Feb 5, 2012:

Oloibiri village which is located in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State in South – South Nigeria was the spot where oil – Nigeria’s chief rich natural resource and major political source of various anarchy – was first discovered in June, 1956. Nigeria’s first major test after 10 years of oil find was a civil war in1967 caused by political acrimony and military dictatorship both at the national level in 1966 – 67 till 1970. How well has Nigeria fared in her 55 years (1956 – 2011) of Oil exploration, exploitation, refining and distribution; and what lessons do they serve Nigeria in awakening her consciousness in the area of intense search and the broadening of the non-oil sector, especially the hydro-power projects such as HYPPADEC? Our special correspondent, NUHU YARWA, asks.

Like the gigantic Kainji dam Project – Nigeria’s premier hydro-electric dam edifice which, as a national project, began in late 1950s starting with site location, resettlement and the clearing of earth – surface within the Kanji (ideal local name) marshy villages in the mid river Niger terrain of Illo and Busa (hence New Bussa) solid rock valleys and belts all in Niger State; Oloibiri oil find was also supposed to give Nigeria pride and excellence as a national glory. But in 55 years of Oil drilling, Nigeria still battles with tales of woes including its inability to satisfy domestic consumption year in - year out without foreign importation of refined products: Petrol (PMS), Diesel (AGO)and Kerosene (DPK).

Oil find and its exploitation – like the Kainji dam project, was a national effort during the tail end of the British colonial rule from 1950s to 1960 with a view to truly launch the promising new country, Nigeria, into an industrialised club.

Oil prospection began between 1953 and 1956 and Oloibiri was conferred with the natural credit or mandate of being the first to offer solution. Shell Petroleum Ltd., a British firm, began the drilling with pride to both the British government and the emerging Nigerian national politicians jostling to take over from Britain on independence in 1959, but later postponed to October 1st, 1960.

Deposits of Oil in Nigeria’s shores has become like a curse. For example, apart from the old and new Port Harcourt refineries as well as the Warri and Kaduna’s bogus types built by the national army in late 70s- and all may have become obsolete in structural technical details always urging for Turn– Around– Maintenance (TAM) in million dollars sums, thereby making locally refined oil a major set back.  Efforts to build new ones – in various sizes and capacity as found in Venezuela, Iran, Kuwait, Gabon, etc has been nil. Yet, licenses have been granted to parasitic, un-nationalistic private individuals in the main stream national politics in the last two decades to partake in the oil venture, and to partner with government. Alas!

Oloibiri, unlike kainji and old Busa or Ilo area on the main high way of the international river Niger route – is an island of some once great streams and rivers of long gone eras.

The expected bubbling  life in an oil city – busy, frenzied with daily social occurrences of elite meetings and parties by peoples or races; a place  high in traffic of cars and lorries jam – parking, and helicopters hovering like beautiful butterflies in the sun – biting water side of Oloibiri may have only taken place in 1959 – a year after pumping of oil from the 22 oil wells began, to 1979 when the town became shrunken, then a  ghost of its old glory.

Indeed, 1960s and 70s was an era of less cars and lorries, yet semi- big ocean ships docked at the coasts of the “cosmopolitan” Oloibiri, with sailors – mainly whites, and which made the little cosmopolitan town an international home and a peaceful commercial forte as well as a bubbling sports arena- as sailors, captains etc were said to be playing table and lawn tennis, football with the locals, hugging each other in peace and prosperity. But, time have long changed events and issues.

Today, the village is a ghost of inestimable wreck as oil had dried up since 1978 and Shell D’ Arey thereafter dismantled its equipment (1958 – 1978) and in searching for more pasture – having not expired their mining rights or licenses, recamped at a new found home called Otuogid.

The Fate Of Oloibiri vs The Entire Niger Delta

The fate of Oloibiri, rising from obscurity to an authority and suddenly oblivion – which is back to base  in the history of oil power and prospection in southern Nigeria - may be the same spiritual fate or trait which will engulf the entire Ijaw, Efik, Urhobo, Itsekiri, Bini, Kalabari etc geographic area officially called “the Delta (Zone) of the Niger (river)” as soon as the fast depleting spirits commonly called natural resource vanishes evermore. Big jeeps and mansions across the country and beyond which Niger Delta oil fortunes easily provides the people today will not replace the needed oil as an alternate resource.

Oil, Politics And Nigeria: (1980 – 2010)

In 30 years, from 1980 to 2010, an average of two national industrial strikes by the umbrella trade union giant – Nigeria labour congress (NLC) takes place per three years; often propelled by federal government’s unilateral decision to jack up oil pump prices. This often result in the loss of several man – hours in weeks’; collapse of certain bilateral engagements with foreign interests and often time the loss of lives and property when law enforcement agents engaged the demonstrating labour leaders and the sympathising Nigerians. The most remarkable labour strike in 2012 began on January 9. It shook the nation because the presidency was alone against the whole country.

The movement for the emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) which hinges its love for the region’s rights to good environmental protection became a political entity using unauthorised explosives against the Nigerian armed forces protecting oil fields or facilities. Casualties in lives and property have always been involved such as vandalised oil pipelines and death of innocent souls.

Against this development, late president Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, in 2008, created the ministry of Niger Delta affairs, with its two pioneer ministers (elaborate and minister of state) both coming from the Niger Delta area.

The Niger Delta development commission (NDDC) was a precursor of the ministry of Niger Delta (MND), while NDDC itself was an off – shoot of Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) created by the military in mid-80s through mid-90s to accentuate physical development of the oil areas by putting part of the national budget in the hand of the Nigerians of Niger delta extraction for infrastructural developments.

HYPPADEC – both an antonym and synonym of OMPADEC, meaning Hydro Power Producing Areas development commission involving states in the Northern Nigeria such as Kebbi, Niger, Kwara and Kogi where huge volumes of river Niger flows through before forming a Delta basin down southern end towards the Atlantic ocean, has also been struggling for environmental protection and development in view of its hosting rights to kainji premier hydro-electric dam and the Jebba dam, both of which are national edifices sited in their areas and propelled by river Niger. HYPPADEC has not yet become a rising star in the far horizons, seven years since the motion was raised; and three years after the second reading on the floor of the National assembly. This, itself, is tension – built because what is good for the goose with regards to the fortunes and fountains of river Niger as the source of oil pride in Nigeria; and also as the cause of internal strife within the same enclave which supposes to be a practical federal entity where development must be spread; equity a common purpose; and nationalism an enhanced value as love will be a devotion, is being denied the gander. Alas! Oil is a curse!

Youth Emancipation:

The youth emancipation programme of the federal government for only Niger Delta area which is in billion dollar sum politically and judiciously jeapardises unity, cohesion and fair–play in a supposed united federation. No genuine peoples’ conscious, development – oriented national government incriminates one section of the entity against the rest.

Social justice being an harbinger of natural justice enhances tolerance, love, understanding, contentment, hope and patriotism. When social justice is circumvented, it breeds mistrust and greed, as incriminating one section against the other leads to all sorts of agitations, and even litigation – genuine or abstract, and the national government suffers from recurring political heats.

Every section of any federation produces certain mechanism – energy, mineral, labour, foods, etc. by which it reinforces national wellbeing towards the up – keep of all Nigerians’- and this is why development must be central.

Views And News From Oloibiri

As a ghost of its booming days in the past 30 years, Nigeria’s first oil ‘depot’ now boasts of one functional borehole, zero electricity, several dilapidated, cracked and collapsing residences, kitchens and verandas.

The main road to the “oil dis-owned” village is a sad tale of desolation, recession, retrogression and inner – willed repression by the elite of the area who abandons the neighborhood to live in other urbane society of Nigeria. This supposed richly – endowed oil – domain of the first generation Nigeria is circumstantially cast in a forgotten carcass.

According to Jack McArthur Etteh, who said he is an indigene of OMPADEC area and a geologist working with an estate firm of surveyors in Benin, Edo State, the dried oil wells of Ogbia district in Ogbia local government where Oloibiri was once the “Paramount headquarters” will bounce back. While he did not provide scientific details, he however, blamed poverty and physical decadence of the area to political greed by local politicians there “who are against each other spiritually”.

Mr. Nnane Bob Tarry of “Tarry-on activities” in Warri, Delta State spoke in the same mood with surveyor Arthur: “Why have local governments since military era not been building feeder roads of even three kilometers per quarter of every year, then allowing state government as a senior arm of governance partner with federal government’s Oil protecting agencies such as OMPADEC or NDDC to advance their efforts?”

“From the federation account allocation to all the states in south, east, north or west of Nigeria, it is the duty of indigenes manning their respective areas especially now in a democracy to build their community by laying the blue-print for higher participation by senior government arms such as Federal or International Bank for Development and Reconstruction (IBDR)”, Barr. Muhammad Kudu Awwal of social equity Lokoja, Kogi State said.

According to Engr. Dagachi of the Directorate of petroleum resources (DPR) “my experience in the services of NNPC across Nigeria in the last 22 years tells me that NDDC or ministry of Niger Delta will not perform its statutory function of bringing Development to oil mineral areas or states because of politics of hatred amongst the community leaders and because of high corruption of the elite who love largesse”, he said, adding that, “witch hunting amongst elite of Niger Delta is astronomical in scale, as we may witness from the dozens of petitions against Chief Ufot Ekaette, a former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) (1999 – 2008) who became the senior pioneer minister in the ministry of Niger Delta in 2009”.

For John Egbong Akpan, a compugrapher with a media out fit in FCT Abuja, he laments: “having president and commander-in-chief from an area that claim marginalisation and preach resource fun fare will not provide automatic heavens without political will to reach out developmentally by providing physical, biological and mental infrastructures such as hospitals, etc.”

Hajiya Halimatu Ismail of veteran vets shop, Wuse, Abuja said: “I will request you to study the Niger Delta’s friend, late President Umaru Yar’Adua, a modest man whose modest plan for the Niger Delta area, starting with the dredging of river Niger troughs from Baro in Niger state across five states such as Kogi, Delta, etc., has been short-lived,” adding that, the project was contracted out at N36 billion only, and it was to cover just 18 months; but today, 2012, from 2009, the job is incomplete and the contract sum is twice”.

All said, will HYPPADEC communities, ravaged by floods and squalor because of incursion of waters from the collapsed banks of river Niger around Illo area in Kebbi State across Ahuru, Jebba, Muregi, Katcha, Baro down to Lokoja and Zariyagi etc., have a change of fortunes in their membership of Nigeria as a federal nation, vis-à-vis ecological problems and timely national solution?

Nuhu Yarwa is in the editorial department of The Leadership.

By Leadership Newspapers