OPINION—When the Oil Wells Run Dry

I am borrowing the title of a book by Walter M. Fuchs to expressively convey my views to a remark of our father, leader and mentor in the Niger Delta struggle, Chief (Dr.) E.K. Clark, OFR, CON. 

Published by Literary Licensing, LLC (26 Jan. 2013), this book is about oil, and of course in Nigeria oil from the Delta region is the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. According to a 2018 report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) crude oil still accounts to more than 78 percent of total exports, meaning that the impact of oil dependency to Nigeria’s economy is still head to head compared to the non-oil sector such as the telecom industry, manufacturing, agriculture, transportation and technical services of 90.62 percent, despite the political rhetoric of diversifying the economy.

On June 12th, 2020 in one of Pa. Clark’s several letters to President Muhammadu Buhari, titled: LET US CALL A SPADE, A SPADE!” He said: “While our resources are being managed, and subjugated, mainly by people from other parts of the country, the people of the oil producing communities of the Niger Delta, who bear the brunt of degradation, arising from the oil and gas exploratory activities, receive mere soupçons, and are rendered spectators of the oil business.” 

In recent months events in the oil and gas polity have continuously spiralled, affirming  Pa. Clark’s remark where core stakeholders and community leaders began asking for community engagement to Marginal Field. What this explains is that authorities who took oath to defend and uphold our sacred 1999 constitution as amended are unarguably violators of the same constitution, and this began not now; it has begun in decades.

The Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act gives credence lawfully for stakeholders to be engaged, therefore, when the federal government connives with multinational companies to deprive our people from participating in the oil sector, it becomes a worrisome scenario that despite our oil we struggle. What about when the oil runs dry? This is an excruciating question. 

1. Subject to section 10 (1) (b) of the Act, which stipulates that Nigerians shall be given the first consideration for employment and training  in any project executed by any operation or project promoter in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. 

2. The Board shall ensure that the operator or project promoter maintains a reasonable number of, personnel from areas it has significant operation.

For the sake of those who are not into the oil and gas sector, a marginal field is the Guidelines as any field that has been discovered and is left unattended for a period of at least 10 years, from the date of first discovery, or such field which the President may from time to time identify as a marginal field.

I believe that, from the days of the oil exploration, there has been much doubt as to which way the balance tipped as regards to the area of community engagement in the oil and gas sector in the Niger Delta region. This is no doubt an old issue, which climax to youths restiveness in the Niger Delta region, and unfortunately the old order is still the working template various players are embroiled with. 

Peace is the only panacea for development. And how can peace be achieved? 

1. We can achieve peace with genuine engagement through ownership of marginal fields as well as competent Niger Delta daughters and sons with proven capacity having oil  blocs. 

2. Another very pertinent point of pursuing a genuine engagement is for community stakeholders to be engaged exponentially as results to employment, capacity and training that is enshrined in the constitution.

3. Human beings in a country are the most important resources, and in the Niger Delta we have the people, and we are also gifted with capacity, so for, these resources not to go extinct or obliterated, I proposed a Trust Fund where capitals will be raised to frontier the education of indigenous students both in vocational training and information and communication technologies for holistic peace and development in the Niger Delta. I believe this will engineer growth and restore amity.

Nigeria did not partake in both the industrial and agricultural revolution, but the Niger Delta with our oil wells will not replicate the mistake of the past when the value of oil is still very high in the global market.

*Pukon is the Secretary General of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide