their political positions.
He said, “I appeal to highly placed Nigerians to stop distracting the President and Governors over 2027 general elections that is still over two years away, because of their selfish interest to protect their positions and contracts, to the detriment of our development.’
Chief Mulade, who is the Ibe Serimowei of the ancient Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West council area of Delta state, noted that President Tinubu has only done less than two years in office and is yet to deliver on his mandate, noting that such mischievous endorsements from political jobbers are not helping the President but only serving as source of distraction which he, Tinubu, does not need now.
“It is imperative to state that the President is barely about two years in office, and has not delivered on his electioneering promises, but he is being distracted by persons who are promoting their selfish interest rather than the good of the masses,” he added.
The peace ambassador, therefore, called on all well-meaning Nigerians to rise above personal gains and to beware of actions that are detrimental to the well-being of the masses and the country.
He urged President Tinubu to be wary of eye service supporters and praise singers, and to beam his focus on the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration to end insecurity, hunger, bad governance, oppression of the masses and bad economy in Nigeria. It is worthy of note that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR does not need these distractive and mischievous political endorsements to be re-elected if he delivers on his promises to Nigerians.
Opinion
OPINION: THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE IYC PRESIDENT JONATHAN LOKPOBIRI SNR STATEMENT AND THAT OF GOC GOVERNMENT TOMPOLO EKPEMUPOLO STATEMENT, EXPLAINED.
By Lordy Torus
I’ve listened to Tompolo speak to his people on his 54th birthday celebration, though, through a translator. This is what I had been expecting to hear long before today, given my privilege of understanding Ijaw and the interpreter’s translation into English. I give him kudos for first acknowledging the Ijawness in him, something many privileged individuals in authority have refused to do. He recognized that before politics, there is the Ijaw Nation, and so it shall remain. His mention of Bayelsa State as the homogeneous Ijaw headquarters was another pointer to his recognition of his Ijaw heritage.
He was very deliberate and moderate in addressing the imbroglio between Wike and Fubara, calling on both parties to sheathe their swords. He acknowledged the role Wike played in making Fubara the Governor of Rivers State and admonished Wike, reminding him that the Ijaw people also contributed to his success. He emphasized the need for both parties to bury their differences and bring Fubara back. He went further to say that while he might disagree with the Governor, the Ijaw Nation is sacrosanct.
Tompolo cautioned toying with the emotions of Izon people by Wike wanting to bring his trophy to Bayelsa and he told him in all terms that coming to Yenagoa will not be tolerated, not by way of advice but a straight talk. He then addressed Fubara and Wike to Wike’s advantage though and of course it’s several times acceptable to me.
Jonathan Lokpobiri would’ve been celebrated by the Ijaw people which he leads if only he had made it known that, he is first an Ijaw man, before anything. If he had applied wisdom, he would’ve bashed Wike and those encouraging him to toil with the Ijaw Nation, for bringing the Ijaw Nation into his political games. Rather, he lambasted Ijaws for calling for war, yet could not do anything when the state of emergency was pronounced by President Asiwaju Tinubu. Robbing salt on a very deep injury.
While Tompolo succinctly sent a message to Wike that he should respect the only homogeneous Ijaw State by not bringing his games to Bayelsa, which he as an Ijaw man won’t find appealing. He as well reminded the people that it was Wike who single handedly handpicked Fubara, to be Governor of Rivers State. Thereby giving a fair judgement on both parties. But the President either deliberate or unknownly aggravated the people’s anger, by making it seem like the Ijaw people whom he leads were the trouble makers, making Wike the saint in the whole issue, while the Ijaw people and the Fubara, as the troublemakers.
As Ijaws, your tribe must come first, before anything.
Just like Jonathan, Tompolo acknowledged the fact that the issue between Wike and Fubara is a political issue and can only be solved through Political means. However, Jonathan sinned when he refused to make it bold that Wike should not toil with the Ijaw Nation.
One thing I learnt from this is that, having all the degrees doesn’t make one a harbinger of knowledge. Perhaps, GOC had to wait for everybody to air their opinion, before dishing out his incontroversial statement, to calm down already failed nerves. I can agree with myself that those who were angered by Wike’s unguarded statement, has calmed down and partially forgiven him, pending when Tompolo does his calling for the return of Governor Fubara.
Credit: Benebragha Suoye